{"product_id":"9780099430865-our-ancestors","title":"Our Ancestors","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eViscount Medardo is bisected by a Turkish cannonball on the plains of Bohemia; These three vivid images are the points of departure for Calvino's classic triptych of moral tales, now published in one volume and all displaying the exuberant talent of a master storyteller.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eViscount Medardo is bisected by a Turkish cannonball, Baron Cosimo retires to the trees for the rest of his days, and Agiluf the Knight is an empty suit of armour.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eOur Ancestors\u003c\/i\u003e brings together three surreal novellas set in distinct historical worlds across medieval and early modern Europe. In The Cloven Viscount, a nobleman returns from war as two separate beings, one cruel and one impossibly virtuous, leaving his community to suffer the consequences. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Baron in the Trees\u003c\/i\u003e, a young aristocrat climbs into the branches of the Italian Riviera and refuses to touch the ground again, living out his life among the leaves while history moves below him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Nonexistent Knight\u003c\/i\u003e, a suit of armour fights in the army of Charlemagne, sustained only by will and duty. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eOur Ancestors\u003c\/i\u003e blends satire with fable, exploring how power, war and social expectation shape the self.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The most magically ingenious of the contemporary Italian novelists' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40922307592289,"sku":"9780099430865","price":9.26,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_32163128.jpg?v=1737017915","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780099430865-our-ancestors","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}