The Watcher and Other Stories (Harbrace Paperbound Library)

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The story contains references to all of these things, so it's all but impossible to parse, a fact not made any easier when Calvino introduces the specter of nuclear war as well. Compared to Calvino's warm, slightly surreal stories, "The Watcher and Other Stories" seems like a rather bleak book, without any solid endings to the storylines. However, the three stories as a whole (together with subsequent events) suggest that this optimism, being a pretence, was and is wishful thinking.

Amerigo didn’t seek the limelight; in his profession, he preferred to remain the right man in the right place, not pushing himself forward.

And in "The Argentine Ant, " the citizens of a provincial seaside town struggle against a government-controlled infestation. These people are probably lacking in a fundamental way a part of them that truly makes them human, but hey, whatever! Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. Please note that some countries may charge the recipient duties on the 'import' of parcels from time-to-time. After I finished the "argentine ant" I started to read the other stories, but I did not like them that much.

With this caveat in mind, I think this would be a good introduction to Calvino’s general style and interests. Book fine; jacket slightly rubbed, with some mild creasing and one small closed tear, but still very good. Smog" is a story about industrial pollution, and about a man hired to become the editor of "Smog" magazine, a periodical devoted to the eradication of industrial air pollutants.The Argentine Ant" is a piece of sustained horror with farcical undertones, illustrating man's defeat before an enemy too small to be overcome.