Fiction

Cosmicomics

Cosmicomics

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-08 09:54:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Italo Calvino
  • ISBN：024157370X
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Summary

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible， mini editions of short stories， novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers， designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith。

Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics， they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna， from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island， and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon。 Beautifully designed and printed， these collectible editions are bound in colourful， tactile cloth and stamped with foil。

Twelve enchanting and fantastical stories about the evolution of the universe from the giant of Italian literature， Italo Calvino。 His characters - whether human， dinosaur or mollusc - disport themselves among galaxies， experience the solidification of planets， move from aquatic to terrestrial existence， play games with hydrogen atoms - and have time for a love life。

'A landmark in fiction， the work of a master' - Ursula K Le Guin

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Reviews

Siya ，

hungry for moon cheese

Joni Hägg ，

First half- the original cosmicomics。 Brilliant and clever stories with variety。 Almost every story had me laughing out loud。 5*Second half- the newer stories。 These start to get repetitive and some of them felt like a slog， but there are some excellent ones as well。 3*

Daniel de la Pointe ，

I may get my first and only tattoo of a scene in this book。 That's how good it is。 I may get my first and only tattoo of a scene in this book。 That's how good it is。 。。。more

Mahdiye HajiHosseini ，

اولین چیزی که در مواجهه با یه کتاب توجه رو جلب میکنه اسم هر کتابه。 و کمدی‌های کیهانی یا cosmicomics انتخاب جذابیه。 اسمی که خود نویسنده اینطور توضیحش میده که کلمه کیهانی بیشتر از این که معنای "فضایی" بده، تلاشیه برای نزدیک شدن به مفهومم کهنی از ارتباط با جهان。 ارتباطی که هرچند برای نیاکان و گذشتگانمون خیلی راحت تر بوده ولی ما اینقدر ازش دور شدیم که حالا برای نزدیک شدن بهش نیاز به صافی‌هایی داریم و اینجاست که کارکرد کمدی مشخص میشه。 لینک طاقچه اولین چیزی که در مواجهه با یه کتاب توجه رو جلب میکنه اسم هر کتابه。 و کمدی‌های کیهانی یا cosmicomics انتخاب جذابیه。 اسمی که خود نویسنده اینطور توضیحش میده که کلمه کیهانی بیشتر از این که معنای "فضایی" بده، تلاشیه برای نزدیک شدن به مفهومم کهنی از ارتباط با جهان。 ارتباطی که هرچند برای نیاکان و گذشتگانمون خیلی راحت تر بوده ولی ما اینقدر ازش دور شدیم که حالا برای نزدیک شدن بهش نیاز به صافی‌هایی داریم و اینجاست که کارکرد کمدی مشخص میشه。 لینک طاقچه 。。。more

✶ marta ✶ ，

Libro di una tenerezza e di una delicatezza incredibile。 Alcune delle immagini che Calvino ha dipinto ne Le Cosmicomiche spero di non dimenticarle mai。 Era tempo che un libro non faceva vibrare così intensamente la mia fantasia。

Sofie ，

Fable like tales from earlier versions of the universe， inhabited by and narrated by evolving beings。 “Extraordinary” … I taste the word but it doesn’t cover it。 I will need to come back to the complete version at some point。 One night I was， as usual， observing the sky with my telescope。 I noticed that a sign was hanging from a galaxy a hundred million light-years away。 On it was written: I SAW YOU。 （143）

Claudia ，

ma la presenza degli altri mi rassicurava， descriveva intorno a me uno spazio abitato， mi liberava dal sospetto di costituire un'eccezione allarmante， per il fatto che a me solo toccasse d'esistere， come di un esilio。 ma la presenza degli altri mi rassicurava， descriveva intorno a me uno spazio abitato， mi liberava dal sospetto di costituire un'eccezione allarmante， per il fatto che a me solo toccasse d'esistere， come di un esilio。 。。。more

