In Calabria

The Last Unicorn has long been one of the most precious things. When I was little it was my favourite film which I watched over and over again. When I found out it was a book I of course had to read it and it fast became one of my favourite books. I grew up believing nobody else knew about it, like it was my secret thing and then I discovered there was this whole fan base who loved it too and that only served to make it even more special.

So of course when I found out there was a new unicorn book by Peter S Beagle I just HAD to read it. This one is slightly different though. Set in modern day Italy on a ramshackle old farm owned by a grumpy 'old' man it does not at first appear to have any of the magic of The Last Unicorn. Stay with it though. Very similar in style to Summerlong it takes a while for the magic to build up. Finally we have a unicorn on the premises and with it, magical things begin to happen.

What I've always loved about Peter S Beagle's unicorn novels is the sacred, ethereal characteristics of the unicorns. The amazing power they have behind them makes them also dark but pure at the same time. Like the magic of Tolkien it's unexpected, it's imperfect but it's wonderful.

Claudio Bianchi lives alone on his farm in Southern Italy, a self-professed grump who just wants to enjoy his little bit of land, his animals, and write his poems when the mood strikes him. But an unexpected and impossible visitor changes everything.

For how can a person stay determinedly grumpy and insular when faced with the grace of a unicorn?

Bianchi's world becomes much larger than he had ever intended or wanted with the addition of a unicorn, and he faces the reality that this is a secret that is going to resist being kept.

In Calabria is a gorgeous story shaped with elegant prose and stunning imagery. In Bianchi we have a very human protagonist who shifts and changes bit by bit as the story progresses. Once could say all the changes are a result of contact with the unicorn. It is this reader's opinion that the unicorn might be the catalyst, but Bianchi grows through his own volition. Its an ancient story, humans changing after meeting a unicorn. Beagle has provided a modern incarnation of the tale, and it is a much needed bit of beauty and quiet joy.

It is a unicorn story. It is a coming of age story. It is a story of forgiveness and a story of love. In Calabria will speak to each and every reader that ventures through its pages.

On a small dilapidated hillside farm in southern Italy, curmudgeon Claudio Bianchi lives a simple life with his few animals, fending off his only regular visitor, the mailman, who talks too much and rudely asks to hear Bianchi’s poetry. (Bianchi writes poetry occasionally, but only for himself.) One morning, a pregnant golden-white unicorn appears, seeming to choose Bianchi’s farm as the place of birth for her unborn calf. Soon, word gets out, and Bianchi must protect his new-found inspiration from hordes of reporters, television crews, animal rights activists, trophy hunters, and the Calabrian ’Ndràngheta mob.

Magical realism at its best, In Calabria is a modern incarnation of the unicorn fable! Lyrical and sweet, Beagle’s elegant prose reinforces the quiet joy of an old man’s attempt to capture the impossible magic of a moment through poetry. The unicorn is an embodiment of all that is sacred, pure, powerful, and free, starkly contrasted against the earthy farm with its old goat and three-legged cat. But although Bianchi cannot fathom the unicorn’s presence, his time with her kindles a delicate passion for the magic of the mundane in his own life.

The plot employs simple archetypes, including a mustache-twirling villain and a new love for Bianchi twenty years younger, which taken out of context might be bothersome, but Beagle uses these tropes to his advantage in such a short, simple, and gently profound story.

Recommended for fans of heartfelt imaginative fairy tales like Howl’s Moving Castle, The Neverending Story, and Stardust!

When Peter S. Beagle’s name shares a cover with a picture of a unicorn, it’s easy to make assumptions. Let me assure you that In Calabria is nothing at all like The Last Unicorn. Though it features the same creature, this story is not a fairytale. It’s a journey of discovery and redemption with just enough magic to inspire you to believe the impossible.

(The rest of the review is forthcoming from Buzzymag.com, will update with the link when it is posted.)

