Invisible Cities - Amazing! -More Rec's?

[Rores28]

Just finished this last night and was pretty blown away. This book has an odd dream-like quality where every scene seems to be imbued with tremendous importance and wonder, and yet I seem to forget it almost immediately. Even in translation the writing seems to have a sort of effortless beauty to it.

Can anyone recommend any other books by Calvino that are on par with the quality of invisible cities?

Also I haven't read any criticism on Calvino or the book, but I'm very interested. Can anyone recommend any good commentary?

Thanks!

[stlukesguild]

Invisible Cities is unique in Calvino's oeuvre... as are almost any of his books. No other book by Calvino quite presents a similar merger of poetry/prose/meditation/fable/fantasy... but I would most assuredly recommend the Complete Cosmicomics in which Calvino uses scientific facts as a starting point upon which to build his fabulous narratives... narrated by the most fantastic of characters... the unpronounceable Qfwfq. The Baron in the Trees is another marvelous fable.

If you like Calvino's manner of writing I would suggest you also look into the tradition of "Magic Realism" in Latin-America, especially the short fictions of J.L. Borges, Augusto Monterroso, Julio Cortazar, Carlos Fuentes, etc...

[Rores28]

Thanks!

I actually planned on making my first foray into Borges this weekend, with Labyrinths. I've heard there is a large difference between the translators, Giovanni often being cited as the best. Have you read different translations and noticed any major aesthetic differences?

[Rores28]

Thanks!

I actually planned on making my first foray into Borges this weekend, with Labyrinths. I've heard there is a large difference between the translators, Giovanni often being cited as the best. Have you read different translations and noticed any major aesthetic differences?

[stlukesguild]

Really, the clean, crisp manner of Borges prose doesn't seem to have changed much from one translation to the next. I have read virtually everything by Borges available in English and can't say anything left me disappointed in terms of translation.