The Uses of Literature

Italo Calvino was a watershed for me in reading fiction in my 20s. I had always read a lot and even critically, but somehow Calvino's fiction which was more mathematical and structured in some ways than the more fluid literature I had read before changed my perspective. This collection of essays abo......more

Recently I ordered a copy of Moby Dick and I am anticipating reading it for the 1st time very soon and I thought: let's read Calvino again on "why to read the classics". I read the rest of the book afterwards. Very few people can write with such intelligence, style, originality, humour and an eye fo......more

After hammering with the literary criticism textbooks for a while, reading about literature from another perspective is like getting some new fresh air, especially from Calvino whom I always resonate with intelligence and witty. The book gives me a tingling hope, with the reassurence, that literatur......more

for a few years now, this book has been an occasional companion. I own more calvino than any other author, and this one is a delight—a break from paper-thin words that float, to a more serious prose—as heavy as needed but no more. among other things, it's an elaboration of his influences—Invisible C......more

Heel interessant, zet je aan het denken, maar tegelijk ook heel lastig. Literatuurtheorie, interviews, essays… Noem maar op. Heel nederig geschreven voor een hrote meneer. Hoofdstukje per dag is meer dan genoeg. Anyway, thanks Paul-Valery!......more