a book
The Baron in the Trees
Italo Calvino · 2019 · 320 pages
Review ''A truly delicious fantasy...Deserves to be read for its brio, for its charm, for the sheer fun of reading it.'' --New York Herald Tribune Product Description A landmark new translation of a Calvino classic, a whimsical, spirited novel that imagines a life lived entirely on its own terms.Cosimo di Rondó, a young Italian nobleman of the eighteenth century, rebels against his parents by climbing into the trees and remaining there for the rest of his life. He adapts efficiently to an existence in the forest canopy -- he hunts, sows crops, plays games with earth-bound friends, fights forest fires, solves engineering problems, and even manages to have love affairs. From his perch in the trees, Cosimo sees the Age of Enlightenment pass by and a new century dawn.The Baron in the Trees exemplifies Calvino's peerless ability to weave tales that sparkle with enchantment. This new English rendering by acclaimed translator Ann Goldstein breathes new life into one of Calvino's most beloved works. About the Author Italo Calvino (1923-1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth centurys greatest storytellers. He was awarded the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1982. He was born in Cuba and grew up in San Remo, Italy. He began his writing career as an essayist and a journalist but is best known for his fiction, including Invisible Cities, If On a Winters Night a Traveler, Marcovaldo, and Mr. Palomar, among others.
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Michael Ondaatje
“A young boy not wanting to eat a meal his sister has made climbs a tree to avoid it. The father says that whenever the boy comes down, he will have to eat it. He never does and spends the rest of his life in the trees. Beginning with this seeming fantasy, the story in fact becomes utterly believable and convincing, for it is a moment in history when he can travel from tree to tree for miles, even into other countries. Throughout his long life he will have affairs, be involved with politics of the era, meet great thinkers. And in fact keeps his promise and never comes down for the rest of his life. A joyous novel, full of life, and magnificent.”↗
