Thanks to Blog of a Bookslut for pointing out this terrific essay by Jeanette Winterson on the problems of publishing a posthumous collection of Italo Calvino’s nonfiction prose. Considering that he was such a tough self-editor, and non-documentary artist, Winterson ponders the ethical ramifications of the collection, noting that: “The cult of celebrity that surrounds writers now is rather like those sonic frequency machines that force moles above ground. In this collection, Calvino talks enthusiastically about the ‘dream of being invisible’ and he goes as far as to say that ‘writers lose a lot when they are seen in the flesh’. For Calvino, to be ‘just a name on a book cover’ seems like ‘the ideal condition for a writer’.”
cmf
I'm a writer and editor based in Livingston, Montana. I moved to Livingston from the San Francisco Bay area in 2002 in search of affordable housing and a small community with a vibrant arts community. I found both. LivingSmall details my experience buying and renovating a house, building a garden, becoming a part of this community. It also chronicles my efforts to rebuild my life after the sudden death of my younger brother, and closest companion, Patrick in a car wreck.