Invisible Cities, a novel by Italian writer Italo Calvino, is a masterpiece of combinatory literature that deconstructs the traditional travel literature genre. The book is structured around nine chapters, each featuring an opening and closing section narrating dialogues between the Khan and Marco Polo. Between these sections lies a treasure trove of descriptions of fifty-five cities, all bearing women's names.

The cities are divided into eleven thematic groups, with five cities in each group. Calvino's rigorous mathematical structure ensures that the reader can navigate the book in various ways, choosing to follow one group or another rather than reading it chronologically. The book is a polyhedron, with conclusions scattered throughout its edges, allowing readers to play with the structure and uncover hidden patterns.

Invisible Cities is an example of Calvino's use of combinatory literature, which draws influences from semiotics and structuralism. The novel reworks the archetypal travelogue, 'The Travels of Marco Polo,' by depicting a fantastical journey across Asia and Yuan China. Short dialogues between Kublai and Polo are interspersed throughout the book, discussing topics such as culture, language, time, memory, death, and human experience.

The majority of the book consists of brief prose poems describing the fictitious cities, which can be read as commentary on the human condition. The book is framed as a conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, with the former asking about a city Polo never mentioned: his hometown of Venice. These interludes add to the complexity of language and stories, playing with the reader's expectations.

Invisible Cities was first published in Italy in 1972 by Giulio Einaudi Editore. The novel has since become a classic of contemporary literature, offering readers a unique and thought-provoking experience. With its intricate structure and poetic prose, Invisible Cities is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the boundaries of storytelling.

Calvino invisible cities pdf