Italo Calvino

Date of Birth: October 15, 1923

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Date of Death: September 19, 1985

Biography

Italo Calvino was an influential Italian writer and novelist, best known for his imaginative and thought-provoking works. Born in Cuba and raised in Italy, Calvino’s literary career spanned several decades and genres, including fiction, essays, and short stories. He was a member of the OuLiPo group, which focused on constrained writing techniques. Calvino’s works often explore themes of fantasy, fable, and the interplay between reality and imagination. Among his most notable books are “Invisible Cities,” “If on a winter’s night a traveler,” and “The Baron in the Trees.” His writing has left a significant impact on contemporary literature, making him one of the most important Italian writers of the 20th century.

5 Interesting Facts about Italo Calvino

1. Italo Calvino was born in Santiago de Las Vegas, a suburb of Havana, Cuba, but he moved to Italy with his family when he was just two years old.

2. He was a member of the Italian Communist Party but left after the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary in 1956.

3. Calvino worked for the renowned Italian publishing house Einaudi, where he was both an editor and a writer.

4. His novel “Invisible Cities” is often cited as a masterpiece of postmodern literature.

5. Calvino was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times but never won.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Italo Calvino

1. “The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.”

2. “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

3. “The city does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand.”

4. “Reading is going toward something that is about to be, and no one yet knows what it will be.”

5. “The universe is a collection of stories, not of atoms.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Italo Calvino’s net worth was never publicly documented, but his works have been highly influential and continue to generate significant academic and literary interest.