Invisible Cities
by Italo Calvino (1972)
2023 reads, 1/12:
“I shall begin by asking you about a city of stairs, exposed to the sirocco, on a half-moon bay. Now I shall list some of the wonders it contains: a glass tank high as a cathedral so people can follow the swimming and flying of the swallow fish and draw auguries from them; a palm tree which plays the harp with its fronds in the wind; a square with a horseshoe marble table around it, a marble tablecloth, set with foods and beverages also of marble.”
Magical realism abounds in this 1972 novel (collection?) from Italo Calvino, an author that has been on my radar for a long time. These are not short stories, but rather a collection of descriptions of imaginary cities that explorer Marco Polo is describing to the emperor Kublai Khan. Although they do not speak the same language, this is a nonissue, because Marco Polo uses dances, objects, and visualizations to describe the cities to Khan. Their relationship (which we learn more about during the interludes) is one based off of understanding one another with unspoken words.
But to us readers, however, Calvino utilizes the perfect mix of vivid imagery (to describe the physical features of cities) and storytelling of the people, spirits, and culture that make up these cities. To me, this is a master craft on visualization, and I cannot recommend it enough – 2023 is starting off strong.
“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”
BONUS: some of my favorite cities include (and this list does not give any justice to the descriptions in the book):
- Zaira (Cities and Memory 3), a city that does not measure physical space, but “relationships between the measurements of its space and the events of its past”
- Despina (Cities and Desire 3), a city which can be reached by either ocean or desert, and depending on where you enter, you always desire the other side (a perfect metaphor for ‘the grass is always greener’)
- Euphemia (Trading Cities 1), a city which sets up a trading bazaar to not only trade wares, but memories of each other’s lives
- Adelma (Cities and The Dead 2), a city where everyone you meet resembles someone that you knew before they died