I read the novella in 1963, aqnd recall the fact that te knight is when revealed, a vacant suit of armour. his name is Agiluf, and he meets several challenges for his chosen lady. ( )

*Only read The Nonexistent Knight ( )

I have always enjoyed reading Italo Svevo's fiction. This book includes two short novels which are actually fables modeled on Medieval romances and legends. They are humorous and yet pointed, grounded in the real world and yet fantastic, humorous and moral at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these two tales. ( )

Represents 'The Non-Existent Knight' which was read as part of this omnibus. 'The Cloven Viscount' has a separate entry. ( )

I had tried to read another book by Calvino before, and could not get through the first ten pages. This time I was determined; I heard these two tales were his best, etc. Well, I struggled through them and made it, but I am not sure if I will ever read Calvino again. The writing did seem clunky, and I also wondered if this is due to translation, early career, or just simply a stylistic choice on Calvino's part. When the language is not there, it is hard to find the motivation to continue for me, at least in fiction. One good thing I can say, though, is that there are some gems here and there; some sentences are delightful in their concise wisdom.

The first tale is certainly the more humorous of the two. I kept thinking if only the Monty Python would adapt it to the screen, it would be hilarious. (Oh, wait, The Holy Grail!) The second tale seemed more moralistic. But with both, it is not clear what Calvino is trying to do, trying to say, and where the story is going at any given point. In the end, you get somewhere, but it is either too predictable - and after such an unpredictable ride, it is strange that the end be so trite - or too eh, whatever.

In the end, the stories suffered from exactly the same ailment that haunts some films of Terry Gilliam. Like the Adventures of Baron Munchausen or The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, where the fantastical images and ideas float about, bumping into each other, not quite making much sense, and dragging on for a while before they puff out in exhaustion, the Nonesixtent Knight, but especially the Cloven Viscount puff out and away, out of memory. ( )