Italo Calvino's Mushrooms in the City

THE WIND, ENTERING A town from far away, rin!s una""ustome# !ifts, of whi"h
only a few sensitive souls e"ome aware, su"h as sufferers from hay fever, who
snee$e e"ause of the %ollen of flowers !rowin! in other re!ions&
'ne #ay a !ust of win# #ro%%e# s%ores on a stret"h of flowere# alon!si#e a "ity
street an# fun!i s%route#& No(one noti"e# them ut the laourer Mar"oval#o, who
too) the tram from *ust that s%ot every mornin!&
This Mar"oval#o ha# eyes that were not very well a#a%te# to town +ife, %osters,
traffi" li!hts, sho% win#ows, neon si!ns, %uli" noti"es ( althou!h s%e"ially #esi!ne#
to attra"t attention ( never "au!ht his eyes, whi"h seeme# to e wan#erin! over #esert
san#s& 'n the other han#, a leaf turnin! yellow on a ou!h, a feather "au!ht u% on a
tile, never es"a%e# him- there was never a horsefly on the a") of a horse, a worm(
hole in a tale, the %eel of a fi! s.uashe# on the %avement, whi"h Mar"oval#o #i# not
noti"e an# #i# not refle"t u%on, oservin! the "han!es of the seasons, the lon!in!s of
his soul an# the wret"he#ness of his e/isten"e&
Thus one mornin!, while he was waitin! for the tram that too) him to the firm where
he wor)e# as an o##(*o man, he noti"e# somethin! unusual y the sto%, in the stri%
of arren "ruste# soil that followe# the line of trees flan)in! the street, here an# there,
y the roots of the trees, it seeme# as thou!h little %rotueran"es were swellin! u%
whi"h in some %la"es ha# urst throu!h an# allowe# roun#ish o*e"ts to emer!e from
un#er the !roun#&
He ent #own to tie his shoe an# loo)e# more "losely& they were mushrooms, real
mushrooms, that were s%routin! in the very heart of the town It seeme# to
Mar"oval#o that the !rey an# miserale worl# that surroun#e# him ha# su##enly
e"ome !enerous with hi# #en ri"hes, an# that he "oul# still e/%e"t somethin! from
life e si#es the hourly wa!e %rovi#e# y his "ontra"t, the emer!en"y fun#, family
allowan"es an# the rea# susi#y&
At wor) he was more asent(min#e# than usual& He thou!ht to himself that while he
was there unloa#in! %ar"els an# "rates, in the #ar)ness of the earth silent, slow
mushrooms, )nown only to him, were maturin! their %orous %ul%, asorin!
suterranean *ui"es, rea)in! the "rust of the soil& 0'ne ni!ht of rain woul# e
enou!h,1 he sai# to himself, 0an# they woul# e rea#y to %i")&1 An# he "oul#n2t wait
to tell his wife an# "hil#ren aout his #is"overy&
0+isten to me,1 he sai# #urin! the mea!re mi##ay meal& 0Within the wee) we shall e
eatin! mushrooms3 4rie# mushrooms3 Ta)e it from me31
An# to the smallest "hil#ren, who #i#n2t )now what mushrooms were, he e"stati"ally
#es"rie# the eauty of all the #ifferent )in#s of e#ile fun!i, the #eli"a"y of their
flavour an# how they shoul# e "oo)e#- this #rew his wife into the "onversation,
althou!h u% to then she ha#n2t ta)en his story very seriously&
0Where are these mushrooms51 as)e# the "hil#ren& 0Tell us where they !row1
6
At this .uestion Mar"oval#o2s enthusiasm was reine# in y a sus%i"ious thou!ht& 0If I
tell them the %la"e, they2ll !o an# loo) for them with the usual !an! of )i#s, wor# will
!et roun# an# the mushrooms will en# u% in other %eo%le2s %ots&1 Thus the #is"overy
whi"h at first ha# fille# his heart with universal love now imue# it with the mania of
%ossession, en"lose# it with a *ealous, sus%i"ious fear&
0I2m the only one who )nows where the mushrooms are,1 he tol# his "hil#ren, 0an#
min# you #on2t let on aout them&1