Branco Rood ，

My compliments to the chef！ （Calvino， in this case， being the proverbial chef）。

Nicoletta - Mrs Hats ，

Avevo iniziato a leggere questi racconti， che in genere non mi attirano， perchè il mio "fidanzato" mi diceva （all'inizio， eh） che assomigliavo alla "signora delle tagliatelle" del racconto Tutto in un punto; inoltre nella stessa estate era anche uno dei libri di lettura delle vacanze estive di Tancredi。Mi è capitato di leggere gli ultimi racconti il we scorso e forse li ho apprezzati ancor di più。 Una cosmogonia davvero bizzarra che parla tanto di amore （e di sesso） e di filosofia， oltre che di Avevo iniziato a leggere questi racconti， che in genere non mi attirano， perchè il mio "fidanzato" mi diceva （all'inizio， eh） che assomigliavo alla "signora delle tagliatelle" del racconto Tutto in un punto; inoltre nella stessa estate era anche uno dei libri di lettura delle vacanze estive di Tancredi。Mi è capitato di leggere gli ultimi racconti il we scorso e forse li ho apprezzati ancor di più。 Una cosmogonia davvero bizzarra che parla tanto di amore （e di sesso） e di filosofia， oltre che di scienza da cui prende rigorosamente spunto: possiamo dire che dell'amore （che filosoficamente sembra la forza che muove l'universo） il punto di vista oggi è un po' troppo univocamente maschile， tenuto anche conto che Qfwfq， il protagonista che attraversa le ere， dovrebbe essere propriamente asessuato e al limite molto fluido e variabile di volta in volta， ma era davvero tanto tempo fa， diciamo che l'universo è stato maschilista fin dall'inizio dei tempi e solo ora sta piano piano cambiando， chissà se ci vorranno tempi cosmici。。。Comunque la qualità dell'invenzione e della scrittura è tale da rendere questa piccola raccolta un capolavoro di grazia ed arguzia。 。。。more

Luigi Alecci ，

Un'ottima commistione di narrazione romanzesca （con analisi di alcuni aspetti imperituri dell'animo umano che vengono presentati come archètipi universali rintracciabili non solo nell'Uomo bensì più in generale nella vita e negli esseri viventi） e divulgazione scientifica （prettamente astronomica， ovviamente non specifica） Un'ottima commistione di narrazione romanzesca （con analisi di alcuni aspetti imperituri dell'animo umano che vengono presentati come archètipi universali rintracciabili non solo nell'Uomo bensì più in generale nella vita e negli esseri viventi） e divulgazione scientifica （prettamente astronomica， ovviamente non specifica） 。。。more

Aidan Koch ，

debated between 2 and 3 stars but meh。 I liked some of the stories but more often than not， just wasn’t feeling it（read this for a class as well）

Sajid ，

Mind Blowing The book revolves around unpronounceable， ageless narrator: Qfwfq。 This narrator is sometimes man， sometimes animal， sometimes cell， sometimes an abstract thought or just a being which exists and is filling space — Qfwfq is the only constant subject in each of the Cosmicomics。 A journey following the creation， progressions and development of the earth and the stories of all the beings on itEach story here is a different story， none are inter-linked or continuous。 I suppose the Mind Blowing The book revolves around unpronounceable， ageless narrator: Qfwfq。 This narrator is sometimes man， sometimes animal， sometimes cell， sometimes an abstract thought or just a being which exists and is filling space — Qfwfq is the only constant subject in each of the Cosmicomics。 A journey following the creation， progressions and development of the earth and the stories of all the beings on itEach story here is a different story， none are inter-linked or continuous。 I suppose the general theme of the book is that Calvino has taken a singular scientific fact， event or theory and creates a literary plot out of it。 Some might say this is just pure science fiction， but it definitely is not。 It is its own genre， not exactly sci-fi as it does not narrate a dystopian future or people fighting made-up creatures， it talks about the past， the passages of natural history and creates a tale out of a fact。It is inspired by both science and literature; it twists science to fictional matter， utilising the essence of literature to describe different parts of scientific theory。 Many times， there is no description of a setting， simply creatures existing in a void， and you have to try your best to picture it。Each chapter — or Cosmicomic — begins with a different scientific proclamation。 There are several scientific topics explored: astrophysics， mathematics， geology， palaeontology， reproductive biology， and evolution — all these topics are tied to some sort of philosophical revelation about the question of existence。There is one chapter about the Big Bang Theory; every cell， every star and everything is personified into a character。 Another chapter， also about the origins of the universe is a story about two unspecified beings （Qfwfq and another） placing bets on rolling marbles — the marbles being atoms of elements which first appeared in the universe。 The game of marble betting seemed never ending as new elements kept surfacing， more marbles existed， until the full period table was in spatial existence。All in all， this is a very fun and intellectually stimulating book。 You could say，one of the finest products of ungraspable human imagination。 。。。more

