CRITIQUE:

Enemies (and Scourges) of the People

The three stories in this collection are arranged in reverse chronological order (1963, 1958 and 1952).

They're early writings of Italo Calvino, before he had developed an interest in metafiction. He seemed to be working towards literary styles that were suited to urban and rustic life (and its socio-political implications).

Each of the stories depicts some form of alienation, the cause of which is, variously:

* political opponents (the Christian Democrats and the Church were using fraudulent means to undermine the electoral challenge of the Italian Communist Party ["the PCI"] in the 1953 election) ("The Watcher");

* industrialists, lobbyists, academia and media (the equivalent of today's climate change deniers) who resisted the prohibition and regulation of pollution ("Smog") (1); and

* the natural scourge of imported ants in the countryside ("The Argentine Ant").

Calvino regarded each of these causes as an enemy of humanity that limited the ability of people and society to remain healthy and whole.


Calvino was a member of the PCI until shortly after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956 (Image Source)

Optimism About the Remedy

The third story (which was the first to be written, but closes the book) ends on a note of apparent optimism:

n  
n  "Our child was turning around in amazement at everything, and we had to pretend to take part in his marveling; it was a way of bringing us together, of reminding us of the mild flavour that life has at moments, and of reconciling us to the passing days."n  
n

However, the three stories as a whole (together with subsequent events) suggest that this optimism, being a pretence, was and is wishful thinking. Perhaps, now, their fictional child and grandchildren have, in their turn, come to recognise it?

Calvino's fiction could do no more than draw attention to the problems. It couldn't solve them. The remedy required political action, as it does now.


FOOTNOTES:

(1) In the 1950's and 1960's the underlying problem was described as pollution (which was more easily identifiable and measurable), as opposed to global warming or climate change. In the story, there is domestic dust and smog everywhere, which is easier to prove than climate change. Climate change is one consequence of pollution, not a fundamental cause of the problem. I don't know why the definition of the problem was changed, but in my opinion, it made it easier to deny, because in a way, climate change was arguably more notional or imaginary. Pollution, in the form of dust and smog, is more empirically observable and provable.


SOUNDTRACK:

Tom Lehrer - "Pollution"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPrAu...

Argentine Ants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyus...

My first venture into Calvino's literary works. This one got on my list because of a podcast episode by David Runciman naming this ' one of the best political novels in history '; and also coinciding with the UK general election.

This book of short stories is a great work of how to write something 'serious but not too heavy'. The element of absurdity brings forth the focus upon important philosophical questions within each story.

The Watcher - 4/5
Smog - 5/5
The Argentine Ant - probably a 4, but difficult to rank as a Calvino story as it's so unique for one

These stories show the signature awareness of Calvino's characters (which has at times bothered me, notably in Mr. Palomar) working to the stories' best advantage. The Watcher is a great reflection on its world, showcasing Calvino's great subtle talent for producing the local and universal almost as one and the same. Smog was by far my favorite and is in my opinion a completely genial piece of writing and specifically character writing, and The Argentine Ant has such an undeniably visceral effect on the reader, easily holding its place as the most Kafka-like (and even Junji Ito-like) of Calvino's texts.

Calvino is simply brilliant.

Very fascinating look at the edges of democracy and how voting works.

Contains the stories:

The Watcher -
Smog -
The Argentine Ant - 4/5 - a family moves to a new home only to be confronted by a major ant problem

Never quite sure how to review novellas/short stories.

The Watcher: 3 stars
Smog: 4 stars
Argentine Ant: 3.5 stars

The Watcher was an interesting premise/dichotomy, but it belabored itself. Found the themes of individual reaction in face of insurmountable external force compelling in the other two; felt Smog explored both on a micro + macro level which I appreciated. I gotta read more Calvino is really my takeaway.

The three novellas collected here offer a wide view of Calvino's talents, and all three are worlds to sink into and live in--in fascination and discomfort both. "The Watcher" feels all too present and contemporary, and "The Argentine Ant" is skin-crawling and all too real. I was less sure of what to make of "Smog" and didn't enjoy it was much as the other two, but on the whole, I'm so glad I finally got around to this collection. Certainly, I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy writers such as Calvino and Borges.

