"Invisible Cities" is the English translation of "Le citta invisibili", written by Italo Calvino. It was published in Italian in 1972 and in English in 1974. Its framing device is a conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, although this is not presented at all in a historical and realistic context. Instead, Marco Polo narrates descriptions of imaginary, fantastic cities he has visited. These cities are not described as having normal geography or society, but are instead dream cities full of inversion, reflections and secrets. Whether these descriptions are full of topical political and literary allusions is something I couldn't tell: I don't know enough about Italian society to know whether Calvino was making a specific commentary or whether this is, as seems to be, merely surreal flights of fancy.

While I found this book interesting reading, I have to admit that I can't really make out what it is about. Which, perhaps, is the point.