Colin Bruce Anthes ，

Freakishly creative， impossibly realized。 Many of the best stories I've ever read （in a category with a handful of other stories by Calvino）。 Freakishly creative， impossibly realized。 Many of the best stories I've ever read （in a category with a handful of other stories by Calvino）。 。。。more

ria ，

when i die， i want to be cremated with this book so that we could become particles that return to the ever recreation of the universe。

Rachel Welton ，

Not really my thing at all。 I can see why people like this flight of fancy stuff， but it just didn't float my boat。 Not really my thing at all。 I can see why people like this flight of fancy stuff， but it just didn't float my boat。 。。。more

Elektra marazzi ，

sto libro mi ha fatto cagare al cazzo， dal modo in cui è scritto ai temi。 una stella solo perché mi fa pena

Chad ，

The twelve stories in Italo Clavino’s Cosmicomics， originally published in Italian in 1965， span galaxies， constellations， and solar systems。 Calvino shows us the universe before there was light， when all matter was concentrated into one punctiform dot。 Most of the stories are narrated by a timeless， sentient being named Qfwfq， a character who appears in myriad iterations: a formless entity that eventually evolves into a mollusk in “The Spiral”; and an arrogant， melancholic dinosaur， a survivor The twelve stories in Italo Clavino’s Cosmicomics， originally published in Italian in 1965， span galaxies， constellations， and solar systems。 Calvino shows us the universe before there was light， when all matter was concentrated into one punctiform dot。 Most of the stories are narrated by a timeless， sentient being named Qfwfq， a character who appears in myriad iterations: a formless entity that eventually evolves into a mollusk in “The Spiral”; and an arrogant， melancholic dinosaur， a survivor from the Cretaceous period， in “The Dinosaur，” to name only two。In Calvino’s stories， elements， light， particles， planets， and tides are all characters。 Literary devices such as backstories and flash forwards happen on a continuous plane because Calvino’s canvas is time—infinite， full of childish games， heartbreak， and interminable self-consciousness。 He explores themes as vast as the universe: evolution and transformation， love and loss。 Each story kicks off with a mini science lesson， and Calvino’s narratives emerge from the lessons。 Stories such as “Without Colors” show Calvino’s interest in various forms of births。 This piece begins before the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans were fully formed; at that time， the ultraviolet rays radiated by the Sun arrived directly， obliterating colors。 Qfwfq describes the colorless Earth as follows: “Uninterrupted horizons opened before me with mountain chains just beginning to emerge， gray mountains， above gray rocky plains; and though I crossed continent after continent I never came to a shore， because oceans and lakes and rivers were still lying underground somewhere or other。”Qfwfq meets Ayl， a creature of the ultraviolet era， who “was lying colorless， overcome with sleep， on the colorless sand。” She and Qfwfq develop a relationship as the Earth’s atmosphere matures and starts to filter ultraviolet light。 Frightened of the burgeoning colors， Ayl hides。 She and Qfwfq become separated。 Meanwhile， colors form: “All around， the world poured out colors， constantly new， pink clouds gathered in violet cumuli which unleashed gilded lightning; after the storms long rainbows announced hues that still hadn’t been seen， in all possible combinations。 And chlorophyll was already beginning its progress: mosses and ferns grew green in the valleys where torrents ran。” The birth of color introduces beauty and accelerates the Earth’s terrestrial and atmospheric evolutions， but Calvino warns these transformations come with a price。 Qfwfq realizes Ayl can’t adjust to a world with color， and Qfwfq， having witnessed the origin of color， “would never again be able to escape those gilded and silvered gleams， those little clouds that turned from pale blue to pink， those green leaves that yellowed every autumn…。” Calvino’s exquisite descriptions are tempered with sadness。 Qfwfq understands he and Ayl are now divided in the same world， Qfwfq’s filled with color， Ayl’s a grey， diminishing landscape。 Calvino is fascinated with the concept of image—a universal “gaze，” if you will—the contrasts between the ways we perceive ourselves and how we imagine others see us。 As the universe continues to evolve， lovers， friends， and family members are sometimes transforming too quickly to understand their new differences， the characteristics that make them unique。 Barriers are constructed， divergences accentuated。 Some of Calvino’s characters start to fear those who are different， target them。 In “The Aquatic Uncle，” familial conflicts simmer between early vertebrates and their still “fishy” ancestors。 Like “Without Colors，” “The Aquatic Uncle” is a love story， one that develops into a surprising triangle amongst Qfwfq， a third-generation vertebrate， and L11， a telluric beauty who had never lived in the waters， and N’ba N’ga， Qfwfq’s obstinate great-uncle， an intolerant fish who clings to an antiquated aquatic life and constantly extols “the superiority of water respiration to air breathing。” With humor and deft observation， “The Aquatic Uncle” examines how alienation， fears， and prejudices can arise from transformation。 The stories in Cosmicomics show the danger， and also the seduction， of nostalgia—the losses that occur when we refuse to change， even when familiar ways of living face extinction。 “Our true element，” Calvino writes in “The Spiral，” the collection’s final story， “extends without shores， without boundaries。”Note: Calvino consistently capitalizes “Earth” throughout Cosmicomics， usually referring to it as the proper name of our planet or in context with other planets， galaxies， solar systems， and the universe。 I have followed Calvino’s style in this piece。 。。。more

