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Loading... The Hermit in Paris: Autobiographical Writingsby Italo Calvino
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. There is usually a reason for scraps of writing to be published posthumously; the author probably did not deem them of publishable quality when he was alive. This an uneven collection of letters, newspaper articles and written interviews that shed some insight into Calvino the man, but not much into his books. He is capable of cogent criticism except when it comes to himself. The diary of his trip to the US in 1959-60 is enjoyable. He explains his joining of the Communist Party, and his decision to quit. He never comes to grip with the fact that in practice, communism has led to some of the most miserable and totalitarian states in history. As an intellectual he would never have survived in those societies. Except for a brief apologia for being a believer in Stalin, at least in some sense, Calvino never explains what it is he found good about communism. Moreover, despite his valid criticisms of US society he is quiet concerning the cultural bankruptcy of his own country. (  ) nemoman | Apr 13, 2008 |   no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0099286378, Paperback)Never before published in English, these essayistic writings enlarge our understanding of one of the twentieth centrury's most beloved authors.In evocations of Italo Calvino's tumultuous teenage years--his life during Mussolini's rule, at the time of the liberation, and during the Cold War--we learn the story of the author's generation as it confronted moral, civil, and artistic dilemmas. In writings from the extended periods during which Calvino lived alone in Paris and New York, we witness his struggle to find "the right distance between being involved and being detached." In "American Diary" he recounts his peregrinations throughout the United States in 1959 and 1960: from New York to Texas, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Savannah, and Charleston. He describes his bafflement with heretofore unimaginable technology, his fascination with the Beats, his horror at the squalor of the suburbs, the inspiration he derived from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words and actions, his impressions of myriad aspects of American culture. Filled with the author's characteristic insight, intelligence, and brio, Hermit in Paris will take its place alongside Italo Calvino's seminal works. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:19 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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