Invisible Cities is my first encounter with Italo Calvino's writing, and it's a book that I've been excited about getting into for a while. I was really drawn in by the premise, of the entire narrative centred around one character describing made-up cities to another.
It really is a beautifully-written book. The whole thing is an exercise in prose and atmosphere, and it succeeds wonderfully at what it sets out to do. Meditative, melancholy and atmospheric, it feels like you're wandering aimlessly through a dream that's simultaneously vivid and intangible. The cities described by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan operate on their own imaginary logic. It feels, funnily enough, almost like worldbuilding lore dumps from a fantasy novel, just written way better.
It's a book that also seems to be a treatise on the concept of cities themselves, of these settlements that grow and transform and morph over time, holding within them thousands and thousands of lives and existences.
I think it's important to have the right expectations for this book though – I loved it but it may not be something that appeals to everyone, especially if you're expecting a conventional plot or characters. But if beautiful prose and atmosphere is what you're after, it's an easy recommend.
by keepfighting90
3 Comments
Always a favourite of mine. I frequently gift it too. Lovely book.
Read this one a couple years back and it still pops into my head randomly. You nailed it with the dream comparison – there’s something about how Calvino describes those cities that makes them feel more real than actual places sometimes. I work with my hands all day and usually go for straightforward books, but this one stuck with me in a weird way
The whole thing reminded me of those late night drives through small towns where you catch glimpses of lit windows and wonder about the lives inside. Each city description has that same kind of feeling, like you’re seeing just enough to make your imagination fill in the rest. Marco Polo’s basically doing what we all do when we people-watch or drive through unfamiliar neighborhoods, just cranked up to eleven
Definitely agree about managing expectations though – went in thinking it was gonna be some epic travel story and got something completely different. Way better than what I was expecting but took me a few chapters to adjust
Have you read “If on a winter’s night a traveler”?