Written in two months and defined by the author as a vacation (De Robertis 1962),
Il Visconte dimezzato[
The Cloven Viscount1952] is the first of three narratives that Calvino will unite in the trilogy of
I nostri antenati[
Our Ancestors1960], together with
Il barone rampante[
The Baron in the Trees, 1957] and
Il cavaliere inesistente[
The Nonexistent Knight,1959]. The story, historically situated in the seventeenth century, is narrated by the protagonist’s nephew and recounts the vicissitudes of Medardo, Viscount of Terralba, who joins the Christian army and goes to Bohemia to fight a holy war against the Turks with his loyal servant Kurt. Almost immediately after his arrival, however, during a fierce battle, a cannonball hits the unfortunate man right in the chest and splits…
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Citation: Wright, Simona. "Il Visconte dimezzato". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 August 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11648, accessed 03 December 2024.]