Claudio Bianchi, a crusty not-so-old hermit, farms an aging plot of land in rural Southern Italy. At first glance, he is not very prepossessing; he’s crotchety, battered, and solitary. He also has a secret: he writes poetry. One day a unicorn appears on his land, and she too has a secret, one that will forever transform their lives. Like everything else by Peter S. Beagle I’ve ever read, this short work brims with earthy magic and tenderness. He has the ability to take a character who at first glance is not particularly appealing (middle-aged, grouchy hermit with dubious social skills and personal hygiene) and draw us into that character’s world, weaving the threads of our own disappointments, humdrum lives, deferred dreams. Claudio has all but given up on his dreams, so much so that he no longer knows what they once were until the impossibly magical creature touches the dreamer within him. In Calabria is not The Last Unicorn, but they share that sense of longing and transcendence, and offer the same thoughtful, immensely satisfying reading experience.

In Calabria
by Peter S. Beagle

Having adored The Last Unicorn, in film, and having read the book in its original format, I have adored this poignant author and his sad longing he writes about. In Calabria he captures the wonderment and beauty of the human soul, and the mythical clandestine unicorn. The films songs have always haunted me since childhood. I love the beauty of their expression and to know that Peter Beagle was involved in the screenplay I am ecstatic. To know the author’s involvement in the movie made it the masterpiece i find it.
In Calabria like the Last Unicorn, the world does not believe, until a single man, and a single woman find themselves in the presence of a Unicorn in need. Because of their temperament and and adoring belief not only is the Unicorn saved but the Unicorn is who in the end protects them. This is not the pronounced meaning of the story, but that Love, is the Unicorn around the world. Bianchi and Geo find love, and mutual devotion to each other. I am amazed by the beauty within the story, and long to read more of Bianchi Unicorn inspired poetry. The dreamy world of a small rural Italian farm being the background to the poignant tale, enhances the magic.
There is no place more sacred or magical as where a Unicorn is born.

I love this book even more than I loved The Last Unicorn,. Although it sounds strange to say it, this story makes unicorns seem realistic. The personalities, and the unicorns, seem possible to meet one day. It is a sweet and realistic modern-day fairy tale.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tachyon Publications, and Peter S. Beagle for the chance to read and review this ARC;

I have been in love with The Last Unicorn since I was a young girl, from the very first time that I saw the cartoon. I chased the movie into move theatre showings, dedicated myself to finding a copy The Two Hearts and The Last Unicorn: The Forgotten Edition, owning the comics, and getting all of the above signed when I had the chance to meet Peter.

So, you can guess how hard and fast I jumped at the chance to read another Beagle unicorn story, and In Calabria did not disappointed in the slightest. From the first words, first sentences, first chapter you are pulled into a rich, old world, with deep feelings, deeper shadows, and more 'golden' magic than first meets the eye. As with many of Beagle's Tales it is one about redemption, love, and faith deeper than jadedness at its very core of themselves.

You will be swept away by a farmer who writes poetry, and magical creatures of the most innocence. Get this as soon as you possibly can.

I love The Last Unicorn, and I had little doubt that I would love In Calabria.

While Calabria is less polished than Beagle's other works it is a beautiful exploration of character, grief, and redemption. Calabria is very short. The themes, events, and characters could have been explored in greater depth, but the brief, concise narrative still manages to convey the emotional evolution of the main character. It's as though Beagle is able to use every word to develop and capture the world and characters, nothing wasted or superfluous. Beagle has a tendency to take his stories places I don't want them to go (the developing romance), but every time (EVERY TIME!) his storytelling choices are perfectly executed that I can't imagine a better turn of events.

More than anything else—his unfailingly beautiful prose, his ability to weave threads of emotional truth into stories of the fantastic, his knack for writing stories that land with a soft touch and leave the impact of a hammer blow—Peter S. Beagle’s long literary career has been defined by unicorns.

There’s the protagonist of his most famous work, The Last Unicorn (called Lady Amalthea when in human guise), who is perhaps the most famous unicorn of all. Just last year, he published In Calabria, a slender, wistful novel about the appearance of unicorns in a small Italian town. It inverts many of The Last Unicorn‘s themes, and serves as an interesting late-career mirror to a book that is now nearly 50 years old.