Italo Calvino uzun aralıklarla okuyunca daha çok keyif aldığım bir yazar. Atalarımız’ı tam da bu yüzden çok doğru bir zamanda okuduğumu düşünüyorum. İkisi kısa biri normal üç romandan oluşan Atalarımız, zengin bir hayal gücüyle türlü var olma hallerini irdeliyor. Varlık-hiçlik, iyilik-kötülük, birey-toplum vs. gibi tezatlar üzerinden ilerleyen romanların üçünde de din ve savaş karşıtlığı göze çarpıyor. Kara mizahın dozu tüm romanlarda hayranlık uyandırıcı. Bir yanıyla bu kadar “hafif” olan metinlerin diğer yanıyla bu kadar felsefi şey barındırmasına da diyecek söz yok. Üçlü arasından Ağaca Tüneyen Baron’u özellikle çok sevdim, tam bir usta işi.

If these are our ancestors then we do indeed have a troubled and difficult inheritance, although it could be that the collection title is the gift of the publisher. This collection of three Calvino stories features partial people, an empty suit of armour, a half man, chopped in half by a war would and a baron who doesn't have his feet on the ground.

Apparently then we are in the world of fables, are they critical views of our heroic past? Or simply games toying with notions? The great heroism of Charlemagne and his paladins is empty - not exactly a surprise after The Song of Roland, when one might well suspect that the heroes are some kind of mechanical mincers released on to the battlefield. And are we being brought to perceive of the Rococo and Enlightenment as periods when people had their heads in the clouds and couldn't keep their feet on the ground? A set of charming cultural jokes then, which is perhaps not so far in attitude from If on a winter's night a traveller.

On the whole these were my least favourite Calvino stories, which means I still recommend them highly to the curious reader.

¿Que puedo decir del Vizconde Demediado? Un fiel ejemplo de la naturaleza humana, en esencia y en consecuencia, vista desde los ojos de muchos protagonistas de la novela. Desde los más menesterosos a los más desinteresados, resaltan lo relativo de hacer el bien y el mal. Incluso el bien, hecho realidad instantáneamente y mezlado con moralidad, molesta a muchos. Todo me lo aplico a mi mismo y la verdad es que intentando hacer equilibrios para hacer el bien, dañé a muchas personas muy queridas. Muchas de mis venas acaban en tapones, sesgado como estoy por aquellos momentos.

"Se infelice è l'innamorato che invoca baci di cui non sa il sapore, mille volte più infelice è chi questo sapore gustò appena e poi gli fu negato."

Sempre meraviglioso.

The stars should be four and half.

I now realise that I can not get enough of Italo Calvino. He entertains and amazes me all the time. In fact I began his "Invisible Cities" first and then read his "If On a Winter's Night a Traveller." Both of them are his later writings and they are very post-modern. I loved both of them and then when I picked this up (One of his earlier works) I was prepared myself to face the intellectual challenge. But then I found myself in the fairy world. This book contains three fairy tales/folk tales/moral tales (or may be folk novellas). That was a pleasant surprise.

About the three novellas:
"The Cloven Viscount" speaks of a man halved into two and both his parts roam around in the village one doing good and the other doing bad.

"Baron in the Trees" speaks of "a man born on the earth but lived on the trees and disappeared in the sky." It speaks of a man who chose to live his entire life on the trees. Because according to him the view from the trees helped him to see the earth better.

"Non Existent Knight" speaks of an empty armour serving the army of the king Charlemagne.

The narrations seem very simple. But the actual reading gives the attentive and a literary reader plenty to ponder over. In a simple fairy tale the history of Italy and Europe with emphasis on French revolution and the Muslim occupation of Spain, the philosophical opinions (Communism and feudalism) and psychological insights and many other reflections on human nature and history are all splattered. They do not interrupt the progress of the story. In fact, they are part of the story and a knowledge of it would lend the reader a different reading. If a reader is happy enough only to pass the time by reading a book, these would serve as simple fairy tales.

Calvino was truly a story teller. He knew how to entertain everyone.

Rilettura dopo almeno ventitre anni dalla prima. Che dire? Tre romanzi come nessuno mai. Grazie Calvino, sai commuovere e insegnare a tutte le età, con la tua scrittura semplice, evicativa e mai presuntuosa.

Calvino is probably my favourite writer. His books are as varied and beautiful as it is possible to be. For a long time I tried to learn Italian in part so as to be able to read him in the original language. These are a fascinating series of stories, almost stories for young adults, but also allegories on a world divided into East and West.

My favourite of these stories is Baron in the Trees. The tale of a young man who fights with his family, storms out of the house in a fit of fury and climbs a tree saying he will never come down - and never does.

Unlike many of Calvino's other books this is straight narrative and wonderful story telling by a master story teller. Not a bad place to start a journey into Calvino.

És una novel.la curta que forma part de la trilogia Els nostres avantpassats (juntament amb El baró rampant i El cavaller inexistent). Té forma de conte però conté una potent càrrega ideològica la qual, això sí, pot prendre moltes interpretacions diferents. Compte que es presta a cometre anacronismes (és de l'any 1952), cosa que tampoc és dolent si es fa de manera conscient. O no...

Buenardo, no estic del tot segur de què penso de l'ordre però els tres són molt bons. Força primaveral i tal

2,5/5

Anche se ho trovato le storie interessanti e curiose, con dei colpi di scena e intrecci ben costruiti, non posso negare che ho trovato la scrittura brutta e tutti e 3 i racconti mi hanno annoiata a morte.
Da quello che ho potuto constatare Calvino “Dice e non mostra” (l’opposto di show don’t tell) rendendo i racconti di difficile digestione. Più e più volte mi son ritrovata a rileggere lo stesso paragrafo perché la mente andava altrove, mi è stato quasi impossibile immedesimarmi nelle storie.
Il visconte dimezzato è stato il mio preferito dei 3 racconti, il barone rampante poteva durare 50 pagine meno e il personaggio di Viola a mio avviso faceva buchi da tutte le parti, è descritta al limite della pazzia, mentre il cavaliere inesistente secondo me è il racconto peggiore.
Non ne consiglierei la lettura, se non forse de singolo racconto del Visconte Dimezzato.

С Калвино не можем да се разберем и това си е. Тази книга изглежда идеалната , смес между рицарски романи с почти автентичност, и фентъзийни приказности с ироничен привкус. И като добавим неоспоримото майсторство на Калвино да създава увличащи с привидната си простота текстове – какво по-хубаво. Но просто не е моята бира, и това си е. Имаме две части на разполовен виконт, всяка от която я дърпа към крайностите на черното и бялото; един млад барон, решил в пристъп на тийнейджърско бунтарство да се засели на дърветата, откъдето всъщност добива доста по-добри управленски качества, отколкото ходещите по пръстта благородници, и един несъществуващ принц, който е доста по-доблестен пример от много други пълни с плът ходещи доспехи, макар че последните не винаги са точно идеалните еманации на смелостта.

Увлекателно написани размисли за войната, природата и човешките емоции през вековете, хуманизма, живота и детския поглед върху реалността – все неща, които биха се харесали на милиони. Освен на мен. Поради някаква причина светогледът ми изключва Калвино като интересен, и това си е. Но това си е личен проблем. За нормалните четци Итало е бог на хартия, и приемам да бъде почитан , както стотици други класици , които така и не разбирам . Пробвайте, вероятно да съжалите ще е почти никаква, да се отегчите – малка, а да се влюбите – значителна. Премерен риск, признайте.

kocham italo calvino, przyjmę wszystko