Italo Calvino's, "Invisible Cities" is one word, confusing. As I started to read, I thought that I would somehow understand what was going on but I didn't. It is odd how Calvino starts describing cities right away, that I don't even understand. It is as if he expected for us to understand what he was talking about. But again this book has so many weird things, like the way that one can read it in tow ways. So maytbe Calvino just wants to keep on confusing us and figyure out his mesage on our own. Although it is frusturating, at the same time it is a challenge that I would like to pass. Also how he includes the dialogue between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. How do these two relate?

I just kept on reading. I read about Isidora, Zirma, Despina and all of the cities had speacial characteristics. The one that grabed most my attention was Anastasia. "When you believe you are enjoying Anastasia wholly when you are only its slave." (pg. 12) How can a city which you believe you are enjoying end up to be one that is destroying you? I hand not understood how this could happen but then I remembered an important word, "allegory". This couldn't be a book just describing crazy cities, it has to have a meaning. That is when I started to think about something in our lives that makes you feel good but is actually destroying you. Drugs.

This book reminds me of Dantes Inferno, because it too was an allegory. It was the path of the life of a man, and I believe "Invisible Cities" is also doing so. " I too am returning from Zirma." (pg 19) That "I" I haven't figured out yet, but I hope I can. This book is one that we have to figure out what everything means, it is all figurative. Although reading it frusturates me because I don't understand clearly what is going on, it intrigues me to find out the meaning. The dialogue that shows up between Kublai Khan and Marcopolo makes my head spin even more because I don't understand the purpose of those two. Kublai Khan doesn't understand well what Marcopolo is saying but he still pays attention to him. And Marcopolo who is a great explorer tells him about the lands that he explors. In a way Marcopolo relates to this book because he would dicover new lands which can be seen as cities that we too as readers are exploring. But I still don't understand what the purpose of their dialogue or there presence in the book is. I would like to find out.