A reader sits down to start a novel by Italo Calvino, and the text addresses him directly: you are about to begin If on a winter's night a traveler. He finds that his copy is defective, goes back to the bookshop, and is given another, which turns out to be a different book that breaks off at a crucial moment. Each chapter alternates between the Reader's pursuit of the missing text, including his romance with a fellow reader named Ludmilla, and the opening of a new novel in a different style. Calvino uses the structure to investigate how reading works, what an author does, and what it means to finish a story.
It is a book for lovers of experimental fiction and anyone who enjoys play with form.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- ISBN
- 9788478444533
- Language
- ES
