How mind-blowing would it be to have witnessed all the events that unfolded throughout the history of the universe? What if someone was really there and could narrate us short memories about life during the creation and expansion of the universe?
Cosmicomics is a collection of twelve short stories. Each story begins with a scientific statement regarding the universe, which is then followed by a narrative recounted in first person by the main character Qfwfq. This bizarre eternal protagonist entertains us with its funny memories. To give you a glimpse of how hilarious some of the stories are, in the tale “All at One Point” it narrates how all the inhabitants of the universe were living in one point until a lady by the name of Ph(i)Nk0 offered to make tagliatelle and triggered the expansion of the universe. Romance and heartbreak also feature in some of the stories. In the tale “Without Colours”, Qfwfq meets another being called Ayl. They live in a colourless earth, and they recognize each other by the shape of their physical traits. They talk, they play with quartz balls and they fall in love. The formation of earth’s atmosphere and the emergence of colour results in them drifting apart.
Italo Calvino was an eminent Italian writer of the twentieth century. In Cosmicomics he brings together creativity, irony and a bit of romance. He creates his own genre: a narrative based on a scientific fact, which bridges the gap between sci-fi and fiction. Overall, I would recommend reading this book, whether you like sci-fi or not. You will inevitably laugh while reading some of the stories, and maybe even feel a bit sad when going through some of the most heartbreaking ones.