- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Classics; New edition edition (1 Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099286378
- ISBN-13: 978-0099286370
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,208,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Surprising, tart, and distinctive, like [Calvino] himself." "- The Philadelphia Inquirer"
"A book that any Calvino lover will want to purchase, "pronto!" "-"The" "Seattle Times"
"Distinguished by a sly philosophic humour. . . . a sensuous immediacy of detail and a droll wit. . . . a magnificent addition to the Planet Calvino." "- The Guardian"
"A book that any Calvino lover will want to purchase, "pronto!" "-"The" "Seattle Times"
"Distinguished by a sly philosophic humour. . . . a sensuous immediacy of detail and a droll wit. . . . a magnificent addition to the Planet Calvino." "- The Guardian"
Book Description
'Beautifully written-the work of an extraordinary mind, one that isworth exploring from every angle' Independent on Sunday
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Oh Dear! The photograph on the front cover sums up the book perfectly. Smug, sneering, conceited and cold. Had I nor read his fictional works and enjoyed them I would not have read this book. His snobbishness is outstanding. Given that he likes to proclaim his allegiances to the political left this book says otherwise. He is more at home with the bourgeoisie of New York than he is the humble factory worker in Chicago.
The book tells you little of Calvino - everthing has to be extrapolated from his writings and opinions. He likes to 'drop names' as if they are going out of fashion.
Given that he is an educated man, he shows little understanding of American history and peppers the pages with what would now be seen as condescending racist comments.
I find it sad that a man whose work I admired seems very different in his personal writings. Now I understand why there is no real biographical account of his life - it would be truly nauseous to read.
r d lee
The book tells you little of Calvino - everthing has to be extrapolated from his writings and opinions. He likes to 'drop names' as if they are going out of fashion.
Given that he is an educated man, he shows little understanding of American history and peppers the pages with what would now be seen as condescending racist comments.
I find it sad that a man whose work I admired seems very different in his personal writings. Now I understand why there is no real biographical account of his life - it would be truly nauseous to read.
r d lee
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
A Welcome Opportunity to Know Italo Calvino
9 Jun 2003
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is for readers who already know and appreciate Italo Calvino's major works of fiction. The center piece of this collection of interviews and memoirs is Calvino's notes on his 1959-1960 trip to the United States. The culture shock and fascination/irritation are especially absorbing to those who have been to the places Calvino visited and share Calvino's interests in literature and culture. These reminiscences are also interesting in the context of earlier Italian observers such as Ferruccio Busoni (concert tours 1892-1915) and Giorgio de Chirico (essay about New York in the 1930s).
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Italian Writer Extraordinaire
14 Aug 2007
Format:Paperback
I first read "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler" by Italo Calvino and was hooked. Many years later, I had not forgotten this charming book, so when I was strolling in the bookstore and saw "A Hermit in Paris," I knew I had to get it. This is a collection of Calvino's writings collected after his death by his wife. There is some repetition among the writings, but the lyrical gems that await you in this autobiographical collection are worth wading through some similar pieces.
Most engaging are his writings from his travels to the US in 1959-60 while on a grant from the Ford Foundation. As he notes in the book, although he is Italian, and lived a long stretch in Paris to write, at heart he is a citizen of New York. His take on the US is so fresh and engaging, it's sure to be your favorite section. He's surely the 20th century Italian version of de Toqueville, showing Americans new ways to look at themselves.
However, there's a lot more there, including his tales of Resistance fighting against Mussolini in World War II, his work with an Italian publishing house, and his disenchantment with the Italian Communist Party, which he eventually left. This is a man that not only is a wonderful writer, but led a very colorful life, and these writings capture just a hint of what that life was composed of. This is a fascinating book, and not just for those of us who love Calvino's writing.
Most engaging are his writings from his travels to the US in 1959-60 while on a grant from the Ford Foundation. As he notes in the book, although he is Italian, and lived a long stretch in Paris to write, at heart he is a citizen of New York. His take on the US is so fresh and engaging, it's sure to be your favorite section. He's surely the 20th century Italian version of de Toqueville, showing Americans new ways to look at themselves.
However, there's a lot more there, including his tales of Resistance fighting against Mussolini in World War II, his work with an Italian publishing house, and his disenchantment with the Italian Communist Party, which he eventually left. This is a man that not only is a wonderful writer, but led a very colorful life, and these writings capture just a hint of what that life was composed of. This is a fascinating book, and not just for those of us who love Calvino's writing.
3 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Hermit in Paris
20 April 2003
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Calvino is a wonderful writer and a genuine original, someone I've always loved to re-read, year after year. But prepare for a shock with "Hermit in Paris": he's almost a caricature of the rude, snotty, anti-american Leftist who finds "95% of America is a country of ugliness, oppressiveness and sameness, in short of relentless monotony." He meets James Purdy and describes him as "pathetic" (why?)
"American Diary" is a tour of the USA through the lens of an Italian Communist. He describes American housing projects as "prisons built of brick" and "terrifyingly anonymous" -- and while few would disagree, they remain positively cheerful (not to mention well-made) when compared to the European model. Exhibit A: East Berlin. When it comes to sheer cement horror and ugliness, no one can outdo the communists of Europe. Painting raw cement electric pink and mint green definitely doesn't help alleviate the hideousness of it all. A more squalid region of the world would be impossible to find.
European Communists are amazing to me, they have Yugoslavia, Poland, East Germany - it's right there, right next door! You can drive there in a few hours. They never mention it. They pretend it isn't there.
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