Abstract

This paper offers an interpretation of Antonio Tabucchi's "The Edge of the Horizon" (1986), analysing its genetic dossier and its rich intertextual plot, which draws on newspapers, philosophic essays and fiction. In 1982, a first version of this novel (entitled Lost Corpses) had been rejected by Calvino on behalf of Einaudi. Though Tabucchi considers Calvino's criticisms in his rewriting, the disagreement between the two writers lies in conflictual epistemological and aesthetic assumptions, for Tabucchi's metaphysical discomfort stands in sharp contrast to Calvino's scientific optimism.