Numbers in the Dark: And Other Stories
by Italo Calvino
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"And Ida is one of those girls who run into you and immediately start telling you their life stories and what they think about things, even though they hardly know you: girls with no secrets, except for things that are secrets to them too; and even for those secrets they'll find words, everyday words that sprout effortlessly, as if their thoughts budded ready-clothed in a tissue of words."
"Only in a superficial sense can lies be said to exclude the truth; you will be aware tha...more
"Only in a superficial sense can lies be said to exclude the truth; you will be aware tha...more
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Each word written by Calvino is strategic. The impressive part is that this important fact seems not to be lost in translation. The real appeal of this book, for me, is that his characters are almost achingly real and non-glamorous, but the fact that these stories are set in a time and places so different from my own experience, they almost seem fantastic. Time and again, Calvino impresses with his ability to make the most simple circumstances come alive.
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Read in October, 2007
I just started browsing through the brief stories in this book. They all seem to be grasping at large ideas, but nothing is actualized. I think that I'll have to get a full length novel to really get a feel for ol' Italo. I also just grabbed a documentary about Fellini that has Mr. Calvino interviews. I think I'll base my like/dislike of his writing based on his hair cut. I hope he has a good barber.
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i've read these stories at least once, and i'm not as impressed with it as i am with invisible cities. the story of the lost jewlery is good, and stuck with me the longest, but overall, not as strong or fascinating as his others
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Read in May, 2008
Italo Calvino is fast becoming a favorite author. The short story, Beheading the Heads, in this volume has given me hours of thought. Really, if you add up all the minutes . . . its hours.
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recommends it for:
Everyone
This is probably my favorite book of all time, and the book that taught me to love Calvino.
I also chose my college major from a story in this book.
I also chose my college major from a story in this book.
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Calvino is a superlative storyteller. In this book of short fictions, the stories are not a catalog of What Happened, but a tableau of What Is.
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While I really love Calvino's novels I think he is at his best when writing short stories. "Conscience" is a particular favorite.
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Read in December, 2005
Good -- it's Calvino, come on -- but not at the top of the list as far as Calvino books go.
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Calvino's short stories are fascinating reading and the best are brilliant and unsurpassed.
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recommends it for:
angela carter
I learned how to call for help in a crowded street. I learned how to throw pebbles.
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awesome awesome awesome... he wrote so much more simply when he was younger.
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Read in February, 2008
worth it for any one of these short parables. esp 'the flash'
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Eh. I've never really gotten all the fuss.
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