The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount [Paperback]

Italo Calvino (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harbrace Paperbound Library ; 73 | Publication Date: March 28, 1977

Two novellas: the first, a parody of medieval knighthood told by a nun; the second, a fantasy about a nobleman bisected into his good and evil halves. “Bravura pieces... executed with brilliance and brio”(Chicago Tribune). Translated by Archibald Colquhoun. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Editorial Reviews

Review

Delightful...[The Nonexistent Knight] is a mordantly witty satire on the affairs of modern man...The Cloven Viscount is a dark-hued Gothic gem -- Helena Cantarella -- The New York Times Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; later printing edition (March 28, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156659751
• ISBN-13: 978-0156659758
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy and literature mingle..., August 4, 2003

By 

ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount (Paperback)

Calvino rarely, if ever, disappoints. This book includes two early stories, both of which have everything you would expect from Calvino: surrealism, wisdom, fabulism, and poignancy derived from bizarre and unexpected sources. Reading them is a unique experience, much like reading anything Calvino has written; these stories, being earlier works, are slightly more conventional (for Calvino) in that they follow a plot line and a story unfolds linearly (contrasted with later works such as "Invisible Cities" or "Cosmicomics" where there's a story, but not in a completely conventional sense).

"The Nonexistent Knight" is about just that: a knight in Charlemagne's army who doesn't exist, but "inhabits" an empty suit of armor. The knight, Agilulf, is an exemplar of chivalry, and annoys almost everyone. When the validity of his knighthood is brought into question, a great chase ensues between the main characters of the story, which, when the smoke clears, culminates in a "confession" of the narrator. The story's mood is a strangely profound tongue-in-cheek. It is moving, funny, and intense.

"The Cloven Viscount", by contrast, is a harsh and violent story that includes enough whimsy to keep it from sinking into a hopelessly depressing tale. After the mostly upbeat feel of "The Nonexistent Knight" the brutal imagery of this story is shocking. The story involves a Viscount who is in fact cloven, that is, literally cloven in two by a Turkish cannon. He is not only cloven physically, but in other more interesting ways. The implications this story presents are numerous and incredibly thought-provoking. When the two halves of the Viscount occupy the same town, the feelings of the townsfolk are summed up in this brilliant passage: "...our sensibilities became numbed, since we felt ourselves lost between an evil and a virtue equally inhuman."

This short book is another incredible example of the writing of Italo Calvino. It may not be his absolute best work, but even Calvino at his worst makes for engaging and unforgettable reading. His stories defy description and stretch the boundaries of literature beyond what is usually expected. After reading one of his books, you just want to read more.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful sojourn into the power of human imagination, March 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount (Paperback)

For anyone with a penchant for the rather obscure, the outrageously funny, and the dazzling world of Italo Calvino, this book ranks as one of the author's finest works.

The tales of a suit of armor out to vindicate himself, and a count with literally "split personalities" is colored with heavy doses of wit, and a dab of philosophical discourse. Prose flows effortlessly accross your tongue as you read. And you don't seem to notice the passage of time.

The characters, especially the protagonists, prove to be very endearing. For anyone who hasn't read Calvino, this is as good as any book to start with. It gets the bandwagon rolling.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but not his best work, April 10, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount (Paperback)

As I'd previously read and enjoyed Calvino's The Baron in the Trees, I thought I'd try this collection of two novellas. While I more or less enjoyed the two stories, they're not quite as good as The Baron in the Trees. The first tale is of a knight whose every action is perfect, but has no physical body, he is literally an empty suit of armor. His perfection is an aphrodisiac to a female knight who has contempt for all other men, but finds him irresistible. Meanwhile, a naive young knight follows her around like a puppy. Meanwhile, another young knight seeks out the Order of the Holy Grail, who he claims as having fathered him. There's a kind of Shakespearean comedy element to all of this, especially in the hasty and tidy conclusion. However, one has to read it as a fable instructing us that though we seek spiritual and earthly perfection, they may not turn out to be what we want.

The second tale is of a nobleman cut in half whose two halves live separately on: one evil, one good. This is a more straightforward and compact story, and clearly a warning against extremism of any kinds. The evil side is truly nasty, and the good one starts out beloved, but eventfully gets too pushy and interfering for everyone's good. Eventually the two halves are rejoined to make a balanced personality and everyone lives happily ever after.

Both stories can also be read as existentialist meditations on the meaning of existence. They can also be read with an eye toward the horrors of WWII and the nature of evil. In the first tale, Charlemagne and his knights are bumbling fools for the most part, but still manage to engage in a bloody war. In the second, a carpenter's expertise is enlisted to create more and more elaborate torture and hanging devices, while a doctor abandons his commitment to helping people. In any event, if you like Calvino's other fabulist work, you'll like these two novellas, but they're probably not the place to start if you're unfamiliar with his work.