The Cloven Viscount

By Italo Calvino

When a nobleman is split in two, his separate halves pursue different adventures in a fantastically macabre tale by the author of Invisible Cities.

 


It is the seventeenth century, and the Viscount Medardo of Terralba must go into battle against the Turks. But the inexperienced warrior is soon bisected lengthwise by a cannonball. Through a miracle of stitching, one half of him survives, returning to his feudal estate to lead a lavishly evil life. But soon his other, virtuous half appears—also very much alive. When the two halves become rivals for the love of the same woman, there's no telling the lengths each will go to in order to win.


 


Now available in an independent volume for the first time, this deliciously bizarre novella of is Calvino at his most devious and winning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9780544130098

Italo Calvino

ITALO CALVINO (1923–1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century’s greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are Invisible Cities, If on a winter’s night a traveler, The Baron in the Trees, and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.

Book preview

1

There was a war on against the Turks. My uncle, the Viscount Medardo of Terralba, was riding towards the Christian camp across the plain of Bohemia, followed by a squire called Kurt Storks were flying low, in white flocks, through the thick, still air.

Why all the storks? Medardo asked Kurt. Where are they flying?

My uncle was a new arrival, just enrolled to please ducal neighbors involved in that war. After fitting himself out with a horse and squire at the last castle in Christian hands, he was now on his way to report at Imperial headquarters.

They’re flying to the battlefields, said the squire glumly. They’ll be with us all the way.

The Viscount Medardo had heard that in those parts a flight of storks was thought a good omen, and he wanted to seem pleased at the sight. But in spite of himself he felt worried.

What can draw such birds to a battlefield, Kurt? he asked.

They eat human flesh too, nowadays, replied the squire, since the fields have been stripped by famine and the rivers dried by drought. Vultures and crows have now given way to storks and flamingos and cranes.

My uncle was then in his first youth, the age in which confused feelings, not yet sifted, all rush into good and bad, the age in which every new experience, even macabre and inhuman, is palpitating and warm with love of life.

What about the crows then? And the vultures? he said. And the other birds of prey? Where have they gone? He was pale, but his eyes glittered.

The squire, a dark-skinned soldier with a heavy moustache, never raised his eyes. They ate so many plague-ridden bodies, the plague got ’em too, and he pointed his lance at some black bushes, which a closer look revealed were not made of branches, but of feathers and dried claws from birds of prey.

One can’t tell which died first, bird or man, or who tore the other to bits, said Kurt.

To escape the plague exterminating the population, entire families had taken to the open country, where death caught them. Over the bare plain were scattered tangled heaps of men’s and women’s corpses, naked, covered with plague boils, and, inexplicably at first, with feathers, as if those skinny legs and ribs had grown black feathers and wings. These were carcasses of vultures mingled with human remains.

The ground was now scattered with signs of past battles. Their progress slowed, for the two horses kept jibbing and rearing.

What’s the matter with our horses? Medardo asked the squire.

Signore, he replied, horses hate nothing more than the stink of their own guts.

The patch of plain they were crossing was covered with horses’ carcasses, some supine with hooves to the sky, others prone with muzzles dug into the earth.

Why all these fallen horses round here, Kurt? asked Medardo.

When a horse feels its belly ripped open, explained the squire, it tries to keep its guts in. Some put bellies on the ground, others turn on their backs to prevent them from dangling. But death soon gets ’em all the same.

So mostly horses die in this war?

Turkish scimitars seem made to cleave their bellies at a stroke. Further on we’ll see men’s bodies. First it’s horses, then riders. But there’s the camp.

On the edge of the horizon rose the pinnacles of the highest tents, and the standards of the Imperial army, and smoke.

As they galloped on, they saw that those fallen in the last battle had nearly all been taken away and buried. There were just a few limbs, fingers in particular, scattered over the stubble.

Every now and again I see a finger pointing our way, said my uncle Medardo. What does that mean?

May God forgive them, but the living chop off the fingers of the dead to get at their rings.

