ABSTRACT
With sixteen published fictional works since 1975 - among which are short and long novels, short stories, two plays for the theatre and a radio play - Antonio Tabucchi is among the most interesting and versatile fiction writers of the late twentieth century. Highly appreciated by readers, and increasingly studied by critics, his distinctive narrative universe conveys the uneasiness, ambiguities and uncertainties of the present period of transition. In this essay I will discuss the nature of decadence and transition of his fiction as postmodern features. My analysis will focus on the short novel Ilfilo dell'orizzonte,1 and particularly on its abounding signs of decay, death and transition. I shall also consider the central metaphor of perspective, which is integral to the whole novel and which is used to explore the fallibility of the individual's point of view through a postmodern detective device.2
