On September 19, 1985, at ten o'clock in the morning, Calvino, one of the most outstanding contemporary writers, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of sixty-two. Calvino's death made him a legend in modern literature.And the main thing in his legend is those brain cells that are always creating surprises.The American writer Gore Vidal, who introduced Calvino’s works to the United States and became a close friend, later wrote in his memorial article: "After the first intracerebral hemorrhage, he was awakened from a coma after an operation that lasted several hours. ... At that time, the neurosurgeon was very optimistic about his condition. He told the press that from I have never seen a person whose brain structure is as delicate and complex as Calvino's.... He said that he is also a reader of Calvino, and he once debated with his children about his book. This brain that makes him feel confusing, For its rarity, he must keep it alive."

Calvino's mind is the greatest legend of modern literature, which may be the reason why his literary career seems to have continuous peaks and never see the end.His literary style rarely stays in one place, and every time it brings people incredible surprises.His literature straddles the traditional boundaries of realism and fantasy, and elevates the novel to the level of language philosophy, semiotics and anthropology.The later ones, as well as the last monologue novel "Mr. Palomar" published during his lifetime, raised literature to the level of metaphysics.The incredible thing about Calvino is that he created almost all new narrative forms and topics until now.His imagination runs between the creation of the universe, as small as the observation of waves and sand grains.His "Smog" (Smog) is the pioneer work of literary exploration of the environment; his literary exploration of memory, desire and feeling are also pioneering experiments.Of course, we must not forget his creation of meta-fiction in such as "If On a Winter Night, A Traveler" and the short work "The Count of Monte Cristo".

Calvino's brain cells are so delicate and complex that they cannot be fathomed.He is the largest research and development department of modern literature, and is constantly exploring new boundaries for the perceptual scope of literature, the type of style, and even the language itself.It is undoubtedly too early to die at the age of sixty-two. If he continues to live, I don't know how many surprises he will create.But it is precisely because he has been looking at the future that he has neglected the past. When he passed away suddenly, later generations will not be able to read a biography that is less than consoling.We can only imagine in his works, but cannot get close to him through biography.

In fact, Calvino is not without biography. For many years, I have always regarded "Mr. Paloma" as his spiritual biography.In this monologue-like novel, Paloma is Calvino himself.It describes his method of observing affairs, the association after observation, and finally connects the two to the level of ideas.In the monologue and self-examination of the soul, he has left many traces that allow people to understand him.But spiritual biography is not biography after all. However, this shortcoming was gradually made up after Calvino's death.After his death, his elegant, talented, petite, and red-haired wife Chichita Calvino continued to sort out his posthumous works, not only publishing the fragments that have not yet been compiled, but also including autobiography, biographies, and interviews. Collection of nature articles.Thus, "The Way of San Giovanni" and these two biographical books were born.The former is Calvino's early memories, while the former is the trace of his growth for most of his life.While these are still not autobiographies or biographies, it fills that void.From his works, and these life records with biographical significance, we can already get closer to Calvino.

Compiled from 19 long or short articles, the subject matter includes diaries, memoirs, interviews, short reviews, etc.Although the styles are not uniform, there is no doubt that all of them are filled with the content of Calvino's life course.Of the forewords written by Calvino's wife, we know that 12 of them had been stored in Calvino's archives as "autobiography" before his death.We have no way of knowing what he plans to do with these retained materials.He might rewrite an autobiography based on these, or he might just add clips.But this kind of work will never be possible after Calvino's death. We have to jump into the ocean of these traces of life to swim with him, and use his works as a reference to these materials to recompile our own ideas. his autobiography.

Consists of articles in three main stages.The first stage includes the records and reflections of his participation in the underground resistance against Germany, his joining of the Communist Party of China, and his withdrawal from Fascist rule under Mussolini when he was a teenager.The second phase is the letter diary written during his first visit to the United States in 1959-60.The third stage is the record of his being interviewed many times later.The records of these three stages are of great reference value for understanding his life and literature.Those experiences and introspections of his early involvement in politics showed his uninhibited and apolitical nature.He later wrote such a passage in "Mr. Paloma", which can be used as evidence:

