Cities

by Robert Kelly

"Cities," originally published in 1971, is the fantastic memoir of an adventurer, S.I. Hodgkins, concerning his journeys to secret, invisible cities throughout the world. A contemporary version of the medieval Sir John Mandeville, or perhaps an American incarnation of Rene Daumal, Hodgkins recounts the most extravagent settings and encounters with an astonishing sense of veracity. One of the celebrated poet Robert Kelly's most highly praised and widely read prose fictions, "Cities" is sometimes compared to Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities," quite favorably. The author " 'Cities' was written in 1966 and published as a little novel five years later. It had been composed on the surge of energy left over from writing 'The Scorpions,' my first published novel. 'Cities' was written quickly and with delight, some of which I still feel, though some of it has turned into puzzlement because of a book with a similar title by Italo Calvino, which many of my readers mention to me. Though I’ve read and admired Calvino’s 'Italian Folk Tales,' and looked at his 'Castle of Crossed Destinies,' I’ve never had the heart to read his book of cities. I gather from descriptions that it’s Marco Polo-ish, and very good. From what I hear, it must have been written just about the same time as my 'Cities,' and by its merits and his good karma has won more attention from the public than my little novel has yet. No doubt there are people who think I stole from him, or perhaps a few who even think he stole from me; neither is the case, obviously, and lately my puzzlement has turned to a slow admiration of the means by which the very hidden cities Calvino and I were both presumably in search of have chosen to declare themselves, and force their own secret commonwealth on public awareness."

Genres: Fiction

65 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Kelly has published more than fifty books of poetry and prose, including Red Actions: Selected Poems 1960-1993 (1995) and a collection of short fictions, A Transparent Tree (1985). Many were published by the Black Sparrow Press. He also edited the anthology A Controversy of Poets (1965).Kelly was of great help to the Hungryalist group of poets of India during the trial of Malay Roychoudhury,with whom he had correspondence,now archived at Kolkata.

Kelly received the Los Angeles Times First Annual Book Award (1980) for Kill the Messenger Who Brings Bad News and the American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation (1991) for In Time.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am 47 years old, in excellent physical condition, of more than moderate wealth, of rubicund and mesomorphic physique but Saturnine disposition. I won houses in New York, London, Paris, and Calcutta; lodges in Scotland, New Mexico, the Cote d'Azur, Ceylon and Darjeeling; apartments in Moscow, Tokyo, San Francisco, Rio and Cairo. I own seven cars, a ranch in Argentina, 3000 acres of Maine timber, a palace in Iran, two yachts, four motor botes, a modest old Ford tri-motor, a houseboat on the Irrawady, a 37-foot limestone wall richly carved with Hindu fable, a moderately powerful radio station in Luristan, controlling interest in three small cheese companies and a middling oil cartel. I own no pets" (2).

"For in Fatima I wrote but three laws: Do Not Kill. Do Not Hurt People. Do Not Take What Isn't Yours" (8).

"I sailed uneventfully for several days, enjoying my first true leisure in years. By evening of the fifth day, it was apparent that the cook was insane; the red ink whipped with the mashed potatoes at lunch might have been an accident; the deep-fried cakes of breaded shoe polish served up for dinner made the thing unmistakable. The poor fellow was put ashore in convulsions at Villa Cisneros, and the captain hastily hired a Somali roustabout who could cook 'chickum'--but not hastily enough to keep his first-class passenger" (42).

[jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

whoa, yes. perfect little quarantine read.

[Katie Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Less of an august example of impeccable structure like "Invisible Cities," and more of a freewheeling colorful trip (in both senses of the word.) In "Invisible Cities" we find out that we've been seeing the same city all along: one never gets that impression with Cities.

[Robin]

novel