Invisible Cities

The second time I have read a book by Italo Calvino, this time Invisible Cities.  The explorer Marco Polo and the emperor Kublai Khan engage in a dialogue that has Polo describe his adventures exploring 55 cities throughout the empire of Khan. The dialogue of the two characters is rich in culture, have beautiful landscapes, diverse people, and everyday happenings.  Polo describes a skyline that offers Khan an opportunity to “see his empire” through Polo’s journeys.  The themes that Polo shares include: cities and memory, cities and desire, cities and designs, cities and the dead, cities and the sky, trading cities, and hidden cities.  Khan is an elderly emperor and these images provide some semblance of power and ownership for the land he believes he rules.  An interesting piece is that the two characters don’t seem to entirely understand each other’s language, so there is a disconnect and level of interpretation necessary from both ends.  While much of the prose creates dynamic images of the land, it didn’t paint the level of detail and scenery that got me excited as a reader.  OK, I sense the scope but what is the point?  I know many poets would say the picture painting is the point, ok then why the interspersed questions and dialogue between the traveler and the emperor?  Sometimes pictures create a better image than words.  I think I want to visit and see for myself.  Saving grace, this is a pretty quick read and of course, it is a highly regarded and nominated for various awards.  I preferred Calvino’s other read, The Baron in the Trees, another story where two characters were incapable of understanding each other.  Take a pass and read Baron.