Italo Calvino
A Journey toward
Postmodernism
by
Constance Markey
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this Book now
This primer for Italo
Calvino fans looks at the international author in English
translation, appraising his place in world literature and
tracing his development as a postmodern writer from the
start of his career during World War II to his death in
1985.
Constance Markey, who knew Calvino personally, correlates
details of his life with the growth of his thinking and
artistry, using summaries and analysis of his novels,
short stories, and essays to underscore the link between
his life and work. Starting with his early writing as a
political neorealist, she traces his move away from
realism, first toward modernism and fantasy, eventually
toward full maturation as a postmodern writer. Though
Calvino chronicled uncommon events during a turbulent
era, Markey shows that his writing evolved in a
consistent, unified, and logical way.
Writing for both the novice Calvino reader and those
expert in his work, Markey also examines in depth his
ties to other authors such as Conrad, Beckett, Borges,
Kafka, and even Twain. She establishes Calvino’s
influence as a major force in the shaping of 20th-century
literature and offers a persuasive account of
postmodernism.
Constance Markey
teaches Italian at DePaul University,
where she has served as head of the Italian section. She
has written widely on Italian and European authors and on
film and has published articles in Italica, Italian
Quarterly, and Quaderni d’italianistica,
and book reviews in the Chicago Tribune.
1999. 192pp. 6 X 9.
ISBN 0-8130-1722-X Cloth, $55.00
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"Stands out for the comprehensiveness of its coverage, the clarity of its organization, and its usefulness to those approaching the Italian writer in English translation. . . . Beginning and even experienced readers of Calvino, whether students or faculty, will find this book a reliable guide."--
Choice
"Markey
emphasizes the coherence of Calvino’s literary
production and convincingly and carefully argues that
postmodernism —first latent and then increasingly
(and exasperatingly) overt—is Calvino’s
essential muse."—Wiley Feinstein,
Loyola University, Chicago
"By thoroughly and persuasively interpreting and
explaining Calvino’s contributions to the postmodern
esthetic, this book provides not only a better
appreciation of postmodern literature but a better
understanding of our postmodern world, where reality and
textuality mingle, a world which Calvino anticipated,
interrogated, and ultimately helped to fashion, and one
which Markey now helps us to perceive and
comprehend."—Sante Matteo, Miami
University
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Reputations of the Tongue,
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Ronsard, Petrarch, and the
Amours,
Sara
Sturm-Maddox
Arms Akimbo,
Edited by
Janice Liddell and Yakini Belinda Kemp
Colette, Beauvoir, and Duras,
Bethany Ladimer
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