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. ( )