La vita agra

La vita agra: or, It’s a Hard Life
First edition (Italian)
AuthorLuciano Bianciardi
Original titleLa vita agra
TranslatorEric Mosbacher
LanguageItalian
GenreNovel
PublisherRizzoli
Publication date
1962
Publication placeItaly
Published in English
1965
Pages200 pp.

La vita agra, known in English-speaking countries as It's a Hard Life, is a novel by Luciano Bianciardi published in 1962 by Rizzoli. It became a best-seller in Italy and it is considered one of the most important novels in contemporary Italian literature.

The novel was also made into a 1964 film of the same name, directed by Carlo Lizzani and starring Ugo Tognazzi and Giovanna Ralli.