THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 2nd October 2020: DAY 187

'The Constant Library',  Volume XII:
"If on a winter's night a traveller." Italo Calvino.'

'The Constant Library',  Volume XII:
"If on a winter's night a traveller ," Italo Calvino.'

"The idea for 'The Constant Library' follows on from a recent conversation considering which books had, and continue to have, the greatest affect my life in a variety of different ways. These are the books I can't live without and whenever possible I have a copy of with me wherever I travel in the world; my 'Constant Library."

Well it had to happen, as with most people I have favorite authors, people whose breadth of work appeals to me rather than just a single book. When I began to think about this project I had thought that it might be something by Perec which would make him my first 'repeat offender'; but 'If on a winter's night' got in first.

As with other Calvino and Perec books, it's a mixture of the experimental style of the writing balanced with the wicked humour which appeals here. Although I say that Calvino's books generally appeal to me it is almost impossible to define why it is so in more exact terms as they are all so different in tone and style. Rather than trying to compare how his different books are similar it is probably better to just describe them by the use of certain words: surreal, unique, entertaining, challenging, refreshing and perhaps captivating. If those words describe a book or even books, yes plural, that you'd enjoy then I suggest you just take my work for it and read 'If on a winter's night a traveller'.