In narrative terms, the novel is about imagination and creativity, reality and identity (though in a rather general, abstract way), and – particularly – the way we create assumptions.Īnd so, with this in mind, let’s talk about characters – so that I can dispel one such assumption. You see, as I often say, literature is more than a sum of its parts, and no other book I’ve read recently portrays this more skillfully than Calvino’s novel. The plot doesn’t matter either, and I’m delighted I need just one sentence to describe what the book is about: Marco Polo and Kublai Khan discuss the various cities the former has visited. Ridiculously, Amazon lumps it with such categories as “Classic Action & Adventure”, “Biographical Historical Fiction”, and even “Historical Italian Fiction”, which are only some of the categories Invisible Cities amusingly deconstructs. We could call it experimental fiction, surrealist, postmodern, it doesn’t matter. Invisible Cities is a book that defies categorization Review of Invisible Cities: Genre, Plot, Narrative And so, in this review of Invisible Cities my goal – as with everything else I review – is ultimately to show you what the book feels like, rather than what it is. But reviews aren’t about what we like, but about why we like them. With these in mind, it will likely be no surprise to hear that I loved Calvino’s book. It’s what art should really be like: Focusing on affect, foregoing plot. Invisible Cities defies characterization. In that review, too, I had real trouble placing the work in a certain framework. ![]() ![]() If that way of describing it sounds familiar, you’ve likely read my review of Confessions of a Mask, by Yukio Mishima. So, what should a review of Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino be like? One thing’s for certain: It can’t be like any other review, because the novel (if one may still call it that) is like no other, either.
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