Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
In this unique novel, a Venetian traveler describes 55 different cities to the Mongol emperor, each city more fantastical and surreal than the last. The cities are divided into categories such as "Cities and Memory," "Cities and Desire," "Cities and Signs," etc. As the traveler continues to describe these cities, it becomes clear that they are all actually the same city, Venice, seen from different perspectives and points in time. The novel explores themes of memory, perception, and the nature of human experience.
The 202nd greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 1532
This book was first published in 1972
24 Lists
- score: 183 -- 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities - 2020 (Weight: 190)
- score: 160 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English - 2026 (Weight: 160)
- score: 141 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 129 -- Zeit Literaturkanon - 2012 (Weight: 146)
- score: 118 -- The Bigger Read List - 2003 (Weight: 160)
- score: 117 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 103 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 105)
- score: 89 -- List of the 100 best Italian books of the last 200 years - 2017 (Weight: 92)
- score: 87 -- TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) - 2023 (Weight: 80)
- score: 75 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 118)
- score: 75 -- The 100 Most Important Translations - 2018 (Weight: 80)
- score: 60 -- 40 Most Important Books, 1927-2001 - 2001 (Weight: 86)
- score: 50 -- 4chan’s Literature Board’s Aggregate Top 100 Books for the Decade 2014 - 2024 - 2024 (Weight: 50)
- score: 40 -- The Ultimate Book Bucket List: The 75 Best Books Of All Time - 2023 (Weight: 38)
- score: 35 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 21 -- The 100 Novels You Must Read in Your Lifetime - 2023 (Weight: 20)
- score: 15 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 20)
- score: 10 -- Top 10 Books by Jeanette Winterson - 2023 (Weight: 10)
- score: 6 -- How to Read and Why - 2000 (Weight: 10)
- score: 4 -- Donald Barthelme’s Reading List - 1985 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 25 Books to Read Before You Die: World Edition - 2016 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 - 2013 (Weight: 1)