Calvin Italo (Calvino Italo)

(1923-1985)
Born October 15, 1923 in Santiago de las Vegas (Cuba), the son of an Italian agronomist, education received in Italy. During the Second World War, joined the Italian Resistance, in 1945 received a degree in English literature at the University of Turin. With the support of senior friends, writers E. Vittorini (1908-1966) and C. Pavese (1908-1950), he turned to literature, and in 1947 published the first book - Trail spider's nest (Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno), neo-realist story of a guerrilla. In the 1950's to mark its departure from realism. Small novel The split Viscount (Il visconte dimezzato, 1952) was a medieval fantasy on themes of brutality and political depravity. Was followed by novels, The Baron in the tree (Il barone rampante, . 1957), . freedom-loving hero who prefers to live in a tree, . and non-existent Knight (Il cavaliere inesistente, . 1959) - Participant campaigns of Charlemagne, . consisting of just the empty armor,
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Intrigued by the archaic origins of fiction, Calvino published under his editorship a collection of fairy tales - Italian tale (Fiabe italiane, 1956). The first experiments in the genre of science fiction - stories Kosmikomicheskie (Le cosmicomiche, 1965) and (Ti con zero, 1967) - linked to his cosmology and biology classes. In the late 1960 Calvino moved to Paris where he was carried away structuralism and semantics. Traces of their influence is evident in his novel The Castle arms folded fates (Il castello dei destini incrociati, 1969). Semiotic theory of signs, symbols and codes is also evident in the novel Invisible Cities (Le citt invisibili, 1972). When one winter's night a traveler ... (Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore .., 1979) - a novel, a parody of modern literary styles. The collection under the sun yaguarovym (Sotto il sole giaguaro, publ. 1986) were to enter the story of the five senses, but by the time of death Calvino wrote only about the taste, hearing and smell. Posthumous collection of five autobiographical essays Road to San Giovanni was released in 1993. Calvino died in Siena (Italy) 19 September 1985.