The Late Mattia Pascal

The Late Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello is the story of a man who, weary of an unhappy marriage and financial ruin, discovers that he has been mistakenly declared dead. Seizing the chance to escape his old life, he assumes a new identity and sets out in search of freedom. Yet what begins as liberation soon becomes a prison of anonymity, as he finds himself unable to belong anywhere, neither to his past nor to his invented self. Both tragic and ironic, the novel explores themes of identity, illusion, and the elusive nature of happiness, establishing Pirandello as a master of modern existential storytelling.