The complete Cosmicomics cover

The complete Cosmicomics

by Italo Calvino

When the moon was closer to the earth, he would once a month, when its orbit made it possible climb a ladder to its scaly surface. He remembers life on the nebulae when matter first began to exist, causing great confusion and destroying his grandmother's pillow. As a child, he used the curve of space to play marbles with brand-new atoms. With the rest of his family, he evolved to walk on land only his great-uncle stubbornly remained a fish. And when the rest of the Dinosaurs died he was surprised to be greeted with gracious kindness instead of mortal fear by the new inhabitants of the Earth. This is the life of Qfwfq, the unique narrator of Italo Calvino's comic stories of the strangeness of the universe. They are extremely funny, imaginative beyond the scope of the galactic distances they conjure, beautifully written and absolutely unforgettable. This new collection is the first complete edition in English and includes seven stories never before translated.

More by Italo Calvino

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?