Numbers in the Dark is a collection of short stories covering the length of Italo Calvino's extraordinary writing career, from when he was a teenager to shortly before his death. They include witty allegories and wise fables; a town where everything has been forbidden apart from the game of tip-cat; a pitiable tribe watching the flight paths of... See more

When I started writing this newsletter on Italo Calvino and his Art of Fiction interview, I changed the opening sentence more times than I could count. No trace of it remains. Like Calvino, I often find myself wishing I was writing something other than what I’m working on. Contemplating possibilities is infinitely more pleasing than having to... See more

As for what I take notes about, maybe because I’m a fiction writer at heart, a lot of the things I notice have to do with language.

For example, if I run across an amazing name of a person or a company or a street, I’ll record that for sure. Likewise, if I’m reading a book or something online, and I find a sentence that's evocative or strange – or

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