Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler

[Aimée]

Have any of you read this book? What did you think of it from the point of view of a writer?

[HillaryJ]

I liked this and Difficult Loves, and I adore his retold Italian Folk Tales. Now, having said that, I haven't read these books in a decade or so. That's before I began writing novel-length works. I will reread them at some point, and it will be interesting to find out if my impression has changed. They were not easy reads for me then. Magic realism (in translation, if that matters) is challenging, and it's easy for me to fall out of the story. Though, with most, I'm able to haul myself back in and re-engage. I very much enjoy reading Haruki Murakami, who I would considered similar in some ways, though his is a style I would never seek to imitate.

[Leonidas]

I haven't read this, but ever since I read The Baron in the Trees two years ago for an English assignment, I've wanted to read more of his work. Thanks for reminding me to put this on my summer reading list!

If I manage to get my hands on it anytime soon, I'll post back here with my opinion on it.

[hektorkarl]

I really enjoyed Calvino, though, like Hilary, it's been a few years since I've read him, so my thoughts are a bit hazy.

One piece of praise I'll give is that his work offers things unavailable elsewhere (though he often gets compared to Borges -- I don't find him quite that good). There's a beautiful strangeness to his work. This may put some people off, but I'd at least give it a shot to see if it clicks.

Invisible Cities is another of his more interesting works. It's also short, for those who care about that sort of thing. (Hey, we're all busy.)