anonym ，

تو كلش داشتم فكر مى كردم به اين كه ميلاد زكريا چطور هر صفحه رو ترجمه كرد و خسته نشد؟

R。A ，

Calvino's collection of short stories is pure fun。 I am sure it took a lot of time to write it， but I feel like Calvino just got lost in his child-like imagination while writing his stories。 It has a lot to offer: elements of absurdism， surrealism， science-fiction， borgesian narratives， allusions to semiotics， etc。 Even though "If on a winter's night a traveler。。。 " is his better-known book， I really feel like this one should get the acknowledgment it deserves。 It uses the knowledge of both lite Calvino's collection of short stories is pure fun。 I am sure it took a lot of time to write it， but I feel like Calvino just got lost in his child-like imagination while writing his stories。 It has a lot to offer: elements of absurdism， surrealism， science-fiction， borgesian narratives， allusions to semiotics， etc。 Even though "If on a winter's night a traveler。。。 " is his better-known book， I really feel like this one should get the acknowledgment it deserves。 It uses the knowledge of both literary theory and natural sciences （especially astronomy）， not as a fundamental building block of its narrative， but rather as a means of motivation， a starting point from which these fantastical stories are written。 I would sincerely recommend these postmodern fairytales to anyone who wishes to feel as an adult child once again while experiencing the infinite universe as their personal playground。 。。。more

Justine ，

this was a far-too-horny slog with some neat ideas that were started and never resolved

Ale ，

ogni tanto le avventure di qfwfq mi sono sembrate un po’ troppo ripetitive oppure addirittura troppo complesse; allo stesso tempo il fatto che calvino riesca a raccontare determinati concetti così complessi e infiniti in un modo comunque molto semplice e ironico è stupefacente

