The Complete Cosmicomics - Paperback

by Italo Calvino (Author), William Weaver (Author)

"The most joyful reading experience of your life." --Salman Rushdie

The beloved and enchanting classic story collection: Italo Calvino's profound and phenomenally funny and account of the universe as a cosmic joke

Naturally, we were all there, old Qfwfq said, where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time either: what use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?

Travelers jump between the Earth and the moon. The last living dinosaur struggles to exist amid the rise of new mammals. A game of marbles is played using Hydrogen atoms. 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 uses a set of scientific theory and facts to tell 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." -- NPR

Back Jacket

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

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 the novels If on a winter s night a traveler and The Baron in the Trees, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His work has been translated into dozens of languages.


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Author Biography

Italy's most beloved modern writer (Washington Post), ITALO CALVINO (1923-1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century's greatest storytellers. His works--including the novels Invisible Cities, If on a winter's night a traveler, and The Baron in the Trees--have been translated into dozens of languages.