Italo Calvino

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Have any of you read Calvino? He has been one of my favourite authors for many years. Has anyone here read him in the Italian?

If I had to pick just one book to take with me to a desert island, it could well be "Invisible Cities". This is a collection of 55 beautifully poetic descriptions of fabulous, mystical cities, you can see some examples here, (http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/00/pwillen1/lit/citysum.htm) interspersed with a dreamy conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. It is one of the most enchanting books I have ever read. I reach for it whenever I'm in a foul mood and it lifts me instantly.

He is also famous for "If on a winter's night a traveller...", a self-referential novel, written in large part in the second person. Some find it too clever by half but I loved it. It is also (allegedly) a rare example of a "post-modernist novel".

"The path to the nest of spiders", Calvino's first novel is also an interesting read. Unlike the two books mentioned above, it is very realist in style. The book is an account of a somewhat feeble-minded youth's activities within the Italian resistance movement during the 2nd world war, told from his perspective.

I would also recommend his short story collections - "Adam, One Afternoon" and "Cosmicomics" are both excellent.

Any body have any thoughts on his work?

[PeterL]

All that I have read by him was Cosmicomics. It is interesting. He is on my list of authors to read more of.

[beer good]

I loved "Invisible Cities", "If On A Winter's Night A Traveller" and "The Baron In The Trees". Been meaning to read more of his (and re-read the above when I get the chance).

Xamonas, have you read Alessandro Barrico? I read his "Silk", a short but very poetic novel, it reminded me a lot of "Invisible Cities", and not just because of the subject matter...

[Xamonas Chegwe]

I haven't read "Baron in the trees". What's it like? Would you recommend it?

And I haven't read "Silk" either, or anything by Barrico. But I might look it up - thanks.

[Virgil]

I read The Baron in the Trees too. I enjoyed it overall, but I'm not sure it would overwhelm critics. It was a curious situation (Baron decides to climb up a tree as a young man and then decides to live the rest of his life in the trees. Farcical but also captured a certain feeling. I've also read some of his short stories but nothing sticks out in my memory.

[Riesa]

"I have a large collection of Calvino, scattered on bookshelves across the world."

He's one of the writers that I pick up to re-read..I love Baron of the Trees, the ridiculous family that drives him to it, and I love the sourpuss sister. I wish I could read it in Italian, que buono.

[beer good]

Xamonas: I'd definitely recommend "The Baron...", though it's not quite as... um... Calvino-esque as "If On A..." and "Invisible Cities". The idea is basically that a young boy - the baron - climbs up into a tree as a child and then refuses to come down for his entire life. While the world changes - late 18th century, enlightenment, war, revolution - he continues his life in the tree tops as a living counterpoint to the world around him, or something like that. One of the funniest utopian novels I've read, though I really should re-read it to give it a fair review, it's been years.

[Sally Brown]

I'm italian and I can appreciate Italo Calvino's original novels.
They are wonderful.
I also find extraordinary Calvino's academic publications, as "Lezioni Americane" ("Six memos for the next millennium").
Have any of you read them?
These are Calvino's memos for us (and for U.S.):
1.Lightness
2.Quickness
3.Exactitude
4.Visibility
5.Multiplicity
6.Consistency

Bye,
Sally

[Grumbleguts]

I've only read "if on a winter night" but the others sound very interesting. If "invisible cities" bears conparison with "silk" it must be worth reading.

[Sami]

I hadn’t heard of this author before but he seems very interesting. I’ve had a look at the “Invisible Cities” link and they’re really beautiful, but also quite violent and sad. I’m not sure this would lift me if I were in a foul mood.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Sami,

It's the beauty that lifts me. I often listen to early Leonard Cohen when I'm depressed too. Sometimes, you don't need cute to lift you, but rather the confirmation that somebody else has felt the same way and has expressed it better than you ever could hope to.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Sally Brown,

I've read excerpts only of the "Six Memos" but from what I read, I agree with you.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

And for those of you that recommended "The Baron..", thanks, I'll make sure I read it soon.

[Koa]

Xamonas, if you search the forums, you may find at least one other thread about Calvino. :)

I read it in Italian as I am Italian (duh!). My favourite was the Baron... but I read also the one about the Knight and the the one about the Viscount (sorry I don't know the English titles and I'm too tired to look them up right now ;)). I also read The path to the spiders' nest, but I didn't like it that much - I barely remember why as it must have been 10 years ago or more...

I'm always surprised about him being so famous in the USA.