The followin! mornin!, as he a%%roa"he# the tram sto%, he was full of a%%rehension&
He ent #own over the flowere# an# saw with relief that the mushrooms ha# !rown
a little ut not mu"h, they were still almost "om%letely hi##en y the earth&
He was en#in! #own li)e this, when he e"ame aware that there was someone *ust
ehin# him& He strai!htene# u% .ui")ly an# trie# to loo) un"on"erne#& It was a roa#
swee%er who was wat"hin! him, leanin! on his room&
This roa# swee%er, within whose *uris#i"tion the mushrooms were !rowin!, was a
lan)y youth wearin! s%e"ta"les& His name was Ama#i!i an# for a lon! time
Mar"oval#o ha#n2t li)e# him, he #i#n2t )now why himself& 7erha%s he was irritate#
y those !lasses that s"rutini$e# the as%halt of the streets in or#er to eliminate all tra"e
of natural o*e"ts&
It was 8atur#ay- an# Mar"oval#o s%ent his free half(#ay wan#erin! with a "asual air
roun# the vi"inity of the flowere#, )ee%in! an eye from a #istan"e on the roa#
swee%er an# the mushrooms an# re")onin! u% how lon! it woul# ta)e them to !row&
That ni!ht it raine#& 9ust as %easants wa)e u% an# *um% for *oy at the soun# of the first
#ro%s after months of #rou!ht, so Mar"oval#o, alone In the whole town, sat u% in e#
an# "alle# out to his family,
0It2s rainin!, it2s rainin!&1 He sniffe# the smell of wet #ust an# fresh moul# that "ame
in from outsi#e&
At #awn ( it was 8un#ay ( he ran .ui")ly to the flowere# with his "hil#ren an# a
orrowe# as)et& There were the mushrooms, stan#in! ere"t on their stal)s with their
hea#s hel# hi!h aove the still soa)in!(wet soil 0Hurray1 they shoute# an# starte#
%i")in! them as fast as they "oul#&
0Da##y, loo) how many that man has ta)en,1 sai# Mi"helino, an# his father loo)e# u%
an# saw Ama#i!i stan#in! esi#e them, also with a as)et fille# with mushrooms
un#er his arm&
0Ah, you2re %i")in! them too, are you51 sai# the roa# swee%er& 0Then they really are
!oo# to eat5 I2ve %i")e# a few, ut I wasn2t .uite sure &&& There are even i!!er ones
further alon! the street& Ri!ht, now I )now, I2ll !o an# tell my relations who are alon!
there ar!uin! whether to %i") them or leave them&1 An# he hurrie# off with lon!
stri#es&
Mar"oval#o was left s%ee"hless, even i!!er mushrooms, whi"h he ha#n2t )nown
aout, an une/%e"te# harvest that was ein! snat"he# from un#er his nose& He
:
remaine# for a moment almost %etrifie# with an!er, with ra!e, then ( as sometimes
ha%%ens ( the "olla%se of his %rivate amitions was transforme# into a !enerous
im%ulse& 0Hey, you lot, #o you want to fry yourselves some mushrooms this
evenin!51 he shoute# to the %eo%le !athere# at the tram sto%& 0The mushrooms are
!rowin! here in the street3 Come with me3 There are enou!h for everyone31 An# he
went off on Ama#i!i2s heels, followe# y a retinue of %eo%le with umrellas over
their arms, e"ause the weather was still #am% an# un"ertain&
They foun# enou!h mushrooms left for everyone, an# in the asen"e of as)ets they
%ut them in their o%en umrellas& 8omeo#y sai#, 0It woul# e ni"e to have #inner all
to!ether,1 ;ut everyone too) his mushrooms an# went a") to his own home&
;ut they soon met a!ain, that very same evenin! in fa"t, in the same hos%ital war#,
after the stoma"h %um% that ha# save# them all from ein! %oisone#, thou!h not very
seriously, e"ause the .uantity of fun!i eaten y ea"h one was very small&
Mar"oval#o an# Ama#i!i were in a#*oinin! e#s an# s"owle# at one another&

Translate# y Mi"hael ;ullo")

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