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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
An incredible collection of short stories, especially the first collection which are great concepts expertly executed. Found myself chuckling at some of the comedic parts and highlighting a lot of the great concepts and lines throughout these tales.
Some of the tales in the middle of the collection fell a bit short, felt like they lacked the cosmic and comic elements and even the format of the narrator coming in after the passage describing the theory behind the story. Although I could see how these stories were connected to the others, it felt like they got too caught up in some concepts that weren't necessarily that interesting to me, for example turning a maths problem into a narrative. However there were some nice concepts among these, including the idea that once the universe finishes expanding, it retracts and expands again, with time going back and forth forever.
The first several stories were all outstanding. I loved the tone and the mixture of the domestic and the everyday with the grand cosmic themes. For example, the big bang starting because one of the people inhabiting the singularity wanted to make tagliatelle. Also interesting seeing what seems to be social commentary embedded in many of the tales.
Loved the experimentation with form, such as the story written as a comic strip and the conversational tone that breaks the fourth wall in interesting ways.
Some quotes and other concepts I liked:
That the first creatures that came after the dinosaurs hated them despite having no idea what a dinosaur was.
That dogs howl at the moon because they hear the harp song of the woman that was trapped there when it drifted away from earth.
The concept of galaxies billions of light years away seeing you do something embarrassing and sending a message of "I saw you" that you then see with your telescope billions of years later.
"It was enough for her to say, at a certain moment: 'Oh, if I only had some room, how I'd like to make some tagliatelle for you boys!'... and at the same time we thought of it, this space was inevitably being formed, at the same time that Mrs Ph(i)Nko was uttering those words: '...ah, what tagliatelle, boys!'"
Some of the tales in the middle of the collection fell a bit short, felt like they lacked the cosmic and comic elements and even the format of the narrator coming in after the passage describing the theory behind the story. Although I could see how these stories were connected to the others, it felt like they got too caught up in some concepts that weren't necessarily that interesting to me, for example turning a maths problem into a narrative. However there were some nice concepts among these, including the idea that once the universe finishes expanding, it retracts and expands again, with time going back and forth forever.
The first several stories were all outstanding. I loved the tone and the mixture of the domestic and the everyday with the grand cosmic themes. For example, the big bang starting because one of the people inhabiting the singularity wanted to make tagliatelle. Also interesting seeing what seems to be social commentary embedded in many of the tales.
Loved the experimentation with form, such as the story written as a comic strip and the conversational tone that breaks the fourth wall in interesting ways.
Some quotes and other concepts I liked:
That the first creatures that came after the dinosaurs hated them despite having no idea what a dinosaur was.
That dogs howl at the moon because they hear the harp song of the woman that was trapped there when it drifted away from earth.
The concept of galaxies billions of light years away seeing you do something embarrassing and sending a message of "I saw you" that you then see with your telescope billions of years later.
"It was enough for her to say, at a certain moment: 'Oh, if I only had some room, how I'd like to make some tagliatelle for you boys!'... and at the same time we thought of it, this space was inevitably being formed, at the same time that Mrs Ph(i)Nko was uttering those words: '...ah, what tagliatelle, boys!'"
The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino, is a completed collection of his scientific based short stories, most of which focus on the actions of the ineffable Qfwfq. Nearly all of these short stories begin with a quote from a scientist or a piece of folk scientific knowledge, which the story the extrapolates upon through our protagonist, Qfwfq. For me though it was the second collection of stories, published under the title Time and the Hunter, that really stood out for their abstract experimental stories. These stories were the most challenging ones to get through, as our narrator takes the form of objects such as a red blood cell driving through veins, a unicellular organism on the brink of cellular division, and the X in a mathematical equation. I cant say I entirely "got" these stories (sometime I felt like I would need a degree in biology or molecular chemistry to fully understand), but I'm in awe of the author's creativity and prowess as a writer to even create something so experimental.
