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A series of short, fantastic narratives inspired by fifteenth-century tarot cards and their archetypical images. Full-color and black-and-white reproductions of tarot cards. Translated by William Weaver.A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
About the author
ITALO CALVINO (1923–1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century’s greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are Invisible Cities, If on a winter’s night a traveler, The Baron in the Trees, and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.
Summary
"A shamelessly original work of art." —New York Times
A brilliant, deeply inventive story in which a group of travelers' powers of speech are magically taken from them and only have tarot cards with which to tell their stories
A group of road-weary travelers convene first in a castle, then a tavern. After passing through a forest on their journey, their powers of speech are mysteriously taken from them. As each traveler attempts to tell the story of how they got here, they must relay on tarot cards instead of words. What follows is an exquisite interlinking of narratives, and a fantastic, surreal and chaotic history of all human consciousness. The Castle of Crossed Destinies is a bold and singular work, a stunning exploration of the visual and the verbal, from one of the most celebrated experimental authors of all time.
Featuring reproductions of fifteenth-century tarot cards
