ITALIAN FOLKTALES - Softcover

Italo Calvino

Softcover

ISBN 10: 039474909X ISBN 13: 9780394749099

Publisher: Pantheon Books, 1981

Synopsis

Who but Italo Calvino could have selected two hundred of Italy's traditional folktales and retold them so wondrously? The reader is lured into a world of clearly Italian stamp, where kings and peasants, saints and ogres - along with an array of the most extraordinary plants and animals - disport themselves against the rich background of regional customs and history. Whether the tone is humorous and earthy, playful and nonsensical, or noble and mysterious, the drama unfolds strictly according to the joyous logic of the imagination.

Chosen one of the "New York Times's" ten best books in the year of its original publication, "Italian Folktales" immediately won a cherished place among lovers of the tale and vaulted Calvino into the ranks of the great folklorists like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In this collection Calvino combines a sensibility attuned to the fantastical with a singular writerly ability to capture the visions and dreams of a people.

About this title

About the Author:

ITALO CALVINO (1923 1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century's greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are "Invisible Cities", "If on a winter's night a traveler", "The Baron in the Trees", and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.

Synopsis:

Retells two hundred tales, including the stories of a fearless little man, a prince who married a frog, a woman who lived on wind, and others.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Publication date: 1981
• ISBN 10: 039474909X
• ISBN 13: 9780394749099
• Binding: Paperback