Italo Calvino

26 Jul 2023

Public Exhibition At the crossroads of science and literature.

Italo Calvino was born on 15 October 1923. A humorous Italian author and fantastic fabulist, he is best known for his participation in the OuLiPo and for some of his works, such as The Baron in the Trees (1957) and If on a Winter's Night a Traveler 1979).

His contribution to the history of twentieth-century culture has been fundamental: He is one of Italy's best-known authors and has been translated abroad.

In 2023, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. To mark the occasion, the Italian Department and the UNIGE Scienscope have joined forces with the Maison Rousseau et Littérature's support to pay tribute to Calvino with an exhibition coordinated by Francesca Serra from the Italian Department and our Outreach Officer Shaula Fiorelli.

This exhibition is first and foremost a journey. A journey through science and literature as instruments of knowledge that continually and constantly intertwining. A journey that will help you discover how these two complementary worlds can interact thanks to the powers of of writing and the importance of imagination.

It will be structured around three themes: Cosmicomics read by scientists, Atlante Calvino. Letteratura e Visualizzazione" - a project developed by Francesca Serra -, and finally Calvino and the OuLiPo. Here you are invited to observe, touch, experiment and write.

Free admission, Free guided tours on 1 October and 5 November 2023 at 4pm.

13 September 2023 - 6pm Opening of the exhibition with Francesca Serra, Shaula Fiorelli, Matteo Terzaghi and the Ghiribizzo workshop at the University of Geneva.

Download poster

More information on the MRL website

Press Coverage:

Le Journal UNIGE

SPS Newsletter (31 October 2023)