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Books

Italo Calvino's essays, Collection of Sand, is a brainy delight

Maxima in minimis — for the author the smallest facts are the most significant

26 October 2013

9:00 AM

26 October 2013

9:00 AM

Collection of Sand: Essays Italo Calvino translated by Martin McLaughlin

Penguin Modern Classics, pp.240, £9.99, ISBN: 9780141193748

The Japanese are sometimes said to suffer from ‘outsider person shock’ (gaijin shokku) when travelling abroad. Recently in London we had a lodger from Hiroshima who wanted to practise his karate routines in our back garden. Concerned to see him chopping at our apple tree in full combat gear, a metropolitan police helicopter hovered in close to take a look.

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