Invisible Cities Paperback – 2 Oct. 1997

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.

Invisible Cities on KindleThis 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 Pale Fire (Penguin Modern Classics) and A Void as bold experiments. However for most readers the test of a bold experiment is whether it remains readable, for me The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Bad Day for the Sung Dynasty, The Following Story (Harvill Panther), and The Book of Sand and Shakespeare's Memory (Penguin Modern Classics) are equally bold but ultimately far more compelling. But each to their own, this is well worth reading, and it is the classic piece of modernist literature on cities.

Timely delivery with Amazon Prime, sturdy packaging with good protection, the book arrived in pristine condition, good-quality paper, a soft cover with a brightly coloured title page. Looking forward to reading it.

I was surprised to see some readers did not enjoy this book. Perhaps they had been expecting something else. Invisible Cities is close to being the opposite of a narrative. Marco Polo visits the diverse cities of the Khan's empire; but there is really no travelling and every place is a different way of seeing the same object, suggesting the fantastic worlds described to the Khan by his ambassador exist, if anywhere, in their opium filled minds. In this it resonates with a favourite movie - Once Upon A Time In America.But what a dream! Although the narrative development is scarce, the descriptions - each of which is no more than a page or two - develop like a musical score, with innumerable themes revisited in different inversions and with wild variations. As when listening to J.S.Bach, the invention and the imagination are themselves enough to move the reader. And this is a political, humanistic work, with the lightest of touches, but with mysterious depths.

Read a few at a time the descriptions of the cities are intreaging and to an extent amusing. Does seem to repeat some of the ideas a bit. Not sure what it is about.

A very unique read, and a must read for writers, especially for the rich vocabulary. The book is short, but it takes time to comprehend some sentences, images and descriptions.

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.

An absolutely gorgeous book! Pick it up and put it down around your busy lives one page at a time, or devour it in a single sitting. I love it - the imagery that Calvino conjures up is so vivid, and so thoughtful. Wish I'd found it much sooner, but glad I have it in my life now.

With its thought provoking nature and vivid descriptions of cities and faraway lands, it reflects a city we have built or will build. It reflects cities of a long forgotten past or a thoughtful, fruitful future. The duality and contrast of the 'beauty to grime' aspect is beautifully written in this book. Its segmented and formatted so you can quickly read about one of the cities Marco Polo describes to Kublai Khan. In that way its an easily digestible book and I absolutely recommend it to scholars or to anyone.

Great read, interesting, fun, and fantastical.

favorite book ever!

My first Calvino read, has inspired me to read more by him.Kubla Khan, the emperor and Marco Polo, the explorer converse about fictitious cities, bringing into play, a multitude of observations, human experience entails.The book is a dialogue, debate, observation, discourse, fantasy. Keeping it simple, Calvino doesn't overwhelm with treatises, letting the reader infer.A city is more than a geographical point. The way we identify with it is not just about its layout and sights. Connected intangibles, like inspiration to think, be a certain way, how they make one feel, the same point represents totally diverse meanings to each individual."You return from lands equally distant and you can tell me only the thoughts that come to a man who sits on his doorstep at evening to enjoy the cool air. What is the use, then, of all your travelling?"My favourite lines from the book -"In Ersilia, to establish the relationships that sustain the city's life, the inhabitants stretch strings from the corners of the houses, white or black or gray or black and white according to whether they mark a relationship of blood, of trade, authority, agency. When the strings become so numerous that you can no longer pass among them, the inhabitants leave, the houses are dismantled, only the strings and their supports remain."Beautiful concept with the threads panning out, each signifying a connection, beginning afresh, when the connections become overwhelming."Baucis residents.. contemplating with fascination their own absence."This was the city where the residents didn't establish contact with the land because of the respect they had for it. Fascinating perspective on what the earth would be if humans were removed from the equation."You reach a moment in life when among the people you've known, the dead outnumber the living. And the mind refuses to accept more faces, more expressions on every new face you encounter, it prints the old forms, for each one it finds the most suitable mask."At a certain stage in life, one has established so many acquaintances, that henceforth, each person brings another to mind. Akin to extensive travelling, evoking in one destination, reminisces about another.Seeing our cities transform at a dizzying pace, the nostalgia for what was, the itch to travel and see more - at times, returning deflated, because a city wasn't what one expected it to be or exalted because it was beyond expectations, there's a lot one can identify with.

Excelente producto que ajusta perfecto a mi teléfono. Funciona perfecto la sensibilidad tactil.