Italo Calvino was an Italian author and journalist best known for his Cosmicomics collection of short stories. He was born in Cuba in 1923 and moved to Italy at the age of six. Calvino wrote novels, short stories, essays, and poetry, and is considered one of the most important Italian writers of the 20th century. His Cosmicomics stories explore the relationship between science and literature, and feature characters based on scientific concepts. Calvino's works have been translated into many languages and have won numerous awards.