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Adam, One Afternoon

By Italo Calvino
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Adam, One Afternoon by Italo Calvino is a collection of short stories that explores everyday life and the whims of human nature with a touch of fantasy and surrealism. Set in post-war Italy, the stories delve into the quirks of human behaviour, relationships, and the interactions between people and their environment. Calvino's graceful prose and imaginative storytelling create a vivid tapestry of characters and situations, evoking both the charm and complexity of life.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate imaginative tales that skillfully blend everyday reality with elements of fantasy and whimsy. Calvino's writing often offers poignant reflections on human nature and showcases a unique narrative style that captures both the complexities and simplicity of life.

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Adam, One Afternoon

The world of Calvino is a world of fable, but he uses its mechanisms to focus with unerring precision on human reality. Nature in these stories has a magical quality in the flight of a crow, the iridescent track of a snail, the sideways leap of a stray cat - but the magic can encompass both enchantment and terror.

'Calvino's strength is his economy and subtlety. The best of his allegorical fantasies have the power of the Brothers Grimm, rollicking stories on the surface, with an underlying savagery' Listener

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An acclaimed collection of enchanting, comic and clever tales from the Italian master.

This collection of playful, deadly fables is populated with waifs and strays, a gluttonous thief and a mischievous gardener. The grimly comic story The Argentine Ant moved Gore Vidal to declare, "if this is not a masterpiece of twentieth-century prose writing, I cannot think of anything better".

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Italo Calvino's Adam, One Afternoon highlights his role in reviving contemporary fiction. The beautifully translated stories reveal his inventive and skilled writing, blending the physical with timeless allegory. His storytelling is both economical and subtle, with some tales reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm, offering a mix of rollicking narratives and underlying savagery.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099287032

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 August 1992

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Archibald Colquhoun
  • Translated by Peggy Wright
  • Translated by Archibald Colquhoun
  • Translated by Peggy Wright

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 141g

Pages: 192

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Italo Calvino Literary Fiction Penguin Books

About the Author

Italo Calvino was born in Cuba in 1923. He grew up in Italy. He was an essayist and journalist and a member of the editorial staff of Einaudi in Turin. In 1973 he won the prestigious Premio Feltrinelli. He died in 1985.

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