Written between 1937 and 1945, these stories are Cortazar's first leap into story telling. As a model of self-criticism, he refused to publish almost all of them; fifty years later critics acclaimed them as an impressive sample that anticipated the capacities of this magnificent writer. Whether it is with science fiction, or adapting popular mythological figures, Cortazar manages to make any subject contemporary, with a sober style, and always a revolutionary concept towards the fantastic.