by Italo Calvino
translated by Archibald Colquhoun
At the age of twelve, Cosimo
Rondò, son of the Baron Armino, tires of his family’s rules and his odd
sister’s elaborate, nasty tricks and takes to the trees, never to set
foot on the earth again. He wears furs and feathers and sleeps in the
trees, hunting and trading for his meals. But he remains part of
society, helping deal with wolves, fires, and fruit thieves, even
getting an education and writing the occasional treatise on democracy
and the rights of animals. As Cosimo says, "A gentleman is such whether
he is on earth or on the treetops… if he behaves with decency." He also
engages in several love stormy love affairs and befriends a tribe of
Spanish exiles who, drolly, also live in the trees.
I first read
this, I’d guess, around 1989. It made something of an impression on me
then mostly for its fantastical, absurdist elements played almost
completely straight. This time around, I enjoyed the broad and witty
comedy and the rich language used to describe the natural world; I also
liked the classical and historical allusions (for example, Cosimo is
reading Gil Blas, itself a picaresque novel about a man forced to
help robbers, when he is approached by a brigand looking for refuge).
Does it all mean anything? Well, Calvino is exploring the ideas of
alienation and refuting societal norms, but I’m not sure there’s
anything like a philosophy here, and no more answers than there is a
plot. It’s a wild ride, funny and rich, a fine example of Oulipo
writing. I loved the ending.
five stars
