In a war against the Turks, Viscount Medardo of Terralba is hit by a cannonball and cut in half. Only one half returns home to his estate, a cruel, vicious creature who sentences people to the gallows and cuts everything in two. The story is told by his young nephew. Then the other half, a saintly do-gooder, returns, and the villagers discover that excessive goodness can be as unbearable as cruelty. The two halves are finally reunited.
It is a short fable by Calvino for readers who enjoy playful fantasy with a moral point on human nature, and it is the first part of his Our Ancestors trilogy.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1996
- Publisher
- Companhia das Letras
- Language
- PT
