Italian Folktales

In the middle of the last century, celebrated Italian novelist Italo Calvino set about to accomplish a remarkable task: he would scour the entire country to gather all of the folk stories usually conveyed in the oral tradition and transcribe them into a printed volume that would rival the great anthologies by other folklorists, such as Aesop or the Brothers Grimm. That effort soon became more challenging than imagined as many of the folktales he encountered had myriad regional variations that differed from one another in significant ways. Consequently, a big part of Calvino’s job was spent assimilating diverse renditions of the same tale into a unified version and then putting that amalgam down on paper, an effort that required show more frequent embellishments from his own imagination. The result of his work is Italian Folktales, a collection of 200 quintessential stories intended to capture the very essence of the Italian character and culture.

This book represents an impressive job of scholarship. In addition to gathering and adapting the stories themselves, Calvino provides an extensive appendix in which he gives a historical background and context for each tale. (Incidentally, the author originally produced all of this in Italian; the volume was translated into English by someone else a few decades later.) I found these explanations to be quite useful and occasionally illuminating as I made my way through the collection. On the other hand, I thought that the stories themselves were underwhelming and, far too often, not particularly interesting. In fact, there was a real sameness to the tales that made it seem like far fewer than 200 unique tales were being told. Also, none of these tales was especially memorable in the way that the classic fables from other sources are (e.g., ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’). So, I have to offer Italian Folktales a mixed recommendation, with considerable kudos for the author’s research but low marks for the unengaging nature of the source material. show less

Awesome book. I ordered through Abe books and received a paperback first edition from 1988 with a gorgeous picture of pink flowers stuck between its pages--probably a book mark for its previous owner. As if that gem wasn't magical enough, the stories never disappoint. Many follow the fairy tale formulas and some are even very similar, but that does not detract from the wondrous nature of these tales.

I can not wait to read some other works by Mr. Calvino. For now, though, his Italian Folktale collection offers me a new nugget of gold every time I pick it up. I can not wait to have kids and share these yarns with them.

This collection of Italian folktales, collected and rewritten by Italo Calvino, is a cornucopia of tiny tales. The 200 stories (twice the number in that other great collection of Italian tales - the Decameron) of this 700 page book sparkle with wit and provide insight into the minds of the poorer classes of medieval and premodern society.

The tales are, according to the introduction, from previous collections made by folklorists, mostly during the 19th century, when people still made a hobby out of collecting such things. The stories come from all around Italy and each has, at its conclusion, the name of the region from which it was drawn. I am under the impression that Italo Calvino rewrote them from their original dialects into show more standardized Italian. He also added his own special touch, distilling, trimming and rewriting them as only a master could. The English translation by George Martin is taut and clean and makes the read all the more enjoyable.

The book includes an introduction by the author, somewhat scholarly in nature. It also has a note for each story discussing technical issues and origins. It could be used as a scholarly reference for folklore studies but it is a delight to read just for pure pleasure. If you are looking for a book of fairytales for your children this collection is probably on par with the Grimm Brothers or the Red Fairy Tale Book. It was written, however, considerably later, in 1956. The book shares with these collections (their unexpurgated versions at least) a certain earthiness, an occasional tendency towards brutality and a distinct lack of political correctness. If you are offended by golden donkey dung, witches defenestrated, tarred and burned at the stake, or princesses killed by their husbands later resurrected and remarried to their repentant murderers, you might want to avoid this book. At the very least you might want to pick and choose which tales you read to your children. Not that the tales dwell on these things in detail but you will encounter them. You will also encounter the three little pigs (as geese), little Red Riding Hood as herself, a Snow White who falls in with thieves, a Sleeping Beauty awakened not by a prince but by her newborn child, and Aladdin, Ali Baba and Ulysses dressed up as merchants, peasants and monks. One can also hear vague echoes of celtic mythology, prehistoric magical rites and even a plot I find reminiscent of Gogol.