Who goes there? said a sentinel in a cloak covered with mould and moss, like a tree bark exposed to the north wind.

Hurrah for the Holy Imperial crown! cried Kurt.

And down with the Sultan! replied the sentinel. Please, though, when you get to headquarters, do ask ’em to send along my relief, because I’m starting to grow roots!

The horses were now at a gallop to escape the clouds of flies surrounding the camp and buzzing over heaps of excrement.

Many’s the brave man, observed Kurt, whose dung is still on the ground when he’s already in heaven, and he crossed himself.

At the entrance they rode past a series of canopies, beneath which thick-set women with long brocade gowns and bare breasts greeted them with yells and coarse laughter.

The pavilions of the courtesans, said Kurt. No other army has such fine women.

My uncle was riding with his head turned back to look at them.

Careful, Signore, added the squire, they’re so foul and pox-ridden even the Turks wouldn’t want them as booty. They’re not only covered with lice, bugs and ticks, but even scorpions and lizards make their nests on them now.

They passed by the field batteries. At night the artillerymen cooked their ration of turnips and water on the bronze parts of swivel guns and cannons, burning hot from the day’s firing.

Carts were arriving, full of earth, which the artillerymen were passing through sieves.

Gunpowder is scarce now, explained Kurt, but the soil of the battlefields is so saturated with it that a few charges can be retrieved there.

Next came the cavalry stables where, amid flies, the veterinarians were at work patching up hides with stitches, belts and plasters of boiling tar, while horses and doctors neighed and stamped.

The long stretches of infantry encampments followed. It was dusk, and in front of every tent soldiers were sitting with bare feet in tubs of warm water. As they were used to sudden alarms night and day, they kept helmet on head and pike tight in fist even at foot-bath time. Inside taller tents draped like kiosks, officers could be seen powdering armpits and waving lace fans.

That’s not from effeminacy, said Kurt, just the opposite. They want to show how they’re at ease in the rigors of military life.

The Viscount of Terralba was immediately introduced into the presence of the Emperor. In his pavilion, amid tapestries and trophies, the sovereign was studying future battle plans. Tables were covered with unrolled maps and the Emperor was busy sticking pins in them, taking these from a small pincushion proferred by one of the marshals. By then the maps were so covered with pins that it was impossible to understand a thing, and to read them, pins had to be taken out and then put back. With all this pinning and unpinning, the Emperor and his marshals, to keep their hands free, all had pins between their lips and could only talk in grunts.

At the sight of the youth bowing before him, the sovereign let out a questioning grunt and then took the pins out of his mouth.

A knight just arrived from Italy, Your Majesty, they introduced him. The Viscount of Terralba, from one of the noblest families of Genoa.

Let him be made lieutenant at once.

My uncle clicked spurs to attention, while the Emperor gave a regal sweep of the arm and all the maps folded in on themselves and rolled away.

Though tired, Medardo went to sleep late that night. He walked up and down near his tent and heard calls of sentries, neighs of horses and broken speech from soldiers

Reviews for The Cloven Viscount

[Ady Cohen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful and charming, while managing not to get overly idyllic about the archaic world it refers to, through virtue of being deeply human.

[Yubiwa70 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Through an apparently innocent tale, it speaks to us about absolute good and evil as undesirable, one for its boundless vileness and the other for its burdensome, stupid kindness. Brilliant. (Translated from Spanish)

[Ceci Damiani ✨ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Sometimes one believes they are incomplete when they are just young" (The Cloven Viscount) ✨✨✨

This fantastic little novel by Calvino left me speechless. A beautifully written story, absurd and very brief (with just the right length) ? I clarify this because I had read "The Baron in the Trees" by the same author, which I found to be a thousand stars, but compared to this one, I find it a bit longer, inevitably falling into filler, which does not happen with The Cloven Viscount. Same essence, but frankly smaller ??✨

The narrator tells us the story of his uncle, the viscount Medardo, who, in the war of Moors against Christians, has the bad luck of getting split in half vertically by a cannonball?. Here’s where the fantastic enters: the viscount does not die, but continues to commit mischief with his living half, wreaking havoc in its path. Medardo goes on with his life with half a smile, one eye, and one leg, and even falls in love, but all the gifts and messages towards her are half flowers and mutant animals he assembles using halves of each animal... A very creative way to woo someone (?

