Numbers in the Dark and Other Stories (Modern Classics (Penguin))

For the first time in paperback—a volume of thirty-seven diabolically inventive stories, fables, and "impossible interviews" from one of the great fantasists of the 20th century, displaying the full breadth of his vision and wit. Written between 1943 and 1984 and masterfully translated by Tim Parks, the fictions in Numbers in the Dark display all of Calvino's dazzling gifts: whimsy and horror, exuberance of style, and a cheerful grasp of the absurdities of the human condition.

This collection of diabolically brilliant stories, fables, and "impossible interviews" confirms Calvino's stature as one of the essential writers of the 20th century. Written between 1943 and 1984, these several dozen short stories range over a panoply of concerns--politics, the nature of power, the quest for the truth, and the elusive possiblity of human connection.