Of all coffee table books, Tete a tetes over latte and mind trips on weed, this is an excellent tangible record of the same. Italo Calvino has so sublimely described in tactful detail a myriad of imaginative cities each having a single strong identity or character.
Through the cities the author compels you to think of one’s own city or one’s perception of a city.
The book is based solely on the interaction between the great emperor Kublai Khan and the Venetian traveler Marco Polo. Marco Polo teases all the senses of the emperor by describing his travels not only through words but also by mimes, artifacts, souvenirs, dramatic gestures and expressions.
He keeps the Emperor constantly guessing an ultimately arriving at the question “what defines a city? “
Paradigms about the purpose of governance, attitude of a city and the origins of life are discussed and leave the reader thoughtful. He speaks of cities of the dead, transitory cities, cities under perennial construction and even cities that reflect themselves.
From cities inspired by spiderwebs to cities made only of plumbing pipelines, Marco Polo lures the reader into an ethereal world.
I was particularly impressed by his rendition of the city of Thekla. A city that is always under construction and is literally work in progress day after day, year after year. It captures the essence of every living city where the only constant is change.
'Why is Thekla's construction taking such a long time?' the inhabitants
continue hoisting sacks, lowering leaded strings, moving long brushes up and down,
as they answer, 'So that its destruction cannot begin.'
By the above lines, he reinstates the law of life, constant propagation. The deep rooted attachment of the inhabitants of a city to the city itself is also brought out.
With each unique he describes, Calvino delves deeper into human psychology, urban temperaments and succeeds in bringing out the flavors of life.
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