Italian Folktales
by Italo Calvino
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 584)
Read in June, 1998
recommends it for:
Everyone
Most traditional stories were past down from generation to generation in an oral tradition which made for well paced and entertaining stories. Sadly they are often retold in the hands of someone with a pace that is comparable to a three legged horse in a race, and sadly not as entertaining. (I know some of you are thinking I'm awful for that right now and are taking a moment to think the worst of me.) Thankfully, Italo Calvino lent his hand to the collecting and retelling of Italian folktales...more
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Read in February, 2008
This is a fun book to read to kids who like quick tales about the familiar topics, but with a twist and some humor. My little girl who only usually likes picture books often asks me for an Italian story from this book. She likes these ones enough to happily skip illustrations. But I found that the stories can get a little repetitive. So, putting it away for a while after reading only a few at a time helped me enjoy it more.
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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.
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.
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Read in April, 2008
Ah an oldie but a goodie ... pulled this out to read some of the tales to my 3 year old. While she fell asleep during the 1st one, I kept reading. This is a book I've read before (parts), but enjoy again and again.
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one of my most treasured possessions. a must-have for any folk-tale buff. brings together many old favorites and lots of new ones. calvino includes, at the back, brief notes on his often-wizened sources - very nice. best read, like the decameron, in lazy bedtime dips.
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Read in January, 2002
What a great selection of tales! If anybody wants to have something to go to beyond the Brothers Grimm and such this is the place to go. I've read and re-read the stories here a hundred times, and for the most part, most were new to me.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
Nice lyrical writing that comes across reasonably well in English. Italo Calvino's style is obviously influenced by the tales he heard and collected. Not your run of the mill folktales, and plenty of them to last you.
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Read in January, 1982
Can't say I read this cover to cover. However, 'Dauntless Little John' always had little ones I read it to very amused. Now they read Isabel Allende, Thomas Pynchon, Susan Sontag, Fredric Jameson, and others....
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I have made it about half way through the book, many of the tales are similar in nature but Calvino's interpretation of them makes each one a fresh story. Silvernose had me in stitches.
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My mom used to read these stories to me right before bedtime. Very different from the run-of-the-mill happy-ending American fairy tales, which is a good thing. Bittersweet and beautiful.
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Started this for a professional development bookclub and was hesitant, but fell in love with many of the tales. For those of you who teach world lit....it has a lot of possibilities.
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Read in January, 2007
Italo Calvino's transcription of these tales from the diverse communities all over Italy makes for a very large book full of small stories that you can read anytime. It's pretty rad.
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Read in November, 2007
not your average happily-ever-after fairy tails. This anthology has a wonderful blend of scary and sweet. Great book for grabbing when you've only got a few minutes to read.
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Read in January, 1981
I can't claim I've read every story in this book. Italian folktales are quite earthy and this is a great addition to any storyteller's or folklore enthusiast's collection.
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Read in January, 2003
recommended to Rita by:
G$
This is a collection of Italian folktales translated by Italo Calvino. They involve things like balls of gold thread encased in a walnut shell! Woo hoo!
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it love these fairytales. i'm reading them in italian and that is making it even more interesting because i have to stay really really focused.
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Read in December, 1992
I love fairy tales, looooooooooooove fairy tales, and this is one the most well put together, beautifully written collections I've read.
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イタロ・カルビーノの作品。偉大な作家の作品だけあって、質が高い。イタリアの違う一面を見れた
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An amusing collection of fairy tales and folk stories that hasn't a whiff of postmodern style. Suck it, lit majors.
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It's an old favorite... good for finding that perfect short little fairy tale before you go to bed!
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