Italo Calvino and the Fantastical Knights

The book focuses on those of Italo Calvino’s fictional works that are dominated by positive, heroic characters, role models for the modern man striving to rediscover an active role in History. It is through the figure of the knight, an idealistic seeker, that the author exalts the virtues of mobility, swiftness and action.

In order to bring the chivalric myth into the present, Calvino adopts one of the distinctive techniques of late 20th century fiction, the reworking of traditional stories. This leads him to delve not only into Italian classics (notably Ariosto) but also into international literature (from Don Quixote to French avant-garde works such as  Les Fleurs Bleues). The result is a rich blend of fantasy and the chivalric.

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