Summary & Key Takeaways ​

• The article discusses Italo Calvino's 1967 lecture "Cybernetics and Ghosts."
• Calvino pondered if machines could replace poets and authors, conceiving novels and poems.
• He expressed relief at the idea of machines systematizing the "messiness" of writing.
• The author reacts to Calvino's perspective, feeling a need to defend human creativity.
• It explores the historical intersection of technology, literature, and human expression.

Our Commentary ​

Calvino's take here is genuinely surprising. I always thought of him as someone who'd champion the messy, human element of storytelling, not find "relief" in its systematization. It makes me wonder if we're just constantly re-litigating the same arguments about technology and art, just with shinier tools. My hackles definitely go up when I hear about machines removing the "dark magic" from literature.