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Invisible Cities

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Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a collection of fantastical and imaginative descriptions of cities, as told by explorer Marco Polo to Kublai Khan. The book is filled with poetic and philosophical dialogue, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Each chapter presents a different city, each with its own unique qualities and symbolism, creating a dreamlike and mesmerizing reading experience.

The writing style of Invisible Cities is described as evocative, dreamy, and surreal, with intricate descriptions that transport the reader to these imaginary places. The book is a blend of prose, poetry, and philosophy, challenging traditional storytelling structures and inviting readers to contemplate the deeper meanings behind the cities and the conversations between Polo and Khan.

Writing/Prose:

Calvino's writing style is characterized by poetic language and a complex, structured approach to the narrative.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative consists of Marco Polo describing various imaginative cities to Kublai Khan, emphasizing themes of human perception and memory.

Setting:

The setting transcends physicality, representing abstract concepts and imaginative realms.

Pacing:

Pacing is deliberately slow, focusing on reflections and thoughts over advancing a plot.
Kublai Khan does not necessarily believe everything Marco Polo says when he describes the cities visited on his expeditions, but the emperor of the Tartars does continue listening to the young Venetia...

Notes:

Invisible Cities is framed as a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.
Each city described in the book is under a thematic category such as memory, desire, and signs.
The cities are often seen as metaphors for human experiences and emotions.
Calvino's writing blurs the lines between reality and imagination in the descriptions of cities.
The book plays with the concept of time through anachronisms, mixing medieval and modern elements.
Readers often interpret the cities as reflections of Venice, representing longing and the quest for beauty.
The book does not follow a traditional plot structure but consists of poetic prose about cities.
Invisible Cities is considered a work of postmodern literature, focusing on form and structure.
The descriptions create a contemplative exploration of human existence and urban life.
Calvino's use of female names for the cities adds an intriguing layer of meaning to the text.

From The Publisher:

Italo Calvino's beloved, intricately crafted novel about an Emperor's travels??-??a brilliant journey across far-off places and distant memory.

"Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else." In a garden sit the aged Kublai Khan and the young Marco Polo??-??Mongol emperor and Venetian traveler. Kublai Khan has sensed the end of his empire coming soon. Marco Polo diverts his host with stories of the cities he has seen in his travels around the empire: cities and memory, cities and desire, cities and designs, cities and the dead, cities and the sky, trading cities, hidden cities. As Marco Polo unspools his tales, the emperor detects these fantastic places are more than they appear.

Ratings (39)

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Liked It (4)
It Was OK (3)
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Reader Stats (92):

Read It (41)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (47)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (1)

About the Author:

ITALO CALVINO (1923-1985) attained worldwide renown as one of the twentieth century's greatest storytellers. Born in Cuba, he was raised in San Remo, Italy, and later lived in Turin, Paris, Rome, and elsewhere. Among his many works are Invisible Cities, If on a winter's night a traveler, The Baron in the Trees, and other novels, as well as numerous collections of fiction, folktales, criticism, and essays. His works have been translated into dozens of languages.

 
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