The Nonexistent Knight [Paperback]

An empty suit of armor is the hero in this witty novella, a picaresque gem—now available in an independent volume for the first time—that brilliantly parodies medieval knighthood.

Set in the time of Charlemagne and narrated by a nun with her own secrets to keep,The Nonexistent Knighttells the story of Agilulf, a gleaming white suit of armor with nothing inside it. A challenge to his honor sends Agilulf on a search through France, England, and North Africa to confirm the chastity of a virgin he saved from rape years earlier. In the end, after many surprising turns of plot, a closing confession draws this sparkling novella to a perfect finish.

An empty suit of armor is the hero in this witty novella, a picaresque gem that brilliantly parodies medieval knighthood.

ITALO CALVINO’s superb storytelling gifts earned him international renown and a reputation as “one of the world’s best fabulists” (New York Times Book Review). At the time of his death, in 1985, he was the most-translated contemporary Italian writer.