Finally, other stories I think worth noting are "A Sign in Space," which is about the theory of semiotics and both "The Spiral" and "Shells and Time," which are about how the mollusc's secretion of its shell in a way creates our notion of history. I understood this to mean that the mollusc is the first "thing" to create a historical object outside of itself, to point out that historical science is just the chronological collection of such objects. These objects are just "signs" of their respective eras, but they're also labors of creation by their creators, and thus an essence is lost through time.
Finally, other stories I think worth noting are "A Sign in Space," which is about the theory of semiotics and both "The Spiral" and "Shells and Time," which are about how the mollusc's secretion of its shell in a way creates our notion of history. I understood this to mean that the mollusc is the first "thing" to create a historical object outside of itself, to point out that historical science is just the chronological collection of such objects. These objects are just "signs" of their respective eras, but they're also labors of creation by their creators, and thus an essence is lost through time.
"Your history is the opposite of ours, the opposite of the history of what by moving has not arrived, of what has been lost in order to survive: the hand that modelled the vase, the bookcases that burned at Alexandria, the way the scribe spoke, the flesh of the mollusc that secreted the shell..."
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
This collection is at its best when it's either boundlessly creative, or placing a weird mirror in front of the reader.
Calvino's premise is one only he could pull off. A lesser author might have retold the scientific tidbit with elaborate descriptions or inserted some third-party observer to narrate the event. Not so with Calvino. He manages to craft such ridiculous, touching scenarios you focus on the content rather than their inspiration.
I am convinced that the best short stories in this collection are alternative histories of the moon. In one, a bunch of naked women descend upon an ultra-capitalist New York run by mammoths to stop the moon (which is brittle and full of holes, like a loofah) being pulled out of the sky by an industrial car crusher..
I mean, how can you not adore this stuff?
Not all of the stories were great, I could have done without the three-part love letter to Meiosis, Meitosis, and Death. But some of his other diversions from the Cosmicomics - like the abstract retelling of the Count of Monte Christo were perfect.
Highly recommended. A new favourite.
Calvino's premise is one only he could pull off. A lesser author might have retold the scientific tidbit with elaborate descriptions or inserted some third-party observer to narrate the event. Not so with Calvino. He manages to craft such ridiculous, touching scenarios you focus on the content rather than their inspiration.
I am convinced that the best short stories in this collection are alternative histories of the moon. In one, a bunch of naked women descend upon an ultra-capitalist New York run by mammoths to stop the moon (which is brittle and full of holes, like a loofah) being pulled out of the sky by an industrial car crusher..
I mean, how can you not adore this stuff?
Not all of the stories were great, I could have done without the three-part love letter to Meiosis, Meitosis, and Death. But some of his other diversions from the Cosmicomics - like the abstract retelling of the Count of Monte Christo were perfect.
Highly recommended. A new favourite.
A mix of fantastical whimsy and technical writing that lands spectacularly on occasion (A Sign in Space, How Much Shall We Bet, The Chase), but more often than not becomes tedious as a result of the intensely precise writing.
Some of the stories were interesting, but nowhere near enough of them. The author took interesting scientific theories and wrote about them using characters that were either uninteresting, sexist, or annoying.
A fantastic book, I should have read this under the state of intoxication. As Salman Rushdie said, "If you've never read Cosmicomics, you have before you the most joyous reading experience of your life."
Planets, Stars, comets, DNA, their subsequent birth, death, reincarnation, automation, and all.
Planets, Stars, comets, DNA, their subsequent birth, death, reincarnation, automation, and all.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
I put off reading this for months because it never felt like the right time. It’s whimsical and sometimes nonsensical and overly semantic but on a sentence level Calvino is captivating as always. Being a collection of stories there are some real highs and lows - my favorites were the moon cheese, the betting on cosmic & world events, and the count of monte cristo. The beginning is definitely the strongest part, when Qfwfq seems to have an actual narrative arc going. Was gonna be 4 stars but the ending dragged. Overall solid but not nearly on the level of Invisible Cities or even If on a winter’s night a traveler.
The first section of this book is 5 stars- it’s absolutely brilliant and astonishing. I was captivated. The latter sections of the book are still interesting and beautiful but don’t have the same kind of charm as the first section.