The Distance of the Moon is a collection of short stories, and the title of the first story in the book; a collection coloured with obscurity and beautiful fictitious characters and fragments of place. The Distance of the Moon follows the story of ancient mariners and moon milkers in a time when the moon’s orbit was so close that its surface was reachable by boat and ladder – an account of a fantastical moon harvest, entwined with humour and subtle eros as the voyage unfolds; written as though it were being retold by an old seaman in the small corner of a pub. The short story reaches out and pulls you in, portraying the curious and complex nature of love and attraction, infatuation and loss. How we fall into someone else’s orbit inextricably drawn, waxing and waning, much like the moon to the earth.
I first discovered the writing of Italo Calvino through the book Invisible Cities and was instantly taken by his writing. I am not that widely read, very much a start a book and lose momentum by the middle kind of person, so I found that Calvino’s shorter pieces very much appeased my bite sized appetite. I love the way the author writes, as it varies from piece to piece taking on different tones and the utterly immersive nature of his descriptions and characterisations. The way in which the worlds and landscapes are imagined around you. At the time of reading The Distance of the Moon and Without Colour, I found myself in a particularly strange space, my artwork beginning to explore the idea of distance and a sense of solitary observation – through Calvino’s literature I found grounding and inspiration, as well as a resonance with my helplessly romantic and self-destructive mind. Above all, I enjoyed the book for its well written nature and feast of visual imagery.