"In an age and a country where everyone is scrambling for opinions and judgments, Mr. Paloma has developed a habit of biting his tongue three times whenever he wants to make a claim. When he has bitten He still feels convincing in his own opinion after the tongue. . . . It is not a particularly remarkable thing to be able to present a correct opinion. In a statistical sense, when all kinds of crazy, messy and vulgar Ideas come to mind, and inevitably there are some brilliant, even genius ideas. But it happens to him, and it happens to other people as well.” A person who has this kind of views on political affairs is actually the person with the most insight into politics, and with insight, he must go to the top of politics, and it is impossible to continue to flow in politics.This attitude of Calvino is not only shown in his works and comments, but also in many interviews.He is the kind of person who is equal to all beings, who values ​​everything and can come and go.It is also because of such a calm state of mind that he can observe and interpret very carefully, and endow affairs with various meanings from multiple angles.He first came to the United States between 1959 and 1960. Although what he saw and thought on the itinerary was easy to grasp, there were many good times and sharp edges. Calvino was indeed so different, so he could be different. Standing in the group of contemporary writers, he is so outstanding.It is true that Calvino's literary creation is a family opinion, but his various literary theories and comments are also impressive.His early "Essays on the Use of Literature" and the "Memorandum for the Next Round of Peace and Prosperity" collected after his death are examples.

However, Calvino is a writer, and all discussions will eventually be implemented in his works and creative world.In 1978, he was interviewed by Giudicci, an outstanding Mesozoic Italian writer; in 1985, he was interviewed by Italian literary theorist Maria Corti.In particular, his reply to Judici has the most literary reference value.Daniele Del Giudice is fifty years old this year. He is two generations younger than Calvino and has been considered Calvino's literary successor. Therefore, his interview can best grasp the essence of Calvino's literary works. core.One of the replies can be used as a basic reference point for understanding Calvino:

"...and the desire to pursue harmony comes from the awareness of inner struggles. But the illusion of harmony in accidental events is self-deception, so I have to look at other levels. In this way, I went to the universe. But this universe does not exist, even if it is scientific In terms of perspective, it is just a realm that has nothing to do with personal consciousness, transcends all human egoism and exclusivity, and expects to reach a non-anthropomorphic perspective. During this ascent, I had neither the thrill of panic nor meditation.On the contrary, a sense of mission to all things in the universe arises.We are a ring in a galaxy of subatomic or pre-galactic proportions: I am convinced that it is the responsibility of our actions and our thoughts to carry on from the past to the future.This is what I hope to feel from the combination of those fragments, that is, my work. "

As for Calvino's literature, in the introduction to the Chinese translation of (The Times), I have made a brief discussion of its periodization and historical background and other factors.For this part, it is not intended to repeat it here.However, all the installments are an expedient design for the convenience of memory, and in the installments, the real Calvino is still the same entity, but may change into different clothes. It is precisely because of this that although Calvino's literature begins with the little orphan looking at the spider hole in his "Spider Nest Path", it has gone through fables, French new novels, Borges' magical metaphors, and finally to "postmodern" Unlike "Post-Structure", it is only a little too playful at times, but most of the time, his superficially light literature actually bears another kind of greater weight.His later literature has long bid farewell to exaggerated narration, and has become a self-examination and debate under the expression of literary minimalism.It was a kind of "Solipsism"-style restart. Through such questioning, negation and sublation, he wanted to find the "Oneness" (The One) that constantly appeared in "Mr. Paloma". ).From his early days, there have been many stories where the protagonist faces the sea or the grass at the end.Behind them is a piece of deconstructed desolation, while in front of them is an unknown longing.This is a kind of strong contrast and contradiction, and between the two, there is a sense of loneliness and loneliness.

There are many different levels of reading in Carnot's literature, and its narrative method is as magnificent as a kaleidoscope.When it observes affairs or meaning, it reads it both forward and backward, unlocks its belonging position, and then puts it in a relationship opposite or opposite to it again, so that the falsehood is thrown out, and the meaning is henceforth And become a kind of waiting.Italo Calvino's lifelong literary career lies in the continuous throwing out, so that the world becomes more empty, but the empty space is very heavy.Whenever I read Calvino's works, after tasting its cleverness, sharpness, understanding, and suddenness, I always end up in a trance-like breath, feeling a sense of confusion that mixes ancient and modern, And I feel that I have also become the Parisian hermit Calvino who is watching everything. Among the works of Calvino, my favorite is the "Mr. Paloma" that has not been translated into Chinese, on the one hand because it is his spiritual monologue and meditation, and it is also the last published one when he was alive. this work.When he gave the book to his best friend, he wrote: "This is my last thought about nature." The cover of this thin little book is a comparison of two people, one is Galileo, and the other is sleeping or sleeping through a screen. Lady in meditation.This comparison of the cover seems to be very allusive. Scientists measure the world based on observation, while novelists use imagination to describe and capture reality.He raised himself to the level of Galileo.And Calvino himself proved this possibility. So let's love Calvino!