Numbers in the Dark
And Other Stories
by Italo Calvino; Tim Parks
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Editions of Numbers in the Dark
 |
ISBN |
Binding/Format Paperback |
Publisher Vintage Books |
Date 1996 |
Price $1.00 |
 Good |
Publisher Notes
For the first time in paperback--a volume of thirty-seven diabolically inventive stories, fables, and "impossible interviews" from one of the great fantasists of the 20th century, displaying the full breadth of his vision and wit. Written between 1943 and 1984 and masterfully translated by Tim Parks, the fictions in Numbers in the Dark display all of Calvino's dazzling gifts: whimsy and horror, exuberance of style, and a cheerful grasp of the absurdities of the human condition.
Media Reviews
Calvino is best known as a fabulist, and indeed his writing, nearly always short forms or broken up episodically in the case of his novels Mr. Palomar and Invisible Cities (1978), justifies itself not by character or plot but in moral and meaning. . . . The early pieces, written during the last days of fascism in Italy, reflect a concern with the survival of human relationships in a time of over-weening government and takes a bitter delight in the unpracticed exercise of authority by ordinary men. Later stories reflect on the conflict between imagination and repetitive industrial labor. . . . Later works include an interview with the sole surviving Neaderthal and a chat with Henry Ford about his invasive business practices. These stories reward the patient reader with wisdom, humor, and insight. Highly recommended for collections of literary fiction.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
