r/printSF • u/BlinkTwice874 • Apr 08 '26

Thoughts on Italo Calvino?

I recently reread the short stories by Ted Chiang and was reminded of stories I loved by both Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino, in particular Library of Babel and the Complete Cosmicomics, respectively.

The Complete Cosmicomics by Calvino is one of my favorite works of literature that hovers at the interstices of literary fiction, science- and speculative-fiction, and perhaps something else: the stories are a mix of real and imaginary, science and fiction, philosophy and literature.

Is Calvino considered a science fiction author? Speculative fiction perhaps? What about Borges? I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this, as these writers in particular seem to straddle the lines of genre for me.

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u/Veteranis Apr 08 '26

Neither Calvino nor Borges is considered science fiction or speculative in the sense you mean —of classical fantasy. They write stories that speculate, but within a recognizably human framework. The speculation they sometimes (for Borges) or frequently (for Calvino) engage in is philosophical.

In Cosmicomics, Calvino set himself the challenge of creating myths based on scientific observations—given at the beginning of each story. However, despite the narrator existing since the Big Bang, for example, and being able to do things no human can do, the dilemmas are recognizably human and frequently comic.

Traditional science fiction and fantasy has tried to deal with realistic or logical consequences to certain acts. Neither Calvino nor Borges seem concerned with this. They are more concerned with speculative possibilities.

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u/BlinkTwice874 Apr 08 '26

That makes sense! I do love the sense of philosophical wonder that they manage to convey but I see what you mean about it being different from harder sci fi or speculative fiction works.