A review by ailynobaire
The Nonexistent Knight by Italo Calvino

Somewhere along the way I realized that the ease and informality in which Calvino tells his stories - myths within legends within novels within campfire tales — is not the product of a genius throwing together good work. It is the carefully articulated and organized work of a man who appeals to the inherent humor of such stories told across the ages of humankind. Like an old friend he isn’t bothered by the idea that he could repel you with his candor. He knows he has the credibility and history to speak casually to you. And he does so in the attempt to better communicate truisms that relate to each and every reader. He is the old man at the campfire telling you about Charlemagne. He’s the gossip on the street dishing dirt on the Princess a kingdom over. It all feels very current and very important - these sly insights into character. They seem to say, we’re all fallible. We’re all human. We do no more than skip through our days.