ando here

Yes, and there are general piccadillos that I won't elaborate on since I haven't finished the book. But MM's admiration for the city of Chloe made me jump to that particular chapter (yes, I cheated, though despite her marvelous illustration of the novel's momemtum/mathematical build, I don't really think order is vitally important). In one passage of that chatper all about a city of utter appearances and little or no human connection Marco spots a woman "showing her full age". Now, what? It can't have that literal meaning in Italian. Only a man could write that! It seems awkward and ill timed given the varied, splendid but entirely superficial descriptions of people, entirely apropos given the city, surrounding the woman and the description on the page. But that blip has to have been made in the translation. Just feels wrong. And a bit stupid. A tree can show its full age. But a woman? In a glance?

I downloaded a digital copy of the original Italian version (Mondadori Books). Should be interesting.

Thanks for the Calvino article on the book. I'll read it once I'm finished. Don't want him messing with my initial encounter with it!

__________________