A review by emurnane
Marcovaldo by Italo Calvino

5.0

Hilarious and genius. Calvino makes commentary on poverty and the hypocrisies of modern/urban life through the character Marcovaldo, who highlights the disconnect between city dwellers and nature. Marcovaldo in the blurb is described as not very bright, but his misunderstandings of the world shows how bizarre the world and capitalist society is. I particularly like the story about his children mistaking a billboard for a tree and cutting it down for firewood - because what use is a billboard to humans? Marcovaldo is trying to live off the land, only he lives in a city where the rivers and polluted, and there is always a fee to pay to gain entry to what the rich have. Although a perceptive reader can see the sadness at the heart of the stories, Calvino has written comedy gold, and often I felt like I was reading a Buster Keaton sketch.