Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Harcourt (1990), Hardcover, 800 pages
Description
Chosen as one of the New York Times's ten best books in the year of its original publication, this collection immediately won a cherished place among lovers of the tale and vaulted Calvino into the ranks of the great folklorists.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Neutiquam_Erro
This collection of Italian folktales, collected and rewritten by Italo Calvino, is a cornucopia of tiny tales. The 200 stories (twice the number in that other great collection of Italian tales - the Decameron) of this 700 page book sparkle with wit and provide insight into the minds of the poorer
The tales are, according to the introduction, from previous collections made by folklorists, mostly during the 19th century, when people still made a hobby out of collecting such things. The stories come from all around Italy and each has, at its conclusion, the name of the region from which it was drawn. I am under the impression that Italo Calvino rewrote them from their original dialects into standardized Italian. He also added his own special touch, distilling, trimming and rewriting them as only a master could. The English translation by George Martin is taut and clean and makes the read all the more enjoyable.
The book includes an introduction by the author, somewhat scholarly in nature. It also has a note for each story discussing technical issues and origins. It could be used as a scholarly reference for folklore studies but it is a delight to read just for pure pleasure. If you are looking for a book of fairytales for your children this collection is probably on par with the Grimm Brothers or the Red Fairy Tale Book. It was written, however, considerably later, in 1956. The book shares with these collections (their unexpurgated versions at least) a certain earthiness, an occasional tendency towards brutality and a distinct lack of political correctness. If you are offended by golden donkey dung, witches defenestrated, tarred and burned at the stake, or princesses killed by their husbands later resurrected and remarried to their repentant murderers, you might want to avoid this book. At the very least you might want to pick and choose which tales you read to your children. Not that the tales dwell on these things in detail but you will encounter them. You will also encounter the three little pigs (as geese), little Red Riding Hood as herself, a Snow White who falls in with thieves, a Sleeping Beauty awakened not by a prince but by her newborn child, and Aladdin, Ali Baba and Ulysses dressed up as merchants, peasants and monks. One can also hear vague echoes of celtic mythology, prehistoric magical rites and even a plot I find reminiscent of Gogol.
Two hundred stories is quite a few and while there are occasional variations on a theme, on the whole they remain remarkably fresh. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new plot twist comes along to enchant and amuse.
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classes of medieval and premodern society.The tales are, according to the introduction, from previous collections made by folklorists, mostly during the 19th century, when people still made a hobby out of collecting such things. The stories come from all around Italy and each has, at its conclusion, the name of the region from which it was drawn. I am under the impression that Italo Calvino rewrote them from their original dialects into standardized Italian. He also added his own special touch, distilling, trimming and rewriting them as only a master could. The English translation by George Martin is taut and clean and makes the read all the more enjoyable.
The book includes an introduction by the author, somewhat scholarly in nature. It also has a note for each story discussing technical issues and origins. It could be used as a scholarly reference for folklore studies but it is a delight to read just for pure pleasure. If you are looking for a book of fairytales for your children this collection is probably on par with the Grimm Brothers or the Red Fairy Tale Book. It was written, however, considerably later, in 1956. The book shares with these collections (their unexpurgated versions at least) a certain earthiness, an occasional tendency towards brutality and a distinct lack of political correctness. If you are offended by golden donkey dung, witches defenestrated, tarred and burned at the stake, or princesses killed by their husbands later resurrected and remarried to their repentant murderers, you might want to avoid this book. At the very least you might want to pick and choose which tales you read to your children. Not that the tales dwell on these things in detail but you will encounter them. You will also encounter the three little pigs (as geese), little Red Riding Hood as herself, a Snow White who falls in with thieves, a Sleeping Beauty awakened not by a prince but by her newborn child, and Aladdin, Ali Baba and Ulysses dressed up as merchants, peasants and monks. One can also hear vague echoes of celtic mythology, prehistoric magical rites and even a plot I find reminiscent of Gogol.
Two hundred stories is quite a few and while there are occasional variations on a theme, on the whole they remain remarkably fresh. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new plot twist comes along to enchant and amuse.
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LibraryThing member JosephJ
Awesome book. I ordered through Abe books and received a paperback first edition from 1988 with a gorgeous picture of pink flowers stuck between its pages--probably a book mark for its previous owner. As if that gem wasn't magical enough, the stories never disappoint. Many follow the fairy tale
I can not wait to read some other works by Mr. Calvino. For now, though, his Italian Folktale collection offers me a new nugget of gold every time I pick it up. I can not wait to have kids and share these yarns with them.
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formulas and some are even very similar, but that does not detract from the wondrous nature of these tales.I can not wait to read some other works by Mr. Calvino. For now, though, his Italian Folktale collection offers me a new nugget of gold every time I pick it up. I can not wait to have kids and share these yarns with them.
