Italo Calvino once said that he preferred to give false details about his biography since he felt that even the genuine data of a writer's life shed no light on the creative work. But this volume of posthumously collected personal writings is the closest we will ever come to the autobiography of this most private of writers. The pieces collected here range from the early 1950s to his last interview, completed just before his sudden death in 1985. Apart from providing a glimpse into his own formative experiences and evolution as an author, Calvino's autobiographical writings also examine the major events of twentieth-century history from a very personal viewpoint. This volume is full of ideas on literature and other writers, all conveyed with the author's distinctive lightness and intelligence.

關於生平，卡爾維諾寫道：“我仍然屬於和剋羅齊一樣的人，認為一個作者，隻有作品有價值。因此我不提供傳記資料。我會告訴你你想知道的東西。但我從來不會告訴你真實。”

1923年10月15日生於古巴，1985年9月19日在濱海彆墅猝然離世，而與當年的諾貝爾文學奬失之交臂。

父母都是熱帶植物學傢，“我的傢庭中隻有科學研究是受尊重的。我是敗類，是傢裏唯一從事文學的人。”

少年時光裏寫滿書本、漫畫、電影。他夢想成為戲劇傢，高中畢業後卻進入大學農藝係，隨後從文學院畢業。

1947年齣版第一部小說《通嚮蜘蛛巢的小徑》，從此緻力於開發小說敘述藝術的無限可能。

曾隱居巴黎15年，與列維—施特勞斯、羅蘭·巴特、格諾等人交往密切。

1985年夏天準備哈佛講學時患病。主刀醫生錶示自己未曾見過任何大腦構造像卡爾維諾的那般復雜精緻。