Tre volumi meravigliosi (alcune fiabe sono state lette e rilette e rilette e rilette all'infinito prima della nanna serale, ricordo in particolare 7 scope e 7 spade)

When you read a book every day for two months, you develop a relationship with the book. That’s what happened with Italian Folktales. I felt like I grew to know Italy through both space and time through the hundreds of stories in this book, stories from every part of Italy, over seven hundred pages of stories. Many had familiar elements; I read stories that reminded me of Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, among others. Most had at least some of the classic characteristics of fairy tales, including royalty, magic, the number three, talking animals, and happily ever after endings. I didn’t want this book to come to an end.

Folklore is probably very similar from culture to culture, but the Italian versions of these stories seem less gory that those we know from childhood. They often end with a little barb directed to the victor of the tale indicating that only a small reward was received for the huge favor given ~ different from the "happily ever after" endings we know so well. Didn't read all of the stories in this book, but enjoyed those I did read.

Italo Calvino (1923-85) was an Italian national treasure, best known for his fiction and rightly so. This book, however, is a departure from his better known offerings; a collection of two hundred Italian folktales. It is a large work, 766 pages, but each story is relatively short and for me it has stayed in easy reach on my nightstand since I bought it over a decade ago. Stories can be chosen at random, each a little gem of insight into the culture of a different region. If you are curious about what makes Italy tick, what better way to start than with the tales that have been passed down from parents and grandparents to children generation after generation.

It is beautifully written, and ably translated to English by George Martin. Meticulous footnotes add fascinating provenance as well as personal revelations about Calvino’s process and interaction with sources. Although I did not find this volume until mid-life, I am sure I would have treasured it as a child and will still find substance in it as a crotchety old man. And in the end, is that not the very definition of a successful folktale?

Calvino es un autor que me gusta. Su ensayo de por qué leer a los clásicos brindó siempre geniales discusiones en mis clases. Corazón Jaguar siempre ocupará un lugar especial en mi corazón de alcachofa. Peeeero descubrir esta joya fue extraordinario.

Leerlo con un vaso de leche y galletitas, disfrutar cada una de las historias, volverse niño no preguntar, no decir eso no me lo creo, no cuestionar. Disfrutar solamente todas estas historias de hadas, príncipes, brujas, dragones y magia tanta. Volverse niño y no preguntar. Creer, creerlo todo. Volverse niño.

●L'ho apenna finito. Affacinante. La lingua de Calvino, la sua scrittura....Sfolgorante! Sto, ancora, hypnotizata
●Έχω την εντύπωση πως κάποιος θα έπρεπε να με χειροκροτήσει. 1300+ σελίδες. Παρά την εκθαμβωτική γλώσσα του Καλβίνο (και παρά το ότι το κρατάω ακόμα στα χέρια μου μαγεμένη) νοιώθω ότι θα κάνω χρόνια να ξανα-αναλάβω τέτοιο τεράστιο task!!!!!

Keep forgetting that folktales are for stupid babies and accidentally reading like 800 pages of them. This is the last time

Admittedly I didn’t finish the entire book, (because 1. each story starts to get more and more similar, like many reviews said LOL, and 2. because I loaned it from the library and wouldn’t have time to finish amidst my hectic school schedule

One of my favorite writers at his ever-best. Cosmicomics rocked my world when I was assigned it in college, and I've read or re-read his work near-yearly ever since.

Humor meets science-iness meets vivid storytelling. Plus this one and Cosmicomics come at you in short bursts, so if you feel a tad overwhelmed by these tales at any point, you can pause and pace yourself and return to Calvino's intellectual funhouse once you've processed and fortified yourself for the ride.

What a treasure this collection is! The perfect bedtime read: all the tales are quite short, 2-3 pgs, yet seem to encompass entire worlds and eras.

If you want to understand how Calvino can say so much so wonderfully in such a short space, pick up his posthumous essay collection, Six Memos for the Next Millennium, and read the essay "Quickness." A delightful meditation on the art of storytelling.

Useful reference material. To be admired for the approach and scholarship. Otherwise bland.

I wish my parents had read this aloud to me when I was little- perhaps one of the best collections of fairy tales I've ever read. Calvino finds a very strong narrative voice while still managing to balance his own typical style and the speaking style of those who told him the stories in the first place.

My favorite is a similar story to little red riding hood except with an ogre...
"Grandmother, what a big neck you have..."
"I've always worn such heavy jeweled necklaces my dear."
"Grandmother, what hairy hips you have..."
"I always wore my corset a bit too tight my dear."