Mr Palomar is a delightful eccentric whose chief activity is looking at things. He is seeking knowledge; 'it is only after you have come to know the surface of things that you can venture to seek what is underneath'. Whether contemplating a fine cheese, a hungry gecko, a woman sunbathing topless or a flight of migrant starlings, Mr Palomar's observations render the world afresh. 'Beautifully nimble, solitary feats of imagination' Seamus Heaney 'Beguiling' Time
Read More
Mr Palomar is a delightful eccentric whose chief activity is looking at things. He is seeking knowledge; 'it is only after you have come to know the surface of things that you can venture to seek what is underneath'. Whether contemplating a fine cheese, a hungry gecko, a woman sunbathing topless or a flight of migrant starlings, Mr Palomar's observations render the world afresh. 'Beautifully nimble, solitary feats of imagination' Seamus Heaney 'Beguiling' Time
Read Less
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar to cart. $2.46, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Orange County rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Ana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Mariner Books Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. This is a USED book, it is subject to external and interior wear including, underlining, highlighting, annotations, water damage, minor scuffs and tears. This is a donated book accepted as is. Stickers and sticker residue on the cover should be expected, as well as spine wear from use. There are NO codes or disc(s) included. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days. Thank you for supporting Goodwill of OC.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar to cart. $2.46, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Mariner Books Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar to cart. $2.79, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Mariner Books Classics.
Add this copy of Mr Palomar to cart. $3.55, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of Random.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar to cart. $3.81, very good condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Mariner Books Classics.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar (English and Italian Edition) to cart. $3.82, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar (English and Italian Edition) to cart. $3.82, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar (English and Italian Edition) to cart. $3.82, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar to cart. $4.00, fair condition, Sold by Orsinobooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Winston-Salem, NC, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Mariner Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Highlighting/underlining. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. Helen and Kurt Wolff Books. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of Mr. Palomar (English and Italian Edition) to cart. $4.20, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1987 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Italo Calvino's short novel, "Mr. Palomar" (1983) is a thoughtful, philosophical work, elegantly written. As is sometimes the case with novels of ideas, the book is static with little in the way of action, drama, or character development. It is meditative with an overabundance of factual minutiae in places with the result that neither the story nor the ideas come through well.
There are, nevertheless, a few good scenes in the book, good use of irony and ambiguity, and some provocative ideas. Thus, at the conclusion of a chapter, presenting Palomar's reflections from his terrace, he observes that "[i]t is only after you have come to know the surface of things, that you can venture to seek what is underneath.... But the surface of things is inexhaustible." This is stuff for thought. But it is buried here in too much tedium.
Instead of a clear plot, "Mr Palomar" consists of a number of short vignettes, elaborately organized under an index at the conclusion. The vignettes involve the meditations of Mr. Palomar, named after the famous telescope, who is an observer of nature, people, and his mind. He is quiet and reserved and keeps aloof from the hurly-burly of the everyday. The episodes take place in various locations, the beach, Palomar's home, Paris, Japan, and elsewhere, and it may be that he is to be taken as a symbol rather than as a real character.
The story is told with irony. The reader is meant to contrast the virtues of thought, restraint, self-sufficiency, and reserve in Mr Palomar with his alienation from the larger culture and with his aloneness and eccentricities. The stories follow a pattern in which Mr. Palomar's thoughts and experiences go radically off course as he is confronted with the reality of a world independent of his wishes.
The most memorable portion of this book is a chapter titled "The Naked Bosom" in which Mr. Palomar thinks about and responds to a topless sunbather on the beach. His thoughts include irony, a wry discussion of the relationship between the sexes, and a good illustration of how human sexuality stands outside of the order of nature, somehow, even to the most detached observer.
Unfortunately, the remainder of the book is much more slowly paced, loses itself in a welter of detail, and, for me, quickly becomes dull. I found that there just isn't enough to fasten upon here to make this book work successfully either as philosophy or novel.