José ，

Woah， that was very endearing。 The premise seems to be to anthropomorphize observations and theories about space and earth science （as they were understood in 1965 mind， each individually appearing in italics as prompts before each story）， and intermix them with a fun dose of imagination to create stories which have fantastical mind-bending settings but which are very relatable， silly， and mundane in the way humans heartwarmingly and at times frustratingly are known to be。 This is how you get th Woah， that was very endearing。 The premise seems to be to anthropomorphize observations and theories about space and earth science （as they were understood in 1965 mind， each individually appearing in italics as prompts before each story）， and intermix them with a fun dose of imagination to create stories which have fantastical mind-bending settings but which are very relatable， silly， and mundane in the way humans heartwarmingly and at times frustratingly are known to be。 This is how you get the story of friends playing at marbles with atoms in space trying to one-up each other and developing a gambling addiction as a result; or how a dinosaur who survives extinction finds a group of early mammals， in which he further finds love， friends， and enemies and ponders about his individuality and ability to fit in; or how an early tetrapod looks forward to conquering the land but also weighs how to explain to his amazing but slightly snobby fiancée that his stuck-in-his-old-ways uncle is still a fish。 A few times I found myself smirking at how relatable the experiences of the characters are， and it doesn’t surprise me that aspects of Calvino’s writing have been likened to the structures of fables。 Calvino’s ability to distill mundane elements of human experience and dress them up in fun quirky settings is amazing 。。。more

Mina Rajabi ，

What a charming， lovely， brilliant and funny little book。 I enjoyed evey moment of reading Calvino's Cosmicomics and getting lost in stories of the origins of the universe told through the wonderful and strange tales of a group of people who climb up to the moon to collect its milk， a loud Italian family living outside space and time waiting for the big bang and complaining about their annoying neighbor， two mollusks in love who have never "seen" each other and more。 Calvino's humor， intelligent What a charming， lovely， brilliant and funny little book。 I enjoyed evey moment of reading Calvino's Cosmicomics and getting lost in stories of the origins of the universe told through the wonderful and strange tales of a group of people who climb up to the moon to collect its milk， a loud Italian family living outside space and time waiting for the big bang and complaining about their annoying neighbor， two mollusks in love who have never "seen" each other and more。 Calvino's humor， intelligent story-telling and strong prose all come into play in this little collection of short series/cosmicomics （a genre of stories created by Calvino himself where an imaginary story is created around a scientific fact）。Pick it up and you won't be disappointed :） 。。。more

chiara ，

"Gli anni - luce" è come immagino la perfezione "Gli anni - luce" è come immagino la perfezione 。。。more

Zia Ghiasi ，

با اينكه روايات داستان‌ها گاهی （شاید به دلیل ترجمه） فرسایشی می‌شد، اما خلاقیت ایتالو کالوینو تحسین‌برانگیزه。 وقتی ماه اونقدری به زمین نزدیک بوده که می‌شد سوار بر قایق، یک نردبون انداخت و سوار ماه شد。 وقتی قبل از بیگ‌بنگ همه چیز در یک نقطه متمرکز بود، همه‌ی اهالی دنیا روی هم منطبق بودند، از جمله معشوقه و عاشق‌ها و حتی مهاجرها。