Started reading this last fall, in the days immediately preceding the last US election, but ended up dropping it for other things. Glad I went back to finish it! Some thoughts on the stories within:

“The Watcher” is deeply polarizing because, though it contains some of the best of Calvino’s wit, style, and constantly evolving philosophical turns, it also has some language and thinking about disability that comes off as fascistic and even eugenicist at times. Now of course we all understand that these ideas are espoused by a character in a novel, and not by Calvino himself, and in fact the narrator’s thinking strays wildly between the two extremes of “thinking these disabled people are effectively subhuman” and “being sympathetic (and even empathetic) to the plight of every member of the human race.” Still, it feels gross, especially because Calvino ties the more unsavory themes into a secondary plot about a potential pregnancy. I don’t think these descriptions are necessarily enough for me to condemn the entire collection (or even the entire story), though, because I think most reasonable modern people are able to read against the narrator here to find the other legitimately thought-provoking parts of the story.

As for the other stories:
“Smog” hits a lot of the right notes for me. It’s amazing to me that the basic archetypes and situations are still literally relevant to today’s world. Further, the writing is generally strong, and as a Calvino fan it’s interesting to see him start to dabble with more scientific concepts and situations, almost like this is a precursor to his Cosmicomics.

“The Argentine Ant” is probably the strongest story here in terms of plot. Its individual scenes are striking: images of ants crawling all over the landscape, up the walls of the small house, around and in to the baby’s cradle; the poisoned neighbors who cannot stop laughing when talking about their ant treatment options, all of which are presumably dangerous chemicals; the genius tinkerer neighbor who would serve as a good interrogator in a different life; the Ant Man and his cowering ways. It’s a really strong story! The only slight I have against it is that the ending is the weakest in the collection, but it’s still serviceable.

Let me say here that Calvino may be my favorite writer of dialogue (though perhaps the credit for this should go to William Weaver, who translated Smog and The Watcher). The way that Calvino’s dialogue bleeds from person to person, sometimes leaving sentences without any literal substance, just enough words for you to get the basic idea of the sentiment being expressed… it’s brilliant to me! It leaves a real sense of the FEELING of how these characters care (or don’t care) for each other. It can be intimate when necessary, can convey confusion or anger, can be totally hilarious. This style does still come across in The Argentine Ant, but the country feel of Archibald Colquhoun loses a bit of the charm present in the other stories.

All things considered: I enjoyed reading the majority of this collection. While “The Watcher” did have quite a few moments that gave me pause and made me consider if my impression of Calvino was totally off-base, the strengths of that story did redeem it for me. With this caveat in mind, I think this would be a good introduction to Calvino’s general style and interests. Recommended!

Maratonando Calvino pra ver quais livros dele pego na bienal LOL

"Então, de todas as coisas o que conta seria apenas o momento em que começam, quando todas as energias estão retesadas, quando só existe o futuro? Não chegará, para todo organismo, o momento em que o hábito, a rotina diária ganham lugar?" Opa, mais esse pra lista de desejados hihi

Esse é o tipo de livro que me comprova o potencial dos clássicos: com 96 páginas, SÓ 96 páginas, o cara tratou do retorno à democracia numa Itália pós-fascista, dos questionamentos do protagonista que pertence ao Partido Comunista com relação a seu posicionamento político, do relacionamento que ele tem com a companheira, de todos os envolvidos no processo de eleições (de mesários a eleitores). E com muito mais profundidade que muito livro de 500 páginas por aí. Ah, um acréscimo de fangirl: Italo Calvino é foda e a obra dele não podia ser editada por outra editora. Companhia das Letras s2

I liked argentine ant the best, the other two I wasn't so crazy about.

Collection of 3 short stories. Really enjoyed Smog and to a lesser extent Argentine Ant, which both have a good balance of comedic insights and thought provoking ideas. Watcher, on the other hand I could not get into at all and it felt dated and lacks the entertaining farcical tone of the other two stories.