Invisible Cities

First of all, tremendous work on the delivery. The book arrived in perfect condition, with that expected new off=the-press smell to it. And to talk about the contents -- I was recommended that book from my Architecture course, and boy, was it exciting to read. The mysterious out-of-a-fairy-tale cities truly capture the architecture enthusiasts imagination. And even people who do not care much about the buildings around them, this book will transport you in a world of fantastic Spider-Web cities, Cities made out of signs, and so many more. Another fantastic thing about this book is the additional activity it can present for the eager reader: how about you try to depict those cities in the form of a painting, model, collage, illustration, anything really? Really joyful ride, and a quite easy read, without having to stress too much on the story, nor on keeping track of all the cities. Almost like a safari through the world of Marco Polo's cityscapes.

A world-weary Kublai Khan seeks news of his sprawling empire from his travelling ambassador Marco Polo. The book consists of Polo's descriptions of strange and far-flung cities, punctuated by dialogues with the Khan. Each of these imagined cities, though not lacking physical detail, is distinguished by some thought-provoking peculiarity that makes it of more interest as a META-physical notion. Argia, for instance, is a buried city whose inhabitants presumably tunnel their way around: "From up here, nothing of Argia can be seen... The place is deserted. At night, putting your ear to the ground, you can sometimes hear a door slam." It's a short book, but not for me a quick one. Lacking conventional plot and characterisation, it did not pull me along but left me to travel under my own steam (like Polo). But also it was as if the author lowered a barrier at the end of each city's description, a built-in and unavoidable pause for thought. For Calvino is not of course talking about mere cities, but about life, human nature, time, fate, memory and civilisation. It's an intellectual, anachronistic fabulation, a collection of philosophical fragments rather than a traditional novel. As such, it made me think more than feel; but it's no less impressive for that.

Invisible Cities on Kindle This book recounts conversations between the trader and explorer Marco Polo and the emperor Kublai Khan, about real and imagined cities. The book follows a strict mathematical structure, but it is decidedly unrealistic, at times a poetic and brilliantly described past, at times contemporary elements are dropped in. It is reminiscent of the Peter Greenaway short film A Walk Through H, and is perhaps best read as an elegant musing on the nature of cities and imagination. Reviews of this book tend to fall into two camps, on the one hand it is a brilliant piece of writing that should have earned the author a Nobel Prize, on the other it is a formless pretentious piece of ostentatious modernism that just does not work. I rather fall between the two camps, I read the whole book in half a dozen sessions, but my reaction alternated between the above two extremes. My initial impressions were amazement at just how good it was, the next time I read it, I was wondering just what had impressed me about it. It is certainly an impressive piece of writing, sitting with 

I wish the cover and paper were of a higher weight. This story deserves better.

You past adolescence and enter the world of adult literature. At first, you read anything and everything that found its way to your hands; then, slowly you begin discovering your own, unique literary taste, and you become selective. The more you read, the more selective you become. Your list of favorite authors and genres grows; you find literary voices that speak directly to your soul. By now, you have reached mid age, and you have over two decades of serious reading under your belt. Any new book that you open, any new author that you discover is judged against your favorites, against the voices that stimulated your mind over the years. Words and phrases are judged against those that provided comfort when you felt down; ideas and executions are compared against the benchmarks established over the years. You think you know what you like; you think you know what to expect. Well, perhaps you do. New books come along, and some attempt to quietly sneak in to your consciousness, while others attempt to shatter your world. Most, if not all, pale with your favorites, do not fit with your ideas, or leave you cold. Then, one day, you come across a gently used book. It's small, it looks interesting, and you buy it. That book manages to get under your skin in a very inconspicuous way, without you even noticing. Such was my encounter with Invisible Cities. My first Italo Calvino. He arrived on the heels of Bolaño, Borges, Ungar, and Girondo. Good company, you might say. I say no. Bolaño left me lukewarm—I was expecting more. Borges blew my mind—but only temporarily—he is amazing, but very systematic. Ungar was great—while reading him. Girondo was thought-provoking—entertaining but not mind-altering. Calvino managed to deliver where all of the above failed. He did not force his way to me, he came unsuspected, veiled in beautiful prose. All of the aforementioned authors wrote fine literature, amazing actually. Yet, they were all "in your face" at times. Calvino is like a spy who sneaks in under the cover of darkness. And here comes the strangest part: I haven't even noticed. To be honest, I cannot quite describe what kind of book is Invisible Cities. At first, I thought I knew. Then I thought I did not know, then I thought I knew again, and, in the end, I was reminded that I did not know. The book is simply beautiful. It is irrelevant and relevant at the same time, pointless and necessary at other times, while remaining non-contradictory. Does this make sense? I thought so. To me, Invisible Cities is not a single book, but three separate books. The first one is a wonderful study of humanity. These are the cities that reflect human behavior, the cities that serve as metaphor for greed, anger, vanity, et cetera. The second book is a book of cautionary tales. These are the cities that tell a story, a story of what will happen if we, as h...