A set of three novellas, not related, but each told by a narrator who is tangential to the main story. The theme of identity runs throughout these novellas but is approached in different ways. I love this theme and really enjoyed the writing.

In terms of the actual stories: I really liked the first two, but the third, while having an interesting theme (existence, what makes someone exist), the story was just not as interesting and I really didn’t like the narrator interjection pieces. I wonder if Full Metal Alchemist was conceived with this story in mind?
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Our Ancestors contains three short stories by Calvino: The Cloven Viscount, Baron in the Trees, and The Non-Existent Knight.

The Cloven Viscount deals with a viscount split in two on the field of battle and whose two separate halves continue living: one who is good, the other bad.

The Baron in the Trees deals with a young boy who renounces earthly existence in favour of an arboreal one, and how he comes to terms with his independence. One of the more overtly philosophical works in the collection.

The Non-Existent Knight deals with a brave knight who embodies all the chivalric virtues yet is only an empty suit of armour. The main themes are identity, integration with society, and virtue.

All three are allegorical but not too heavy-handed; they are part of Calvino's classic works and together help illustrate why Calvino remains one of the best modern Italian writers. ( )

A nice collection of 3 of Calvino's best novels. ( )

This book contains 3 stories: The Cloven Viscount, The Baron In The Trees, and The Non-Existent Knight.

The Cloven Viscount
The first sory was fairly short, being around 70 pages. It wasn't a bad story, but I felt slightly let down. I was perhaps expecting more, based on previous experiences of Calvino, but the story was alright, having said that. The Cloven Viscount is an amusing, surreal, and dark story, if brief, and ultimately predictable.

The Baron In The Trees
This is the second story in the book, and is quite a lot longer than the other two. Like the first, it is about an unusual Italian nobleman, set in Italy in fuedal times. While this story is to an extent more credible, it is also much more entertaining than the first. It is the sort of story, that while reading, I became involved in to the point where I could imagine myself there, and forgot about everything else around me. Despite being a translation, the prose presumaby retains a lot of its original quality, as it was, in varying measures throughout, charming, clever, and inspiring. The book is probaby worth picking up for this story alone, if you happen upon it, though it is also included in other volumes.

The Non-Existant Knight
Here Calvino has another excellent and somewhat fantastical tale to tell, which not only succeeds as a whole but in the details too. There is a good amount of humour gained from the farcical and ridiculous in this one, but it is balanced by the deeper reflections too, which means fans of the author will be left pleased.

Overall I was impressed by this set of three stories. Every Calvino book I read shows a slightly different side to the author, and two of these had a fantastical air about them that I haven't come across in quite a while. ( )