Cosmicomics – Italo Calvino
(1965)
I have read so many science fiction books
and stories. Many of their authors use
specific scientific data or details to build stories around. A few actually try to create stories that help
the reader understand the scientific concepts discussed in the works. Even fewer of those manage to create
gripping, inventive stories. Italo
Calvino managed all of this and more.
What an amazing collection of short stories!
I have been fortunate to discover
many classic authors as part of my reading on this Book Journey. From OG sci-fi writer Henry Kuttner, to modern author Cory Doctorow, I treasure finding their work and feeding my brain with their stories. The one book I have read which most closely
resembles Cosmicomics, however, is Clifton Fadiman’s Fantasia Mathematica, a collection of short stories from the 1950’s dealing with purely
mathematical subjects.
Italo Calvino takes the same
approach with cosmology, specifically an exploration of the basic concepts used
to describe the development of our Universe, from the Big Bang to the farthest
reaches of deep time. His main narrator, inscrutably named Qfwfq, regales the reader with stories of his past, describing in
beautiful allusions and metaphors, what the universe was like in the very first
instances of existence. In one story, he
describes how the Moon used to be so close to the Earth that at certain points
in the year, people would climb long ladders to reach the Moon, and harvest
essential nutrition from it. This is
based on the knowledge that our Moon, Luna, is slowly moving away from the
Earth. In a million years, the Moon will
be far smaller in our sky, and will not completely cover the Sun during
eclipses. In the far past, the Moon was
much, much bigger than the Sun in our sky.
In another great story, Italo’s
narrator describes what it was like for him to exist as a creature who once
lived in water, but is now on land, and all the accompanying weirdness! One tale describes what the inner thoughts of
fundamental particles must be like, while another shares the story of three
entities forever falling through space and time. Each tale is self-contained, but the whole
collection truly helps expand the mind.
I found much wisdom in these stories.
The ancient poets created stories such as these to use as
learning tools, handing them down orally to the next generation. Mr. Calvino wanted to do the same with the often-misunderstood
knowledge of Deep Time brought forth by Relativity and 20th century
cosmology.
Ancient scribes did likewise. These old
stories were often misinterpreted or misunderstood by people of later
generations. Instead of seeking intellectual
and informational wisdom in them, people started to see them as “divine”
messages, or as dogmatic truth. The very
same thing could happen to Italo Calvino’s stories, should someone read them in
two or three centuries, well after the average human forgets or is no longer
taught basic scientific truths. We seem
to be headed in that direction now, sadly, and this blog, RXTT’s Book Journey,
is my small attempt to forestall the stupidization of humanity.
I must commend a Mr. William Weaver,
who translated these stories into English around 1968. The world owes so much to good
translators. It is almost as important a
job as actually writing the books themselves!
Translation is how we can share ideas across cultures, continents, and
centuries.
I highly recommend this book to
anyone with an interest in science fiction, mind expansion, originality, and
creativity in storytelling. It feels
like something of a miracle that stories like this are available for us to
read. We are very fortunate indeed!
(This book can
be downloaded and read here: https://www.are.na/block/11318370
)
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