Eylül Görmüş ，

Bu ara üst üste acayip güzel kitaplar okudum， edebiyat tanrıları beni gözetiyorlar sanırım， sağolsunlar。 "Bütün Kozmokomik Öyküler" okuduğum kaçıncı Calvino kitabı bilmiyorum ama kendisine beslediğim hürmeti katbekat artırdığını söylemem lazım。 "Bir Kış Gecesi Eğer Bir Yolcu"da gördüğümüz dehayı daha da somut şekilde resmen manifesto gibi önümüze koyuyor Calvino bu kitapta。 Tanımlaması çok zor， tuhaf öyküler bunlar - antik dönem bilgeliğinden modern uzay bilimine uzanan bir havuzdan besleniyor， Bu ara üst üste acayip güzel kitaplar okudum， edebiyat tanrıları beni gözetiyorlar sanırım， sağolsunlar。 "Bütün Kozmokomik Öyküler" okuduğum kaçıncı Calvino kitabı bilmiyorum ama kendisine beslediğim hürmeti katbekat artırdığını söylemem lazım。 "Bir Kış Gecesi Eğer Bir Yolcu"da gördüğümüz dehayı daha da somut şekilde resmen manifesto gibi önümüze koyuyor Calvino bu kitapta。 Tanımlaması çok zor， tuhaf öyküler bunlar - antik dönem bilgeliğinden modern uzay bilimine uzanan bir havuzdan besleniyor， üstüne bolca bilim felsefesi boca ediyor， sonra tabii karşısında saygı duruşuna geçmek istediğim hayal gücünü ekleyip， her zamanki lezzetli diliyle anlatıyor da anlatıyor。 Hakikaten pek acayip。Adı üstünde， kozmokomik öyküler。 Uzayın yeni oluştuğu zamanlardan， canlıların evrimleşme süreçlerinden， dünyamızın yaratılışından ve çürüyüşünden kalma hikâyeler; müthiş deneysel， zaman zaman okurun beynini zorlayan， son derece zeki， bence ziyadesiyle cesur， bir yandan da pek naif öyküler， yahut yetişkinlere masallar。 Aya tırmananlar， yıldız patlamaları nedeniyle galaksiler arası seyahat etmek zorunda kalan göçmenler， suyu terkedip karada yaşama zamanı gelince direnen ilk canlılar， kendini gizlemek zorunda kalan dinozorlar var bu kitapta。 Ne kadar heyecan verici şeyler bunlar ya; bunu yazabilmek， zamanı böylece eğip bükebilmek ne acayip bir meziyet。Günler boyunca anlatıcımız Qfwfq amcamın dizine yatıp kendisinden milyarlarca yıl geride kalmış gençliğini ve çocukluğunu dinledim; kafam karıştı， şaşırdım， güldüm， heyecanlandım， korktum。 Vallahi nefis bir deneyimdi。 Qfwfq'in biz dünyalılara söylediği şu cümleyle bitireyim: "artık ayan beyan belli oldu ki， sizin yenginiz yenilgidir。" 。。。more

Eliana Calamiello ，

3 e mezzo

Elisa ，

Niet echt mijn genre， maar wel knap geschreven met veel humor en ontzettend veel fantasie。

ale ☀️ reads randomly ，

Senza colori， Giochi senza fine， Lo zio acquatico e I dinosauri molto carini e simpatici。。。gli altri racconti/capitoli personalmente mi hanno un po' annoiata。 Senza colori， Giochi senza fine， Lo zio acquatico e I dinosauri molto carini e simpatici。。。gli altri racconti/capitoli personalmente mi hanno un po' annoiata。 。。。more

Roberto Rantucci ，

E in fondo a ognuno di quegli occhi abitavo io， ossia abitava un altro me， una delle immagini di me， e s’incontrava con l’immagine di lei， la più fedele immagine di lei， nell’ultramondo che s’apre attraversando la sfera semiliquida delle iridi， il buio delle pupille， il palazzo di specchi delle rètine， nel vero nostro elemento che si estende senza rive né confini。Mi ero insomma innamorato。 Vale a dire: avevo cominciato a riconoscere， a isolare， i segni di una da quelli delle altre， anzi li aspet E in fondo a ognuno di quegli occhi abitavo io， ossia abitava un altro me， una delle immagini di me， e s’incontrava con l’immagine di lei， la più fedele immagine di lei， nell’ultramondo che s’apre attraversando la sfera semiliquida delle iridi， il buio delle pupille， il palazzo di specchi delle rètine， nel vero nostro elemento che si estende senza rive né confini。Mi ero insomma innamorato。 Vale a dire: avevo cominciato a riconoscere， a isolare， i segni di una da quelli delle altre， anzi li aspettavo， questi segni che avevo cominciato a riconoscere， li cercavo， anzi rispondevo a questi segni che aspettavo con altri segni che facevo io， anzi ero io a provocarli， questi segni di lei ai quali io rispondevo con altri segni miei， vale a dire io ero innamorato di lei e lei di me， cosa si poteva desiderare di più dalla vita？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cosmicomics

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cosmicomics&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cosmicomics&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0