Calvino

[jazzfish]

Longer update later, probably Wednesday when I don't have two tests I haven't much studied for.

Read all of Clarke's Childhood's End today at work. Interesting. He's more optimistic than I am about a lot of things, but more pessimistic about others. . . I think it's safe to say that we agree about how things are likely to turn out but not on how they'll get there. It's a neat book, though. Makes you think.

I also got started on Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler. At least I think I did. I may have actually read selections from books by various authors entitled "If on a winter's night a traveler," "Outside the town of Malbork," and "Leaning from the steep slope." (Although I may not have read any of "If on a winter's night a traveler" at all. It's unclear.) I may also be getting a crush on a woman reading some of the same books due to printing errors. (It's disconcerting to read a book about the experience of reading a book.)

Book-a-minit's summary is "You think you're reading 'If on a winter's night a traveler' by Italo Calvino, but you're not." This appears scarily accurate. I cannot tell whether the book is brilliant or just pulling a nifty stylistic trick. Leaning towards brilliant, though.

And now off to study S&LT.

Comments

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Ever read House of Leaves? I'm still torn between brilliance and style tricks.

[jazzfish]

That's three people that've told me to read House of Leaves. I think we've still got a copy or two at work, so I'll put it in my stack.

("I can't tell if this is brilliant or not" is something I've heard a lot about that book. :)

[narquelion.livejournal.com]

Calvino's a freak. In a good way. Weird, but not pointlessly or pretentiously so.

[jazzfish]

I'm about 3/5 through If on a winter's night a traveller and I'm tending to agree with you. I hereby decree Calvino to be Good Stuff, and will dive into the other three books of his that I picked up (Cosmicomics, t zero, and The Path to the Spiders' Nests) over winter break, when I'm not trying to absorb all of Le Guin.

[awakedreamer.livejournal.com]

I've only read one of Calvino's books (The house of entangled destinies I think it was it's name), and I loved it.

Btw it's good to see you back Jazzfish (You spent quite a while without posting, didn't you?) ;).

[jazzfish]

Hm. My edition lists 'The Castle of Crossed Destinies' which is probably the same thing with a differently-translated title. I'll look into that one. I currently own Cosmicomics and t zero (story collections, I think) as well as The Path to the Spiders' Nests (Calvino's first novel), and will dive into them One Of These Days.

Yeah. I feel kind of guilty about it. . . but I'm trying hard to keep on track now. :)