The novum in Istorii insolite by Ovid S. Crohmălniceanu

Ovid S. Crohmălniceanu is well known for his critical approach in a unique, rigorous and sometimes controversial style. Therefore, readers are surprised to discover his science fiction short story collection titled Istorii insolite in 1980. It is first necessary to take an overview of the general context around Romanian speculative fiction in order to establish the contribution of this book to defining the features of the genre. Another key point for this study is defining the elements that give value to this volume: the literary vision, the author's "unusual" approach, the writing style or the rich intertextuality. Subsequently, we need to discover the "novum" in Ovid S. Crohmălniceanu’s short stories, which can be defined by the main themes, the motifs and symbols, the plot structure, the fine irony and especially the very thin line between everyday reality and the fantasy of a world which is "different" or even "upside down".