Letters 1941-1985 (Penguin Modern Classics) - Softcover

Calvino, Italo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014119832X ISBN 13: 9780141198323

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2014

Synopsis

The extraordinary letters of Italo Calvino, one of the great writers of the twentieth century, translated into English for the first time by Martin McLaughlin, with an introduction by Michael Wood.

Italo Calvino, novelist, literary critic and editor, was also a masterful letter writer whose correspondents included Umberto Eco, Primo Levi, Gore Vidal and Pier Paolo Pasolini. This collection of his extraordinary letters, the first in English, gives an illuminating insight into his work and life. They include correspondence with fellow authors, generous encouragement to young writers, responses to critics, thoughts on literary criticism and literature in general, as well as giving glimpses of Calvino's role in the antifascist Resistance, his disenchantment with Communism and his travels to America and Cuba. Together they reveal the searching intellect, clarity and passionate commitment of a great writer at work.

'This literally marvelous collection of letters shows him to have been gregarious, puckish, funny, combative, and, above all, wonderful company, and opens a new and fascinating perspective on one of the master writers of the twentieth century. Michael Wood and Martin McLaughlin have done Calvino, and us, a great and loving service.' John Banville

'A charming addition to the Planet Calvino - a place cluttered with sphinxes, chimeras, knights, spaceships and viscounts both cloven and whole' Guardian

Italo Calvino, one of Italy's finest postwar writers, was born in Cuba in 1923 and grew up in San Remo, Italy. Best known for his experimental masterpieces, Invisible Cities and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, he was also a brilliant exponent of allegorical fantasy in works such as The Complete Cosmicomics. He died in Siena in 1985.

About this title

Review:

"[D]eeply rewarding."--Lisa Hilton, "Standpoint"

"[R]ich discussions of contemporary writing."--Rachel Bowlby, "Times Higher Education"

""Italo Calvino: Letters, 1941-1985", takes the reader on a journey that only be described as adventurous and kaleidoscopic, cryptic yet defiantly sincere. There really isn't a dull moment amid its entire 534 pages."--David Marx, "David Marx Book Reviews"

"[D]eeply rewarding."--Lisa Hilton, "Standpoint"
One of "The Guardian" Best Books of 2013, chosen by Pankaj Mishra

Selected for the SFG Gift Guide 2013
"[D]eeply rewarding."--Lisa Hilton, "Standpoint"
"[I]mpeccably translated and annotated."--Robert Gordon, "Literary Review"

"[A]ltogether fantastic. . . . "Italo Calvino: Letters, 1941-1985" is indispensable in its entirety, a treasure trove of timeless insight on literature and life."--Maria Popova, "Brain Pickings"

"The general reader will come away from the "Letters" admiring this skeptical, loyal, generous, industrious man, who gave the life of letters the dignity it so often seems to lack."--Adam Kirsch, "Barnes and Noble Review"

"[C]ompelling."--Tiffany Nichols, "City Book Review"

From the Back Cover:

"Calvino liked to present an inscrutable face to the world, but this literally marvelous collection of letters shows him to have been gregarious, puckish, funny, combative, and, above all, wonderful company, and opens a new and fascinating perspective on one of the master writers of the twentieth century. Michael Wood and Martin McLaughlin have done Calvino, and us, a great and loving service."--John Banville, author of Ancient Light

"Italo Calvino was one of the most sparkling literary inventors and innovators of the twentieth century. He was also a highly astute mediator of the work of others and a pellucid purveyor of a subtly elaborated idea of literature. To have a generous selection of his letters in English, translated with great verve, represents a major addition to our knowledge of his work, offering countless precious glimpses of the gears and levers that operate the 'literature machine.'"--Robert S. C. Gordon, University of Cambridge

"These letters are invaluable. They are an important source for understanding the intellectual and historical context of Italo Calvino's writing and thought, and his relations with other writers. They are filled with irony and insights on a vast variety of interesting literary and cultural topics. And they are beautifully written--a literary achievement in themselves. This translation is a real achievement as well."--Lucia Re, University of California, Los Angeles

"This is an excellent translation."--Andrea Ciccarelli, Indiana University

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 014119832X
• ISBN 13: 9780141198323
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 640