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'An insight into the making of a European' Observer 'The crucial novel of Calvino's early years' Mail on Sunday
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Pin is a bawdy, adolescent cobbler's assistant, both arrogant and insecure who - while the Second World War rages - sings songs and tells jokes to endear himself to the grown-ups of his town - particularly jokes about his sister, who they all know as the town's 'mattress'. Among those his sister sleeps with is a German sailor, and Pin dares to steal his pistol, hiding it among the spiders' nests in an act of rebellion that entangles him in the adults' war.
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Format:Paperback
The Path to the Spiders' Nests is a novel set in North Western Italy during the Second World War. It centres on the main character, and narrator, Pin, a young boy whom, through his experiences, transcends from childhood into adolescence. It was Calvino's first novel, and he realised the importance of writing that first novel. He claims, writing in the preface: "Before you write your first book, you posses that freedom to begin writing that can be used only once in your life. The first book already defines you while you are fact still far from being defined." This is true of any novelist, of course. Calvino, though, does let the character wander aimlessly meeting different people with no real function.
The Spider's nests, or so he believes, is where he stores a gun that he stole from a German soldier in an attempt to be accepted by the older people. Pin is a tragic character; he has no parents and lives only with his prostitute sister, whom later turns into a German aide. To understand the book, I feel, you have to understand Italy's role during the Second World War, and the economic state of the country, whilst occupied by Germans. Calvino, also, writes candidly about the role of Italian Neo-realism, brought about after the fall of Mussolini - and that theme of the poor and Working Class people of Italy is certainly evident within this novel.
This is a sad but funny book which I'm sure most people will enjoy.
The Spider's nests, or so he believes, is where he stores a gun that he stole from a German soldier in an attempt to be accepted by the older people. Pin is a tragic character; he has no parents and lives only with his prostitute sister, whom later turns into a German aide. To understand the book, I feel, you have to understand Italy's role during the Second World War, and the economic state of the country, whilst occupied by Germans. Calvino, also, writes candidly about the role of Italian Neo-realism, brought about after the fall of Mussolini - and that theme of the poor and Working Class people of Italy is certainly evident within this novel.
This is a sad but funny book which I'm sure most people will enjoy.
Format:Paperback
This is an absolutely wonderful novel about a boy who wanders into the Italian resistance during WWII. There, he finds a hilarious panoplie of characters, from lice-infested peasant marxists to the hyper-intellectual young co-leader. Each person is rendered so vividly - and if you have ever lived in Italy you recognise the types - that the novel is extremely dense and pleasureful.
The plot is fairly simple: a young boy from a chaotic household has to flee after being arrested for stealing a pistol from his sister's German "client." (He was trying to impress the ineffectual drunks in his usual hangout, a smoky and dilapidated bar, and then gets caught up in the resistance.) All the time, he is lonely and desperately seeking a special companion, someone to love and take care of him. It is not a heroic tale, but one about what it was really like in the resistance: more about the pauses and boredom, the bad food and promiscuity, the strange thoughts by men risking their lives for murky as well as clear-cut causes - the socialist revolution or to rid their countryside of the Germans who steal their cows. This is a new and fascinating view, told with great wit and style. This is the first novel I read in Italian, and its vocabulary is difficult but wonderfully succinct and clear.
Warmly recommended.
The plot is fairly simple: a young boy from a chaotic household has to flee after being arrested for stealing a pistol from his sister's German "client." (He was trying to impress the ineffectual drunks in his usual hangout, a smoky and dilapidated bar, and then gets caught up in the resistance.) All the time, he is lonely and desperately seeking a special companion, someone to love and take care of him. It is not a heroic tale, but one about what it was really like in the resistance: more about the pauses and boredom, the bad food and promiscuity, the strange thoughts by men risking their lives for murky as well as clear-cut causes - the socialist revolution or to rid their countryside of the Germans who steal their cows. This is a new and fascinating view, told with great wit and style. This is the first novel I read in Italian, and its vocabulary is difficult but wonderfully succinct and clear.
Warmly recommended.
Format:Paperback
This was Calvino's first novel that he wrote in a matter of weeks, but this isn't what was originally published then, this is the final story after Calvino had tweaked it over the years, making it into the definitive edition. Also included is Calvino's 1964 preface to the novel.
Our story takes place in Italy during the Second World War. The boy Pin lives with his sister, who is known locally as the town whore. Pin is a bit of an outcast and the other children don't really play with him, so he hangs around with the adult inhabitants. Due to this he picks up some fruity language, gossip and ideas about sex, some of which he doesn't really understand. On the whole he is a bit lonely, usually quite cheerful though, cheeky, a practical joker and always singing.
Whe he is goaded into stealing a German's pistol that his sister sleeps with things take a darker turn. With the Germans rounding up people and looking for the gun he is incarcerated. Escaping with a partisan member he is soon free though, and he is led into the world of the resistance.
This is a good tale about growing up, albeit due to circumstances a bit quicker than would be normal, and how war of any kind can change a person. It is interesting reading this to see how Calvino completely changed his style and content over the years and will be of interest to those who are into his works. Interestingly enough, when this was first published in its original form it was a bit of a bestseller and went on to win the Premio Riccione.
Our story takes place in Italy during the Second World War. The boy Pin lives with his sister, who is known locally as the town whore. Pin is a bit of an outcast and the other children don't really play with him, so he hangs around with the adult inhabitants. Due to this he picks up some fruity language, gossip and ideas about sex, some of which he doesn't really understand. On the whole he is a bit lonely, usually quite cheerful though, cheeky, a practical joker and always singing.
Whe he is goaded into stealing a German's pistol that his sister sleeps with things take a darker turn. With the Germans rounding up people and looking for the gun he is incarcerated. Escaping with a partisan member he is soon free though, and he is led into the world of the resistance.
This is a good tale about growing up, albeit due to circumstances a bit quicker than would be normal, and how war of any kind can change a person. It is interesting reading this to see how Calvino completely changed his style and content over the years and will be of interest to those who are into his works. Interestingly enough, when this was first published in its original form it was a bit of a bestseller and went on to win the Premio Riccione.
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