▁story ▁that ▁would ▁become ▁Gli ▁Ind iffer enti . ▁Mor avia ▁sent ▁the ▁manuscript ▁to ▁the ▁editor ▁of ▁ 9 0 0 , ▁a ▁b iling ual ▁( Ital ian - F rench ) ▁review ▁with ▁which ▁he ▁had ▁previously ▁published ▁some ▁short ▁stories . ▁It ▁was ▁dismiss ed ▁as ▁a ▁" m ist ▁of ▁words ". ▁The ▁novel ▁was ▁published ▁with ▁a ▁ <0xE2> <0x82> <0xA4> 5 , 0 0 0 ▁contribution ▁from ▁Mor avia ' s ▁father , ▁Carlo ▁Pin cher le , ▁as ▁the ▁Milan ese ▁publish er ▁Al pes ▁was ▁unw illing ▁to ▁take ▁a ▁risk ▁on ▁an ▁unknown ▁author . ▁ ▁Plot ▁syn opsis ▁Gli ▁Ind iffer enti ▁is ▁a ▁psych ological ▁port ray al ▁of ▁the ▁life ▁of ▁a ▁middle - class ▁mother ▁and ▁her ▁two ▁children . ▁The ▁action ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁takes ▁place ▁largely ▁over ▁two ▁days . ▁Leo , ▁the ▁wealth y ▁lo ver ▁of ▁Mari ag raz ia , ▁a ▁middle - class ▁wid ow , ▁begins ▁an ▁affair ▁with ▁her ▁daughter , ▁Car la . ▁Car la ▁dec ides ▁that ▁she ▁will ▁sleep ▁with ▁Leo ▁the ▁following ▁day ▁( her ▁twenty - four th ▁birth day ) ▁in ▁order ▁" to ▁begin ▁a ▁new ▁life ". ▁ ▁Re ception ▁The ▁first ▁edition ▁sold ▁out ▁within ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁weeks . ▁An ▁English ▁translation ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁United ▁States ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 ▁under ▁the ▁title ▁The ▁Ind ifferent ▁On es . ▁ ▁Film ▁versions ▁Time ▁of ▁Ind