Author Review: Italo Calvino

Author Review: Italo Calvino

Born in Cuba, lived most of his life in Italy. Some of his writing has been called postmodern, reflecting on literature and the act of reading, while some has been labeled magical realist, others fables, others simply "modern".
To me, he is one of the most intriguing and creative writers in the 20th century. His books are magical to read, fully engrossing; they take you away from reality and place you into a whole new world.


The Books I have read:

Mr. Palomar: In 27 short chapters, arranged in a 3 × 3 × 3 pattern, the title character makes philosophical observations about the world around him. Calvino shows us a man on a quest to quantify complex phenomena in a search for fundamental truths on the nature of being. Sounds complicated, but is a really easy and fun read. This was the first book I read of Calvino and it pulled me in by being so different from any other book I had read.

The Nonexistent Knight: This story takes place in Charlemagne's army, just like in The Song of Roland, only the main character here is a nonexistent knight--that's right, he doesn't exist. He can walk around, talk, fight, and feel emotions, but he has no body and he cannot do things like eat, for example, or ever take off his armour. It's a fantastic story, another example of Calvino's incredible mind and a great example of "magical realism".

The Baron In The Trees: In this wonderful story, a young boy decides he has had enough of his family and indeed, everything on the earth, so he climbs into the trees never comes down, for the rest of his life. Anyone who still remembers the joy of climbing trees as a kid, should read this book.

The Castle of Crossed Destinies: 1973 novel by Italo Calvino that details a meeting among travelers who are inexplicably unable to speak after traveling through a forest. The characters in the novel recount their tales via Tarot cards, which are reconstructed by the narrator.

Invisible Cities: This book is framed as a conversation between the emperor Kublai Khan, and Marco Polo whom he has describe to him the state of his empire. The majority of the book consists of Polo's descriptions (1-3 pages each) of 55 cities. The book is probably based on The Travels of Marco Polo, his travelogue of the Mongol Empire, written in the 13th century, which shares with Invisible Cities the brief, often fantastic accounts of the cities he visits.

The Cloven Viscount: This story follows a Viscount in a war who is blown in half by a cannon, only he doesn't die. The blast split him completely in half, one side good and one side bad. The bad side gets home first and subsequently terrorizes the homestead until the good side makes his way back. Again, Calvino absorbs you completely by his remarkably unique ideas.



Calvino wrote so many books, short stories and essays. You can find out more about him here:

http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/calvino/