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A book better known for structure rather than a novel in the traditional sense. Marco Polo converses with Kublia Khan about cities he has traveled through. There are 9 chapters with 11 topic and each has a few cities. I liked some more than others. I found many quotes to highlight and do think this is a book probably best read slowly or read many times. I'd say it covers philosophical thought about society, time, life, death, humanity, environment and evolution of culture.
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The whole book is just the description of one imaginary city after another, with a frame story about Marco Polo describing his travels to Kublai Khan. It is quietly brilliant in the varied and insightful descriptions of the cities, revealing fundamental truths about the human existence, and I believe this is a book one needs to read again and again in order to fully appreciate the complexity. Although it is a short book it did take me most of the month to read, since I kept loosing interest and
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I am struggling with how to rate this and how to shelve it. 5 stars? 4 stars? I may change this later. Is this SF? Do I shelve it under central asia (for setting--though really is it set there?) or Italy (for author?).
While reading this book I kept thinking how China Miéville had to have read this book. Had to have. The tone in some segments, the seemingly outlandish ideas--they remind me so much of The City and the City, Embassytown, even Perdido Street Station. But especially the short story a ...more
While reading this book I kept thinking how China Miéville had to have read this book. Had to have. The tone in some segments, the seemingly outlandish ideas--they remind me so much of The City and the City, Embassytown, even Perdido Street Station. But especially the short story a ...more
Invisible Cities was a different kind of novel. Instead of telling a story, the author tells many descriptions of imaginary cities. He presents it as Marco Polo describing cities from his travel's to Kublai Khan. Each city has the feel of a dream city with fantastical and/or philosophical elements. The reader is left wondering weather each city exists, if Marco Polo is making them all up, or if they are simply different ways of describing the same city or all cities. The writing is beautiful and
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Best book I have read in a while. A great allegory of life!
Invisible Cities - Calvino
3 stars
It’s only 165 pages long, but I spent most of the year strolling through these invisible cities.
Each city is described in beautiful detail like individual prose poems. I liked them. I highlighted favorite phrases. I forgot them as soon as I closed the book.
3 stars
It’s only 165 pages long, but I spent most of the year strolling through these invisible cities.
Each city is described in beautiful detail like individual prose poems. I liked them. I highlighted favorite phrases. I forgot them as soon as I closed the book.
Sep 23, 2011
Kristen
marked it as to-read
Nov 12, 2012
Nanosynergy
marked it as to-read
Jun 10, 2014
Diane
marked it as to-read
