ITALO CALVINO – a writer, a journalist, a revolutionary

1. ERASMUS+ PROJECT TELL ME A STORY, PLEASE!
ITALO CALVINO – a writer, a journalist, a revolutionary!
Calvino was born in 1923, in Santiago de las Vegas – Cuba.
His parents were from Sardinia. Calvino's parents were both well-respected botanists. When Calvino was
two, his parents moved the family back to Sanremo, Italy. Calvino attended school in Sanremo and began
studying at the University of Turin at age 18.

2. Calvino studied in an agriculture program, following in his parents' footsteps, but secretly was interested
in literature, especially anti-Fascist literature. When World War II began, Calvino transferred from the
University of Turin to the University of Florence.
However, in 1943, due to the German occupation of Italy, Calvino was forced to halt his studies and
either join the military service or go into hiding. He chose to go into hiding for a few months, until his
mother convinced Italo and his brother Floriano to join the Italian Resistance. Calvino joined a
Communist group called the Garibaldi Brigades, and lived and fought in the Maritime Alps until the end
of the war in 1945.

3. In 1957, Calvino left the Communist Party following the Soviet invasion of Hungary, which Calvino did
not agree with. Calvino's literary works turned from realism and stories of war to satire and fantasy. The
author visited the United States in 1959 and was particularly taken by New York. Calvino moved to Paris
in 1960, where he met Argentinian translator Esther Judith "Chichita" Singer, whom he married in 1964.
Calvino also met the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara during this period.
Calvino and his wife returned to Italy and settled in Rome. They had a daughter, Giovanna, in 1965.
Calvino continued to publish fantastical short stories in literary magazines, but he hit a period of literary
stasis following the death of Italian writer Elio Vittorini. However, he continued resumed writing fantasy
novels in the 1970's, producing some of his most famous works, including Le città invisibili (Invisible
Cities), Il castello dei destini incrociate (The Castle of Crossed Destinies), and Se una notte d’inverno un
viaggiatore (If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler). These works were revolutionary in their narration and
structure.
By Calvino's death at age 61 in 1985, the prolific author had published over 40 novels, short story
collections, essays, autobiographical works, libretti, and translations. He received many prestigious
awards throughout his literary career, including the Feltrinelli Prize, the Austrian State Prize for European
Literature, the Legion of Honour, and the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. Calvino is also
one of the most translated Italian authors.
Francisco and Diana – 9th
level
Agrupamento de Escolas Latino Coelho, Lamego - Portugal