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 Invisible Cities changed my perception of the city in which I live and the cities to which I travel
I don't relate to the cities as being places, but more as states of mind, or maybe metaphysical states. This is perhaps why the cities seem so magical. If your're even slightly intrigued, give it a look. If you aren't going to like it, you'll know in about one minute.
The characterization works like a photographic negative. He never tells us of Genghis Khan or Marco Polo; no descriptions or personality traits given. What he uses is their ideas and the things that they talk of to describe what kind of people they are. Thus, it is through their impressions on the template that I could tell what kind of characters they are. That is good, confident writing, I think. The imagery is powerful too. Calvino strives to make his cities visible in the imagination. This is one trait that I think will make him be read years and years from now. Take your time with this novel. In fact, I don't think that it is possible to even race through it. It's shortness is misleading, it is very dense and laden with vitality and deserves to be savored in enjoyment and not raced through in the reading. But if you can slow down and enjoy it, I think you will find it to be well worth the effort.
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