Venice

[Alia]

Originally Posted by scalem X

I know, it is all I have.. I will crawl into my carton box now and wither away. I wish I could write, well in any language, really... *sigh*

LOL At least you have something to show off.

[speakmoretti]

It's not Young Adult and it's not fantasy - but has anyone read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino? That's about Venice, and it's a beautiful book.

By the way, I blame City of Masks for my complete obsession with Venice. I'm still very bitter that my family waited until I spent six months in Central America to go there

[Mary Hoffman]

Well, I have obviously! One of the epigraphs to City of Masks is from Invisible Cities. It is absolutely my favourite Calvino (though there is stiff competition). Although I don't have Scalem X's wonderful battery of languages, I can read Italian, so have it in both the English and Italian editions.

The first time I read it, I had to put it down after every few pages because it was so stimulating of ideas for writing.

Not long ago I met the Italian illustrator sara Fanelli, who lives in the UK, and discovered that she is a great Calvino fan too, with IC her favourite book.

It's not YA but it is magical realism and anyone attracted to speculative fiction should like it very much.

Mary

[GOLLUM]

I've always loved IC and am a big fan of Calvino. Brilliant writer! If On A Winter's Night A Traveller is a pretty hot contender for best work though...

[Mary Hoffman]

Yes, yes, yes! It's a close tie with IC. Brilliant book. I wish I liked the Castle of Crossed Destinies more, as it's such a brilliant idea but i can't make it work for me.

Glad to have found another fan! It's a pity he died so, relatively, young; there would have been even more wonderful books I'm sure.

Mary

[GOLLUM]

Yes that's quite tradgic. Speaking of fans I gather you haven't crossed paths with Nesacat yet. She's the biggest Calvino fan I've ever come across on these forums.

I think I have almost everything he wrote that is in English.

[Mary Hoffman]

Oh, not meaning to sound boastful but my lovely husband gave me the complete (except for essays and fairy stories) Calvino in Italian! It's on such fine paper that it fits into two volumes. One of my very favourite possessions.

And I have come across Nesacat, though not in connection with Calvino.

Mary

[speakmoretti]

Oh, not meaning to sound boastful but my lovely husband gave me the complete (except for essays and fairy stories) Calvino in Italian! It's on such fine paper that it fits into two volumes. One of my very favourite possessions.

Oh, wow.
That's all I have to say on the matter, but yes - WOW.


If on a Winters Night a Traveller was the first Calvino I read - pretty much quite by accident - I grabbed it off a bookshelf right before I went travelling because it had the most interesting title, I think. I ADORE it - it's... I just loved reading it.