The most fascinating and absurd story I’ve read from my dear Italo and it’s heading straight to my best reads of the year ??? One should not miss the opportunity to read Calvino, a great author, a great classic ❤ (Translated from Spanish)

[Denmeunpapelillo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a marvel it is to return to Italo Calvino, always. This time it's «The Cloven Viscount», the first book of the trilogy «Our Ancestors» (the other two are The Baron in the Trees and The Nonexistent Knight), which I have finally completed. The aftertaste left by the three books can last a lifetime. Mr. Italo solidifies himself as one of my favorites, one of the authors whose stories are a must-read. Because despite always having something tragic and cruel, the narration and its fairytale characters delve into those aspects of human nature that I enjoy so much. It speaks of the search for good and the existence of evil. It presents implausible situations at first, but Calvino develops it in such a way that everything seems normal to you. When you approach «Our Ancestors», you believe there was a boy who decided never to come down from the tree and lived there forever, that there was a brave knight under whose armor no body existed, and that there was a man who was split in two and each part survived separately. The latter is the central axis of «The Cloven Viscount», Medardo of Terralba, who was divided in two by a cannonball, vertically, with perfect fairness and precision. One part contains evil and the other goodness, with no trace of the other in either. Calvino invents a fable in which he sketches an imperfect Yin-Yang (and its consequences). Masterful. "There is no moonlit night in which malicious spirits do not twist wicked ideas like nests of serpents, and in which benevolent spirits do not sprout lilies of renunciation and surrender. (Translated from Spanish)

[Ezequiel ✔️ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Cloven Viscount, by the Italian writer Italo Calvino, is a short novel that tells the story of the viscount Medardo of Terralba, who is split into two halves during a battle: one good and the other evil. Following this event, the two halves of the viscount, Buono and Gramo, embark on separate paths, each representing an aspect of human nature.
What I liked most about the book: The originality of the story, which uses the metaphor of the viscount's division to explore the duality of human beings. The depth of the characters, who, despite being caricatures, represent complex aspects of human nature. The beauty of Calvino's language, full of symbolism and metaphors. The reflection on universal themes such as good and evil, freedom, identity, and love.
What I liked least about the book: The brevity of the novel, which may leave the reader wanting more. The complexity of some of the symbols, which may require careful reading to be fully understood.
Overall, The Cloven Viscount is a masterpiece of universal literature that will make you reflect on the human condition and the complexity of our actions. (Translated from Spanish)

[Zirtabenicassim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read it a while ago and I loved it. Fun but with a lot of meaning. The two halves that make one. Highly recommended and it is also easy and quick to read. (Translated from Spanish)

[meropsapiaster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A funny fable that talks about, nothing more and nothing less, the good and the evil that all people carry inside. Lights and shadows of society, of a country, of the world in general, of any existence.

Highly recommended. It's short and definitely rewarding. (Translated from Spanish)

[luisenrique2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A sublime book, the adventure of good and evil, ultimately everything is within oneself. Calvino develops a metaphor and elevated symbolism, plus it's entertaining. (Translated from Spanish)

[donato_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another fantabulous fable from a wonderful weaver of tales.
Here we have a man cut in half (both literally and figuratively of course). It would be too easy to say, this is a story of man who's not complete. Sure it's that, but it's so much more (as all great art, it has layers).

In only 90 pages, it's also about everyone else reacting to this incompleteness. It's about how we do things without realizing it, and it's about how we see and act in the world through our own narrow lenses.

But the beauty of it is the way it's told, with that Calvino-esque fluidity that makes it seem natural and real (but it's just a fairy tale...), and just-the-way-it-is. And the thing is, all those layers of meaning, they're there because the story is true...