I FIORI BLU | 1967 | RAYMOND QUENEAU

I fiori blu (original French Les fleurs bleues) is a novel by Raymond Queneau, translated into Italian by Italo Calvino and first published in 1967. It interweaves two protagonists, Cidrolin, a barge-dweller in Paris in 1964, and the Duke d’Auge, who travels through French history from 1264 to 1964. Each dreams the life of the other, in a fluid, dream-logic structure that blurs reality and fantasy. The novel is rich in linguistic experimentation—neologisms, arcaisms, register shifts—and Calvino’s translation is acclaimed for its creativity and fidelity. Themes include time, identity, the instability of consciousness, and the interplay between history and imagination.