The Path to the Nest of Spiders
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The Path to the Nest of Spiders (originally published in 1947 in Italian as Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno) was the first novel of Italian 20th century writer Italo Calvino and is a "coming of age" story, set against the backdrop of World War Two.
The book follows the antihero Pin, an orphaned cobbler's apprentice in a town on the Ligurian coast, where he lives with his sister, a prostitute. After stealing a pistol from a Nazi soldier, Pin searches for an identity with La Brigata Nera and other partisan groups. All the while, the people he meets mock him without his knowing. The title refers to Pin's secret hiding place, directions to which he touts as a prize to any adults who win his trust.
Some critics view the work is unexceptional, on the grounds that it fails to address the issues other than from a very naive perspective; others credit it with being skilfully written and make a virtue of its portrayal of the complex emotions and politics of adults, as seen through the eyes of a child. However one passage about prisoners-of-war being made to dig their own grave before being shot is universally regarded as impressive.
In the English translation by Archibald Colquhoun the book loses much of Calvino's nuance.