Two hundred stories is quite a few and while there are occasional variations on a theme, on the whole they remain remarkably fresh. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new plot twist comes along to enchant and amuse. show less

This is a masterful collection of Italian Folktales, where the reader is lured into a world of flux, of metamorphoses, where kings and peasants, tricksters and saints, and a whole zoology* of extraordinary animals, plants and fish wend their way through the landscape and history of the Italian nation.

Italian Folktales (Fiabe Italiane) is a collection of 200 folktales, collated from various regions around Italy, and from the works of a whole army of collectors, folklorists, ethnologists etc., making use of an extensive collection of work compiled over the centuries. Italo Calvino started this undertaking in 1954 (published 1956), with the intention of emulating The Brothers Grimm, and producing a collection of tales that would be popular show more amongst the general reading public. Within these pages we follow a nations collective psyche, yield to the joyous imagination and complexity of the human experience.

In his introduction, Italo Calvino, one of his nations most celebrated writers, describes how he himself became bewitched & bedazzled by his encounter with his nations vast library of folklore. He goes on to say how he reached the two main objectives – The presentation of every type of folktale, and to represent all of the regions of Italy.

“These folk stories are the catalogue of the potential destinies of the men and women,especially for that stage in life when destiny is formed, i,e, youth, beginning with birth, which itself often foreshadows the future, then the departure from home, and finally through the trials of growing up, the attainment of maturity and proof of one’s humanity. This sketch although summary, encompasses everything: the arbitrary divisions of humans, albeit in essence equal, into Kings and poor people, the persecution of the innocent and their subsequent vindication, which are the terms inherent in every life, love unrecognised when first encountered and then no sooner experienced than lost; the common fate of subjection to spells, or having one’s existence predetermined by complex and unknown forces. This complexity pervades one’s entire existence and forces one to struggle to free oneself, to determine one’s own fate; at the same time we can liberate ourselves only if we liberate other people, for this is a sine qua non* of one’s own liberation. There must be fidelity to a goal and purity of heart, values fundamental to salvation and triumph. There must also be beauty, a sign of grace that can be masked by the humble, ugly guise of a frog; and above all, there must present the infinite possibilities of mutation, the unifying element in everything: Men, Beasts, Plants, Things”.

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/italo-calvino.html show less

These fairy tales were very enjoyable. Not too surprisingly, there was some repetition - different regions of Italy having various versions of basically the same story - but that didn't bother me. It was interesting to see a few tales that were clearly variations of Homer!

Fairy tales and folktales have a charm that is not limited to one singular culture. With Italian Folktales, Italo Calvino brings us a series of stories with a decidedly Italian flavor, 200 of them in fact. A lot of the folktales are familiar to me or have stories that transcend cultural barriers. For example, one of the stories is called Silver Nose. It is remarkably similar to the story of Bluebeard. Another familiar story is the one called The Land Where One Never Dies. It is similar to the Japanese tale of Urashima Taro, the one about a fisherman that goes to the Undersea Palace of the Sea King and passes 300 years in a heartbeat.

So in this world of fairy tales, we find giants, witches, Kings, Princes, Princesses, Queens, evil show more stepmothers, fairies, and more. We find people that go through a quick arc, villagers and peasants that have to accomplish remarkable tasks, and other such amazing things. Each tale has a postscript telling you, the reader, where this particular story came from. Calvino went to great lengths to gather these stories for your entertainment and it never lets you down. Since they are fairy tales it really depends on the idea behind the story concerning the endings. Sometimes it ends happily, and other times it ends with the main character meeting death.

The book is really enjoyable. None of the stories feel totally new to me, but this is not a bad thing. show less

I love this book.

So does my beloved firstborn.

As such, I no longer have custody of the book.

It moved to Berkeley with my beloved firstborn, John-Paul, his girlfriend, Blair, John-Paul's best friend, Kenny, the only cat I ever loved, Mr. Bigglesworth, and Mr. Bigglesworth's sidekick, Rick James.

So, the book has a life of its own.

I think, however, that the borrowing of my copy of the book, helps to demonstrate the book's intrinsic value and worthiness.