Italo Calvino?

[poodlepusher]

Which is your favourite?

I would have to say its a toss up between these three

If On A Winter's Night A Traveller - for the genius of writing from a whole different book in each chapter

Baron In The Trees (from the 3 stories collection) - for the humour, the political anarchy and sheer imagination of the story.

Invisible Cities - because of the beautiful imagery and the idea that we could follow a story with Marco Polo in it.

Anyone else?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

Dh's favourite author but I haven't taken to him - I did try If Once on a Winter's Night..

[spamm]

Definitely Il Visconte Dimezzato - no idea what it is in English, but I loved that story. Maybe I should re-read it.

[funnyhaha]

I luuurrve 'If on a winter's night', but have somehow never read any others. Will lurk for recommendations

[DarrellRivers]

Loved If on a winter's night a traveller, but never finished it
must add to ever longer growing list of books to read

[Sciolist]

I liked If on a Winters's Night, and I almost started reading it again last week.

Il Visconte Dimezzato is The Cloven Viscount in English.

[poodlepusher]

Yes The Cloven Viscount - its in the same collection as The Baron in the Trees, which I knew the name of (the collection) in English and Italian, but I've just had some babies and parts of my brain have well, walked out.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I liked one of his that was full of folk tales ... there was a line in one of the stories that really stuck in my head for ages ...

I do like If On A Winter's Night, too, but I like his more simple writing better.

[poodlepusher]

Ah the folk tales aren't REALLY his - he just wrote down old Italian folk tales, in his words. Oral tradition and all that. But I agree, they're very good.

[gingerninja]

Just bought If on a winters night so glad to see it's rated

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, I meant, there was one collection of short stories with story about Esperanto ... that collection. [fuzzy out of it from an operation emoticon]

[ArcticRoll]

Only read If On A Winter's Night A Traveller -ages ago but remember thinking it was brilliant.

[CoteDAzur]

Invisible Cities is mesmerising.

Put it on the night stand and read about one imaginary city before sleep (1-2 pages). It gives you incredible dreams.