Marcovaldo

First edition (publ. Giulio Einaudi)

Marcovaldo is a collection of 20 short stories written by Italo Calvino. It was initially published, in 1963, as Marcovaldo ovvero Le stagioni in città (Marcovaldo, or The Seasons in the City),[1] but the first stories were written in the early 1950s.

Description

The 20 stories have been structured so as to represent the yearly seasonal cycle five times.

Plot summary

The Marcovaldo series depicts the life of a poor rural man with his family living in a big industrial city in northern Italy. The central character of Marcovaldo has an affinity with nature and a distaste for city life. In each story Marcovaldo succumbs to something that appears natural and beautiful but actually disappoints him. Common themes in the stories include pollution, appearance vs. reality, failure, poverty and consumerism.

References

  1. ↑ Calvino, Italo (1983). Marcovaldo. Mariner Books. ISBN 9780156572040.

External links