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Invisible Cities
  
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Invisible Cities (Paperback)

by Italo Calvino (Author), W. Weaver (Translator)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)

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"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 Venetian with greater attention and curiosity than he shows any other messenger or explorer of his." So begins Italo Calvino's compilation of fragmentary urban images. As Marco tells the khan about Armilla, which "has nothing that makes it seem a city, except the water pipes that rise vertically where the houses should be and spread out horizontally where the floors should be," the spider-web city of Octavia, and other marvelous burgs, it may be that he is creating them all out of his imagination, or perhaps he is recreating details of his native Venice over and over again, or perhaps he is simply recounting some of the myriad possible forms a city might take. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

50 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This simple parable will appeal to fans of magical realism., Feb 12 2002
By SilverSun (Columbus OH) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Invisible Cities (Paperback)
This short book is both a parable about power and a wonderful compendium of magical places as enchanting as the late medieval traveler's tales that Calvino has clearly absorbed. The aged dictator Khan sits at the edge of a vast empire that he has never actually toured. The nimble Marco Polo, by contrast, possesses no territory; only the memory of his many travels.

Like Sheherazade recounting her thousand-and-one tales, Polo finds himself in the position of having to recollect for Khan the descriptions of the many cities that he ostensibly possesses. Polo thus becomes the Khan's only source for information about the cities in his territory; hence their 'invisibility.' But the descriptions he gives of the cities seem increasingly fantastic and elaborate. The Khan is skeptical. Polo, for his part, insists that he is being frank.

The question at the center of the book becomes: who possesses these cities? Kublai Khan, or Marco Polo? What are we to make of the possibility that Polo, for all his protestations, is being less than honest with the Khan? In which case, do the cities exist only in the traveler's imagination? If so, is the Khan's empire therefore merely a dream and an invention?

The brevity of each section (1 to 3 pages) and the sensual pleasures Calvino's descriptions provoke makes this book exquisite bed-time reading. In fact, older children would probably also enjoy the beauty of this charming tale.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and Surreal, Jul 13 2001
By "the_kenosha_kid" (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Invisible Cities (Paperback)
This book, if any, merits more than a single, swift reading. It is a rare gem which should be savored gradually. Each section a slight glimpse of the sublime, Invisible Cities, if you allow it, may prove a valuable lifelong companion.
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4.0 out of 5 stars the adventures of marco polo..., May 24 2001
By Erren Geraud Kelly (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Invisible Cities (Paperback)
if they were told by scherazade....the story is trippy...history mixed in with some sci-fi...nice thing about the book is you don't have to be a sci-fi or history buff to really appreciate it, because the story is so good. also try " if on a winter's night a traveller..."
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a must own! ...
i read excerpts from this book a couple years before i got into architecture school, it was one of the things that helped give me that final push into choosing architecture as my... Read more
Published on April 22 2002

2.0 out of 5 stars BORING AND REPETITIVE
i had to read this for school, i hated it. its boring and repetitive. you can read the first 2 or 3 chapters and thats all you need, because it doesnt change. Read more
Published on Mar 4 2002 by Jon

5.0 out of 5 stars The Endless Possibilities of Human Creativity
This is one of my two or three all-time favorite books. Why? Because Calvino manages to capture and express the endless possibilities for human creativity. Read more
Published on May 11 2001 by Bruce Schachne

5.0 out of 5 stars Polo vs Kublai in the world's series of cities.
Marco Polo arrived in Katai (now China) by traveling as long as 3 years and a half. He would be staying at the Kublai Khan's court for 17 years as ambassador and governor. Read more
Published on Mar 2 2001 by Roberto Dondi

5.0 out of 5 stars Invisible cities - visible genius
Calvino is well-known for stretching the form of the novel, and Invisible Cities is certainly innovative in this respect. Read more
Published on Feb 5 2001 by R. Griffiths

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite
For many people Invisible Cities is their favorite Calvino novel. While it is not quite mine (I prefer If on a Winter's Night a Traveller and The Baron in the Trees) no one would... Read more
Published on Dec 21 2000 by pnotley@hotmail.com

5.0 out of 5 stars None of my friends are lukewarm about this book
This book is clearly not to everyone's taste: friends of mine have been either enchanted or completely baffled by it. It is poetry masquerading as prose. Read more
Published on Nov 25 2000 by Neal J. King

4.0 out of 5 stars Nervewrackinly Hypnotic
I took a college class recently which featured this book. I found the concept behind this book original, clever, and intelligent. Read more
Published on Oct 25 2000 by Chris Tringali

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantasia of the Imagination
Once more, I have grown in my appreciation and respect for Calvino's works. He writes using precise words and never quits until he has portrayed an image in sentences. Read more
Published on Sep 9 2000 by Mark Valentine

5.0 out of 5 stars Can I give this SIX stars?
I love this book. It taught me to see beyond the external appearance of cities and to look for the spirit behind things. Read more
Published on Aug 11 2000 by Vince Cabrera

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