The Complete Cosmicomics - Softcover

Calvino, Italo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0544577876 ISBN 13: 9780544577879

Publisher: Mariner Books Classics, 2015

Synopsis

“We were peering into this darkness, criss-crossed with voices, when the change took place: the only real, great change I’ve ever happened to witness, and compared to it the rest is nothing.” — from The Complete Cosmicomics

Italo Calvino’s beloved cosmicomics cross planets and traverse galaxies, speed up time or slow it down to the particles of an instant. Through the eyes of an ageless guide named Qfwfq, Calvino explores natural phenomena and tells the story of the origins of the universe. Poignant, fantastical, and wise, these thirty-four dazzling stories — collected here in one definitive anthology — relate complex scientific and mathematical concepts to our everyday world. They are an indelible (and unfailingly delightful) literary achievement.

“Nimble and often hilarious . . . Trying to describe such a diverse and entertaining mix, I have to admit, just as Calvino does so often, that my words fail here, too. There’s no way I — or anyone, really — can muster enough of them to quite capture the magic of these stories . . . Read this book, please.” — Colin Dwyer, NPR

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

“It’s a joy to have all the cosmicomics within one cover . . . Their topics are exhilaratingly immense, the uttermost reaches of space and time, into which warmth and humor enter through all kinds of gaps, quirks, and tricks. Calvino's light, dry, clear prose dances over the light years . . . A landmark in fiction, the work of a master.” — Ursula K. Le Guin, Guardian

In Italo Calvino’s cosmicomics, primordial beings cavort on the nearby surface of the moon, play marbles with atoms, and bear ecstatic witness to Earth’s first dawn. These dazzling stories cross planets and traverse galaxies, speed up time or slow it down to the particles of an instant. Through the eyes of an ageless guide named Qfwfq, Calvino explores natural phenomena and tells the story of the origins of the universe. Poignant, fantastical, and wise, these beloved tales relate complex scientific and mathematical concepts to our everyday world.

Written between the 1960s and the 1980s, the cosmicomics were pivotal in the development of Calvino’s experimental style. The Complete Cosmicomics brings together in one volume all thirty-four of these deft, enchanting stories for the first time in English— including seven never before published in this country. This definitive collection reconfirms the cosmicomics as an enduring literary achievement.

About the Author:

ITALO CALVINO (1923–1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century’s greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are Invisible Cities, If on a winter's night a traveler, The Baron in the Trees, and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0544577876
• ISBN 13: 9780544577879
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432