Compiled by Buzzati himself in 1958, the Sixty Stories constitute the authentic summa of his poetic world. In them he covers the entire range of his motives: the surreal vision of life, the horror of the city, existential automatisms and metaphysical suggestion, in a set of diverse narratives that always manage to surprise the reader. The story, a contained and demanding genre by definition, lends itself wonderfully to the narrative skill of Buzzati, undisputed master of the brief form, capable of translating apparently banal or obvious situations into play, tragedy or mystery, while playing with the fabulous and the imaginary to create unique and timeless narratives. Italo Calvino considered him "one of our most solid authors who have best withstood the passing of the years."