ITALO CALVINO – LA SCOPERTA

DELLA NUVOLA
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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ITALO
CALVINO?
• Italo Calvino was born in Cuba in 1923 and moved to Italy in 1925, where he became a member of
the communist group.
• His works represent a critical view of the industrial society of the time, with a particular focus on
the natural environment. Some examples of his works are 'La nuvola di smog', 'Marcovaldo ovvero
le stagioni in città' and 'La speculazione edilizia'.
• Marcovaldo ovvero le stagioni in città tells the story of an ex-farmer who has moved to a city in the
north of Italy to find a connection with nature in an urban environment.
• La speculazione edilizia is about the low-cost purchase of agricultural land for the construction of
buildings. This shows how people are no longer motivated by moral values, but only by material
values.
• La scoperta della nuvola is about the indifference for the pollution problem. Even the main
character himself is initially not aware of the issue but he realises it after seeing the cloud of smog
covering the city. After this, raise awareness writing an article, become the main character's goal.
• We know that this problem still exists today, in fact polluted air and gas emissions cause extreme
climate changes. The same problem that Calvino noticed, is the same one that still affects us
today: the lack of consciousness. Fortunately, there are organizations, such as 'Thunberg', 'WWF'
and 'Ultima Generazione', that are pushing for ecology, sustainability and environmental
protection. We need to find a balance between urban development and the conservation of the
natural environment.
AUTHOR AND
WORKS
• Italo Calvino was born in 1923 in Cuba. In 1925 the
whole family returned to Italy, to Sanremo. He attended
the Faculty of Agriculture but abandoned his studies in
1943 and joined the Communist Movement, joining the
partigiani. After the war, he enrolled in the Faculty of
Literature and graduated in 1947.
• Among his works are those related to the problems and
contradictions of the society of the time, such as the
devastation of the natural environment.
• 'La nuvola di smog', 'Marcovaldo ovvero le stagioni in
città', 'La speculazione edilizia' and 'La giornata d'uno
scrutatore'.
LA NUVOLA DI SMOG
• This novel is about the story of an intellectual who
moves to the city to work in the editorial office of an
ecologist periodical ('The Purification') supported by a
highly polluting company. The protagonist is impressed
by the amount of smog in the air.
• He realises that pollution is a serious problem and
thinks something can be done to purify the
atmosphere.
• It is a novel about the contradictions of society and
culture in the years of the economic 'boom'. Calvino
denounces in particular the two-faced nature of
industry, both friend and enemy of man, to which it
gives prosperity and deception, promises and
neuroses.
MARCOVALDO OVVERO LE STAGIONI IN
CITTA’
• Marcovaldo is a collection divided into twenty short
stories
• The main character is Marcovaldo who has abandoned
the countryside to become a worker in an anonymous
city in northern Italy. He is constantly searching in the
greyness of the city for something that might remind
him of nature and a world less artificial and more on a
human scale.
• Calvino exposes the most serious symptoms of the
contemporary disease: the degradation of the
landscape, the alienating and grotesque quality of life
in the big cities, the extensive pollution from industry
and the consequences of advertising consumerism, and
the decadence of public and private morals.
LA SPECULAZIONE
EDILIZIA
• This work is about a problem that also reflects its consequences on today's
world: building speculation. It consists in making a profit from the real
estate market.
• Calvino describes it as being responsible for much of the architectural and
urbanistic ugliness that still disfigures the country today.
• To speak of this fact, he tells the story of Quinto Anfossi, a Ligurian
intellectual who experienced the events of the 1950s first-hand. Quinto is a
man tired and discouraged by human existence, a man who seems to have
lost all hope; this is why he decides to enter a partnership with an
entrepreneur of dubious reputation, with whom he will take part in this
continuous and unmotivated construction of buildings. Quinto will, however,
be unable to properly supervise the construction work and will therefore fail
miserably.
• This becomes symbolic of the inability to rebuild the country on solid moral
foundations: the new society falters and clings to material values.
SUMMERY: LA
SCOPERTA DELLA
NUVOLA
• The main characters of the proposed passage are the narrator and
Claudia who decide to stop at a viewpoint to enjoy the view. While
admiring the landscape, the narrator notices a strange cloud of
uncertain colour, different from the others due to its dirty, heavy
appearance and dark shadow. He realises that it is smog, air pollution.
• The narrator tries to explain his discovery to Claudia, but she is more
interested in a flock of birds flying overhead. Claudia is indifferent,
thinking only of having fun.
• The narrator is fascinated by the cloud of smog and realises that,
despite all the other beauty around them, this cloud is his real
concern. The narrator decides to write an article about this cloud for a
newspaper. Initially he does not know what to write, but once he is
inspired, he describes life and reality inside the smog cloud,
highlighting the negative effects it has on the city and people's lives.
• The narrator reflects on the reality of those who live inside the smog
cloud, in contrast to those who may live outside it. He argues that
what really matters is what is inside the cloud, the real truth and the
possibility of freedom from it: becoming aware of our surroundings.
 • The story focuses on the issue of air pollution and how it can affect people's lives and
reality itself. The cloud of smog becomes a metaphor for the narrator's central concern
and his desire to be part of it and understand it.
• The protagonist's attitude and awareness

ANALYSIS • The narrative highlights the conflict between the natural beauty of the environment and
the intrusion of pollution, symbolised by the cloud. This contrast highlights the theme of
the struggle between nature and increasing industrialisation, which is a common topic in
environmental and contemporary fiction.
• The indifference of people and the journalist's article
• He now realises that repression or evasion are not permissible, that the problem must be
faced head-on, that it is necessary to immerse oneself fully in the horror in order to grasp
the truth, the real scope, and to seek real liberation, however difficult and problematic.
 Non sei mai troppo piccolo
per fare la differenza

REFLECTION
• The novel discusses the situation of air pollution in industrial cities in 1958, but we realise how the same problem still
occurs today, in fact it is a central theme in environmental health policies all over the world. The author does not offer
solutions but merely denounces the situation, strongly expressing the need for liberation.
• Polluted air and especially the emission of greenhouse gases create climate changes such as rising sea levels, rising
temperatures and extreme weather phenomena.
• A problem afflicting society today is the lack of awareness, even though many organisations are pushing for ecology,
sustainability and environmental protection.
• Some examples of activist bodies are:
o Thunberg institution, whose goal is to limit the increase in global temperature compared to pre-industrial times
o WWF whose aim is to safeguard biodiversity
o Last Generation which wants to implement the use of wind and solar energy
• In conclusion, the piece highlights the contrast between the beauty of nature and pollution. This calls for the importance
of preserving nature and striking a balance between urban development and the preservation of the natural
environment. The world needs people who are more aware and dedicated to improving the environment.