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LibraryThing member ljstahlhut
I love this book.
So does my beloved firstborn.
As such, I no longer have custody of the book.
It moved to Berkeley with my beloved firstborn, John-Paul, his girlfriend, Blair, John-Paul's best friend, Kenny, the only cat I ever loved, Mr. Bigglesworth, and Mr. Bigglesworth's sidekick, Rick
So, the book has a life of its own.
I think, however, that the borrowing of my copy of the book, helps to demonstrate the book's intrinsic value and worthiness.
So does my beloved firstborn.
As such, I no longer have custody of the book.
It moved to Berkeley with my beloved firstborn, John-Paul, his girlfriend, Blair, John-Paul's best friend, Kenny, the only cat I ever loved, Mr. Bigglesworth, and Mr. Bigglesworth's sidekick, Rick
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James.So, the book has a life of its own.
I think, however, that the borrowing of my copy of the book, helps to demonstrate the book's intrinsic value and worthiness.
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LibraryThing member Czrbr
Book Description: Published by Pantheon Books , New York , 1980. , 763 pages with 32 introductory pages Reprint , spine not creased, book in very good condition Octavo (over 7-10 inches tall) Paperback ISBN: 039474909X.
First paper back edition. First printing
First paper back edition. First printing
LibraryThing member weeksj10
Wow!! It's a must have if you like folktales even in the least. It's the perfect book. Read a story every night, read one story over and over again, leave it on your table to pick up whenever you feel like a fresh story, it doesn't matter. Its wonderful whatever you do with it.
LibraryThing member Calabrom2
This was a book my grandfather had and would read to me when I was younger. All of the folktales in this book are great but I especially enjoyed "The Three Castles."
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Does just what it says on the tin: a collection of folktales from Italy. Fun, if you like that sort of thing (and I do).
LibraryThing member allyofthedawn
While I understand that there are many different versions of various folktales out there, it would have been nice to know in advance that I would be reading basically the same 10 tales over and over again, with slight variations.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
These fairy tales were very enjoyable. Not too surprisingly, there was some repetition - different regions of Italy having various versions of basically the same story - but that didn't bother me. It was interesting to see a few tales that were clearly variations of Homer!
LibraryThing member browner56
In the middle of the last century, celebrated Italian novelist Italo Calvino set about to accomplish a remarkable task: he would scour the entire country to gather all of the folk stories usually conveyed in the oral tradition and transcribe them into a printed volume that would rival the great
This book represents an impressive job of scholarship. In addition to gathering and adapting the stories themselves, Calvino provides an extensive appendix in which he gives a historical background and context for each tale. (Incidentally, the author originally produced all of this in Italian; the volume was translated into English by someone else a few decades later.) I found these explanations to be quite useful and occasionally illuminating as I made my way through the collection. On the other hand, I thought that the stories themselves were underwhelming and, far too often, not particularly interesting. In fact, there was a real sameness to the tales that made it seem like far fewer than 200 unique tales were being told. Also, none of these tales was especially memorable in the way that the classic fables from other sources are (e.g., ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’). So, I have to offer Italian Folktales a mixed recommendation, with considerable kudos for the author’s research but low marks for the unengaging nature of the source material.
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anthologies by other folklorists, such as Aesop or the Brothers Grimm. That effort soon became more challenging than imagined as many of the folktales he encountered had myriad regional variations that differed from one another in significant ways. Consequently, a big part of Calvino’s job was spent assimilating diverse renditions of the same tale into a unified version and then putting that amalgam down on paper, an effort that required frequent embellishments from his own imagination. The result of his work is Italian Folktales, a collection of 200 quintessential stories intended to capture the very essence of the Italian character and culture.This book represents an impressive job of scholarship. In addition to gathering and adapting the stories themselves, Calvino provides an extensive appendix in which he gives a historical background and context for each tale. (Incidentally, the author originally produced all of this in Italian; the volume was translated into English by someone else a few decades later.) I found these explanations to be quite useful and occasionally illuminating as I made my way through the collection. On the other hand, I thought that the stories themselves were underwhelming and, far too often, not particularly interesting. In fact, there was a real sameness to the tales that made it seem like far fewer than 200 unique tales were being told. Also, none of these tales was especially memorable in the way that the classic fables from other sources are (e.g., ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’). So, I have to offer Italian Folktales a mixed recommendation, with considerable kudos for the author’s research but low marks for the unengaging nature of the source material.
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Awards
Language
Original publication date
1956
Physical description
800 p.; 9.3 inches
ISBN
0151457700 / 9780151457700
Local notes
200 lively Italian folktales.
2nd-hand US hb.
2nd-hand US hb.
Other editions
Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino (Hardcover)