The Cloven Viscount
Encyclopedia
The Cloven Viscount is a fantasy novel written by Italo Calvino
. It was first published by Einaudi
(Turin) in 1952 and in English in 1962 by William Collins
, with a translation by Archibald Colquhoun.
, and his squire Kurt, ride across the plague-ravaged plain of Bohemia
en route to join the Christian army in the Turkish wars of the seventeenth century. On the first day of fighting, a Turkish swordsman unhorses the inexperienced Viscount. Fearless, he scrambles over the battlefield with sword bared, and is split in two by a cannonball hitting him square in the chest.
As a result of the injury, Viscount Medardo becomes two people: Gramo (the Bad) and Buono (the Good). The army field doctors save Gramo through a stitching miracle, the Viscount is “alive and cloven.” With one eye and a dilated single nostril, he returns to Terralba, twisting the half mouth of his half face into a scissors-like half smile. Meanwhile, a group of hermits find Buono in the midst of a pile of dead bodies. They tend to him and he recovers. After a long pilgrimage, Buono returns home.
There are now two Viscounts in Terralba. Gramo lives in the castle, Buono lives in the forest. Gramo causes damage and pain, Buono does good deeds. Pietrochiodo, the carpenter, is more adept at building guillotines for Gramo than the machines requested by Buono. Eventually, the villagers dislike both viscounts, as Gramo'
s malevolence provokes hostility and Buono's altruism provokes uneasiness.
Pamela, the peasant, prefers Buono to Gramo, but her parents want her to marry Gramo. She is ordered to consent to Gramo's marriage proposal. On the day of the wedding, Pamela marries Buono, because Gramo arrives late. Gramo challenges Buono to a duel to decide who shall be Pamela's husband. As a result, they are both severely wounded.
Dr. Trelawney takes the two bodies and sews the two sides together. Viscount finally is whole. He and his wife Pamela (now the Viscontessa) live happily together until the end of their days.
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was an Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels. His best known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy , the Cosmicomics collection of short stories , and the novels Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler .Lionised in Britain and the United States,...
. It was first published by Einaudi
Giulio Einaudi
Giulio Einaudi was one of the most important publishers in Italian history.-Biography:Giulio Einaudi was born in Dogliani in 1912, the son of Luigi Einaudi, future president of the Italian Republic, and his wife Ida.He attended the Massimo d'Azeglio liceo classico, and became a student of noted...
(Turin) in 1952 and in English in 1962 by William Collins
William Collins (publisher)
William Collins was a Scottish schoolmaster and publisher.Collins was born near Glasgow in 1789. In 1819 he set up a publishing business, initially selling religious books. He produced the first Collins dictionary in 1824, when he also obtained a licence to publish the Bible...
, with a translation by Archibald Colquhoun.
Plot
The Viscount Medardo of TerralbaTerralba
Terralba is a comune in the Province of Oristano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 70 km northwest of Cagliari and about 20 km south of Oristano...
, and his squire Kurt, ride across the plague-ravaged plain of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
en route to join the Christian army in the Turkish wars of the seventeenth century. On the first day of fighting, a Turkish swordsman unhorses the inexperienced Viscount. Fearless, he scrambles over the battlefield with sword bared, and is split in two by a cannonball hitting him square in the chest.
As a result of the injury, Viscount Medardo becomes two people: Gramo (the Bad) and Buono (the Good). The army field doctors save Gramo through a stitching miracle, the Viscount is “alive and cloven.” With one eye and a dilated single nostril, he returns to Terralba, twisting the half mouth of his half face into a scissors-like half smile. Meanwhile, a group of hermits find Buono in the midst of a pile of dead bodies. They tend to him and he recovers. After a long pilgrimage, Buono returns home.
There are now two Viscounts in Terralba. Gramo lives in the castle, Buono lives in the forest. Gramo causes damage and pain, Buono does good deeds. Pietrochiodo, the carpenter, is more adept at building guillotines for Gramo than the machines requested by Buono. Eventually, the villagers dislike both viscounts, as Gramo'
s malevolence provokes hostility and Buono's altruism provokes uneasiness.
Pamela, the peasant, prefers Buono to Gramo, but her parents want her to marry Gramo. She is ordered to consent to Gramo's marriage proposal. On the day of the wedding, Pamela marries Buono, because Gramo arrives late. Gramo challenges Buono to a duel to decide who shall be Pamela's husband. As a result, they are both severely wounded.
Dr. Trelawney takes the two bodies and sews the two sides together. Viscount finally is whole. He and his wife Pamela (now the Viscontessa) live happily together until the end of their days.
Further reading
- Bloom, Harold (ed.). Bloom's Major Short Story Writers: Italo Calvino. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002.
- Calvino, Italo. Our AncestorsOur AncestorsOur Ancestors is the name of Italo Calvino's "heraldic trilogy" that comprises The Cloven Viscount , The Baron in the Trees , and The Nonexistent Knight ....
: The Cloven Viscount, The Baron in the TreesThe Baron in the TreesThe Baron in the Trees is a 1957 Italian novel by Italo Calvino. Described as a conte philosophique and a metaphor for independence, it tells the adventures of a boy who climbs up a tree to spend the rest of his life inhabiting an arboreal kingdom....
, The Nonexistent KnightThe Nonexistent KnightThe Nonexistent Knight is an allegorical fantasy novel by Italo Calvino, first published in Italian 1959 and in English translation in 1962. The novel tells the story of Agilulf, a medieval knight who perfectly exemplifies chivalry, piety, and faithfulness, but exists only as an empty suit of armor...
. Trans. Archibald Colquhoun. London: Vintage, 1998. - Carter III, Albert Howard. Italo Calvino: Metamorphoses of Fantasy. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1987.