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MJ Nicholls's Reviews > Invisible Cities

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
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really liked it
bookshelves: novels, oulipians, southern-europe

I read the edition translated into Scots by Wullie Weaver. Here are a few excerpts:


Repulsive Cities � 2

The red brick edifices tower over the populace, signifers of a forgotten dream, of a thought abandoned in the ailing conscious of intrepid colonial adventurers. A range of hominids patrol the looming DSS office walls, dishing out abuse to obese mothers and wageless wanderers. This is a city of broken faeces, a city of cross-eyed big brothers, watching from the skies for a sign of salvation, something to lift this horrible land to a brighter plateau. In every repulsive city there is a gem, a signal: the kindly arms of naïve temptresses.


Backward Cities � 5

In a field of obtuse posies I come across a farmer, tilling the field with his bent hoe, straining crops into order. “Quaint vassal, wherefore the heart of this green desert?� I ask. “In the shiny breasts of my daughter, that’s where, oh-lordy-aye,� he says. Across the road I spy a girl with the face of this man, his features as though transcribed on her red-rosied skin. All around me, a tissue of incestuous progenies, mixing their colours, discussing the fastest route into hell, where redemption no longer achieves the mythos of a dream.


Pretentious Cities � 1

Among the golden buttresses sits a Lord, his luxurious grey beard brushing the bespectacled inhabitants, reading from the Great Works. Etched in history, the builders and planners, their names spelt in flashing neon clouds, passing through the streets, filling the people with words and ideas. Down the street a gemstone, doused in the milks of the Great Poets, where scholars feed from, where the fools are sacrificed at the altar of knowledge.
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Reading Progress

April 14, 2011 – Started Reading
April 14, 2011 – Shelved
April 15, 2011 – Shelved as: novels
April 15, 2011 – Finished Reading
January 25, 2012 – Shelved as: oulipians
August 26, 2014 – Shelved as: southern-europe

Comments Showing 1-14 of 14 (14 new)

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Nate D ooooh. You'll love it, I expect.


message 2: by MJ (last edited Apr 15, 2011 03:02PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls I did, I did. I'm not a Calvinoite, alas... this is the last one I'll be reading.

P.S. for my review: Further reading on the structure and Ed Hollis's The Secret Lives of Buildings continues the re-imagining of cities throughout history in his inventive architectural book. Worth a look.


Riku Sayuj brilliant!


message 4: by Ian (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ian "Marvin" Graye This one deserves a pint.


message 5: by MJ (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls Ian wrote: "This one deserves a pint."

And some peanuts?


message 6: by Ian (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ian "Marvin" Graye Barman? Bring us our nuts!


message 7: by Ian (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ian "Marvin" Graye P.S. I owe you a read and a review.


message 8: by MJ (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls Ian wrote: "P.S. I owe you a read and a review."

FM Sushi finished with me?


message 9: by Ian (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ian "Marvin" Graye I just asked her and she affected the most uncharacteristic, but postmodern, belch.

I took that as a no.

She keeps your book between her legs, so that I can't have access to it.


message 10: by MJ (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls Ian wrote: "She keeps your book between her legs, so that I can't have access to it."

Yikes. Lucky she doesn't have access to your GR account.


message 11: by Ian (new) - rated it 5 stars

Ian "Marvin" Graye By it, I meant your book.


message 12: by MJ (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls Ian wrote: "By it, I meant your book."

Such was my understanding.


Cecily Wonderful. This is the most entertaining, but still clever and relevant review of this I've read.

Want another pint?


message 14: by MJ (new) - rated it 4 stars

MJ Nicholls ^ You praise too highly. I'm pleased it made sense to someone though. :)


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