The Nonexistent Knight
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
An empty suit of armor is the hero of this witty novella set in the Early Middle Ages by the acclaimed author of If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. As a paladin in the court of Charlemagne, Agilulf is the very embodiment of valor and dedication to duty—but he is also a gleaming white suit of armor with nothing inside it. While he has stolen the heart of the female knight Bradamante, she in turn is loved by the young adventurer Rambaldo. When a challenge to Agilulf’s honor sends him on an expedition through France, England, and North Africa, Brandamante and Ramaldo follow close behind. Narrated by a nun with her own secrets to keep, this beloved novella explores the absurdities of medieval knighthood in a series of plot twists that are “executed with brilliance and brio” (Chicago Tribune).
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I just did not get on with this book. All the good bits about the validity and examination of self and the musings on existence were cancelled out by too much chat about the technicalities of warfare, and the unbelievably badly written female characters. Praying hard that this is a one-off blip in Calvino's work.
Agilulf is the ideal knight, characterized by his deep loyalty, reverence, and chivalry. He serves with Charlemagne's army, roaming through the world, setting things to rights. And yet the truth is that Aguilulf does not exist; Aguilulf is merely a suit of armor with nothing inside.
The Nonexistent Knight is the most grownup of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read that I have read so far. There are thoughtful ideas of what it means to be a person of virtue, as well as clever satire, in this story.
