Abstract

Since Calvino died there have been massive historical changes. Because of this, rethinking the qualities of the writings in the Six Memos the author argues that the virtues of lightness and speed have lost their significance; perhaps in the background of today's reality Calvino would prefer to talk about encumbrance and delay. Instead, the title gives a more modern image, in any case also present since the period of the Cosmicomiche, interpreting reality by correlating time periods that are very distant from each other. This is a distinction between the first and the second Calvino. Initially Calvino wrote stories of variously immature or less important heroes seeking to overcome their own inadequacies, after which he portrayed characters struggling with the risk of falling into a trap.