Series
Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Amsterdam L.J. Veen Klassiek © 2023
User reviews
LibraryThing member P_S_Patrick
This book contains 3 stories: The Cloven Viscount, The Baron In The Trees, and The Non-Existent Knight.
I've only read the first one so far, which was fairly short, being around 70 pages. It wasn't a bad story, but I felt slightly let down. I was perhaps expecting more, based on previous experiences
I've only read the first one so far, which was fairly short, being around 70 pages. It wasn't a bad story, but I felt slightly let down. I was perhaps expecting more, based on previous experiences
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of Calvino, but the story was not bad, having said that. The Cloven Viscount is an amusing, surreal, and dark story, if brief, and ultimately predictable. The majority of the book is taken by The Baron In The Trees, so there seems to be plenty of potential for this collection of stories to redeem itself. Show Less
LibraryThing member xuebi
Our Ancestors contains three short stories by Calvino: The Cloven Viscount, Baron in the Trees, and The Non-Existent Knight.
The Cloven Viscount deals with a viscount split in two on the field of battle and whose two separate halves continue living: one who is good, the other bad.
The Baron in the
The Non-Existent Knight deals with a brave knight who embodies all the chivalric virtues yet is only an empty suit of armour. The main themes are identity, integration with society, and virtue.
All three are allegorical but not too heavy-handed; they are part of Calvino's classic works and together help illustrate why Calvino remains one of the best modern Italian writers.
The Cloven Viscount deals with a viscount split in two on the field of battle and whose two separate halves continue living: one who is good, the other bad.
The Baron in the
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Trees deals with a young boy who renounces earthly existence in favour of an arboreal one, and how he comes to terms with his independence. One of the more overtly philosophical works in the collection.The Non-Existent Knight deals with a brave knight who embodies all the chivalric virtues yet is only an empty suit of armour. The main themes are identity, integration with society, and virtue.
All three are allegorical but not too heavy-handed; they are part of Calvino's classic works and together help illustrate why Calvino remains one of the best modern Italian writers.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
Italian
Original publication date
1960
ISBN
9789020416053