In this Italo Calvino fantasy, a bored man spends his lunch breaks following a neighbourhood cat on its afternoon rounds through his rapidly growing the city. Thanks to the cat, he discovers a secret world within the city known only to its feline inhabitants. The story takes a grim turn when the cat steals a fish and leads the man to an overgrown garden that provides the last sanctuary for stray cats in the city. When progress tries to claim it, the cats and other animal residents fight back. Themes: social class, the negative aspects of progress, adaptivity, rebellion. More…
Archives
All at One Point
Some time ago we featured Distance of the Moon, the first story in Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics collection. In this, the fourth story, we travel back to before the beginning of time. Everything (and everyone) in the universe existed in a single point in space. Things were rather crowded and people had no chance to move about and meet others. However, everyone knew and loved Mrs. Ph(i)Nk_0, whose wish for enough room to make noodles caused a burst of positive energy that resulted in the “big bang” and universe as we know it today. Theme: the power of selflessness and love. More…
The Distance of the Moon
This Italo Calvino story is a set in the imaginary past when the moon came close enough to earth each month for people to climb onto it. For some reason, this could only be done by ladder from a boat. The plot involves a love triangle within a group of people who regularly sail out to collect ‘moon-milk’. At the center of the triangle is the captain’s wife, who becomes stranded on the moon as it moves permanently away. The captain seems pleased to be rid of her, but not so the protagonist. This is magical realism at its best. More…
Night Driver
In Italo Calvino’s Night Driver, a man speeds to his girlfriend’s house to apologize about a phone argument during which he called off their relationship. He needs to get there quickly, because she threatened to call a rival. He faces two problems in getting there on time: 1) they live far apart, so it is a long drive; and 2) he thinks too much. As he drives, the man examines every possibility as to what the other two may be doing, whether one or both could also be driving along the same highway, and what other steps he should take. More…
The Argentine Ant
This story from Italo Calvino starts off aslike a horror story. A young couple with a baby move to a peaceful seaside village looking for work, only to discover that the whole place is crawling with ants. After they find the baby covered in ants and their food destroyed, Calvino takes a playful turn. He goes on to describe the sometimes farcical ways villagers try to exterminate and/or pretend they are not affected by the invaders, and the couple’s embarrassing confrontation with the reportedly self-serving government “Ant Man”. Themes: co-existing with nature, powerlessness, futility, tolerance/accepting the inevitable, mob hysteria. More…
The Feathered Ogre
A dying king is told that his only hope for a cure is a magical feather from an ogre known to kill any human it sees. When no one else volunteers to face the creature, one of his most loyal attendants steps forward. The story from here shares elements found in several other European and Eastern folktales: during the journey, he encounters people who request him to ask the ogre for solutions to problems they have been experiencing. Two of the solutions will change his and the ogre’s life. Themes include good vs. evil, loyalty, helping others, courage and bravery. More…