Alberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle, was an influential Italian novelist and journalist. Known for his exploration of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism, Moravia's work often depicted the malaise of the bourgeoisie with a factual, cold, precise style underpinned by strong social and cultural awareness.

His debut novel, Gli indifferenti (The Time of Indifference, 1929), and his anti-fascist novel Il conformista (The Conformist, 1947), are among his most renowned works and have been adapted into films. Other novels such as Agostino, Il disprezzo (A Ghost at Noon or Contempt), La noia (Boredom), and La ciociara (Two Women) also found cinematic interpretations by notable directors like Bernardo Bertolucci and Vittorio De Sica.

Moravia once remarked that the most significant influences on his life were his battle with a tubercular infection, which confined him to bed for five years, and the rise of Fascism. He famously stated, "It is what we are forced to do that forms our character, not what we do of our own free will." An atheist, Moravia believed that writers must assume a moral position and a clearly conceived political, social, and philosophical stance to portray reality.

Moravia served as the president of PEN International from 1959 to 1962, further cementing his influence in the literary world.