Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore

You, the Reader, begin Italo Calvino's new novel, and by the second chapter the pages are repeating, or the text turns out to be something else entirely. You return to the shop, meet Ludmilla, another reader who has had the same problem, and together you chase a series of unfinished novels that each begin with a promising first chapter and then stop: a smuggler's tale, a Japanese domestic drama, a political thriller from a fictional country. The framing plot involves forgers, censors, and a translator. Calvino writes the whole thing in the second person, turning the reading process itself into an adventure.

It suits readers who like postmodern puzzles and playful writing. It is accessible for a book so structurally unusual.

Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.

Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?