Numbers in the Dark

And Other Stories

By: Italo Calvino

Narrated by: Jefferson Mays

A volume of 37 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.

Here are speculative stories on life in the digital age, genre-bending wonders, and “impossible interviews” with the likes of Montezuma and a Neanderthal.

©1993 Palomar S.r.l.e., Arnoldo Mondadroi S.p.A., Milano; English translation 1995 by Tim Parks (P)2019 Recorded Books

A great writer finding his voice

Numbers in the Dark collects Calvino’s early stories. In the first half of the book, the writing is fine but unexceptional. Those are pieces that only got published because of who Calvino became. Naturally, as the anthology progresses through the author’s life, the work becomes much stronger and begins to have real focus and sound like Calvino. Highlights include “The Diary of Casanova” and “Henry Ford.” Three Cosmicomics are also part of the collection but are best read within the context of that complete series.