Invisible Cities

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (c. 1300)

Written in the 13th century, The Travels of Marco Polo details Italian explorer Marco Polo’s movements through Asia between 1271 and 1295. The book was co-written by Rustichello da Pisa, an Italian writer who met Polo while the two were in prison in Genoa, Italy.

• The Travels of Marco Polo on SuperSummary

“Invisible Cities” by Joseph McElroy (1974)

This New York Times review of Invisible Cities closely follows the 1974 English translation of the work. It summarizes the novel and compares it to Calvino’s existing repertoire.

“The Death of the Author” by Roland Barthes, translated by S. Heath (1977)

This translation of Roland Barthes’s 1967 essay “The Death of the Author” shows the deconstructionist movement’s tendency to place value on the interpretation over the original. It is a useful companion for understanding the ambiguity and plurality in Calvino’s text.

“Need the Perfect Guidebook to Venice? Look No Further” by Jonathan Jones (2011)

This article published by The Guardian describes Calvino’s influence on the 2011 Venice Biennale art fair and expresses Jonathan Jones’ analysis on why Calvino is the perfect tour-guide to his city.

“Marco Polo” by History.com (2012)

This entry on Marco Polo gives a summary of his life and lists his interactions with Kublai Khan. It is also useful for describing the contents of his monograph, The Travels of Marco Polo.