Presented by the Dante Alighieri Society of BC, with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto.
The next meeting of the Italian Book Club will take place on Tuesday, April 19 at 8:30PM EDT / 5:30PM EDT.
The group will discuss the novel Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (The Path to the Spiders’ Nests) by Italo Calvino. Benedetta Diamanti will coordinate.
Please note that the discussion will be in Italian. An intermediate to advanced level of Italian is recommended.
To register, please email info@dantesocietybc.ca.
The Italian Book Club meets ONLINE on ZOOM once a month.
Meet other bibliophiles, share ideas and deepen your understanding of Italian literature, history and culture.
The Italian Book Club is FREE and open to all those in Canada interested in friendly and thought-provoking discussions of Italian books: fiction, non-fiction, classics, prize-winners, etc.
If you are new to the Italian Book Club and wish to join the meetings, please email info@dantesocietybc.ca to register and receive the MEETING LINK.
Schedule and more info: www.dantesocietybc.ca/bookclub.
The Path to the Nest of Spiders
Italo Calvino was only twenty-three when he first published this bold and imaginative novel. It tells the story of Pin, a cobbler’s apprentice in a town on the Ligurian coast during World War II. He lives with his sister, a prostitute, and spends as much time as he can at a seedy bar where he amuses the adult patrons. After a mishap with a Nazi soldier, Pin becomes involved with a band of partisans. Calvino’s portrayal of these characters, seen through the eyes of a child, is not only a revealing commentary on the Italian resistance but an insightful coming-of-age story. Updated to include changes from Calvino’s definitive Italian edition, previously censored passages, and his newly translated, unabridged preface–in which Calvino brilliantly critiques and places into historical context his own youthful work–The Path to the Spiders’ Nests is animated by the formidable imagination that has made Italo Calvino one of the most respected writers of our time.
Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was born in Cuba and grew up in San Remo, Italy. He began as an essayist and a journalist but is best known for his fiction, including Invisible Cities, If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler, Marcovaldo, and Mr. Palomar.