- The Watcher 1963
- Smog 1965
- The Argentine Ant 1952
I bought The Watcher so I could read The Argentine Ant as I’m trying to go through Calvino in chronological order. The easiest way to get it was to buy it with The Watcher. I read these short stories in publish order and not the order they were presented in the book.
The Argentine Ant wasn’t a fun romp for me as we recently had a large ant problem at the house, it felt a bit too realistic. The story itself felt quite dark until the very end when the perspective is shifted.
The Watcher was a quite enjoyable read. I never would have thought that a story about someone working a polling station could work but it was engaging all the way through. Whereas the Argentine Ant was about a concept, lots of ants everywhere, and living through it, The Watcher creates a character and we see the world through his eyes.
Smog was a good balance of descriptions and concept along with well developed characters. Written two years after The Watcher, it shows a steady progression as a writer. If I had to pick between the two, The Watcher, I’d say, is better but the writing in Smog itself is better. I particularly liked the spin that the head of the anti-pollution magazine ran a polluting factory.
In my youth, I was never a fan of short stories. I don’t know why, maybe they reminded me of English class. I am starting to appreciate collection of short stories more. I have some Borges calling my name on my tsundoku.