The Nonexistent Knight Audiobook By Italo Calvino cover art

The Nonexistent Knight

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The Nonexistent Knight

By: Italo Calvino
Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
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An empty suit of armor is the hero in this witty novella, a picaresque gem - now available in an independent volume for the first time - that brilliantly parodies medieval knighthood.

Set in the time of Charlemagne and narrated by a nun with her own secrets to keep, The Nonexistent Knight tells the story of Agilulf, a gleaming white suit of armor with nothing inside it. A challenge to his honor sends Agilulf on a search through France, England, and North Africa to confirm the chastity of a virgin he saved from rape years earlier.

In the end, after many surprising turns of plot, a closing confession draws this sparkling novella to a perfect finish.

©1959 Giulio Einaudi Editor, S.p.A. (P)2018 Recorded Books Absurdist Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Magical Realism Satire Comedy Magic Witty
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Exquisite. Fantasy literature, at its best, is the opposite of escapism: It is a vehicle to your own depths. Somehow, Calvino achieves this while employing humor -- which carries its own power and import.

"Depths turned round to face you." (Rilke)

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The reader catches so much playful soulfulness that the author's themes ring both ironic and sincere at the same time. Wonderful.

Enchantingly humorous story, deliciously read

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