Khan and the City
Pessimism is the last thing you need during this time of the year. You're done with the assignment, but there's another deadline to beat. And there's more to come. The campus ground is becoming too familiar. (You hold your tongue after passing by the unpleasant sight of brickwork near the English Department.) Your father wished the family was on a holiday. And the last one took place many summers ago.
If you're not a New Yorker, then you bemoan the lack of places of interest. (Your housemate suggests the arcade. But you've been there many times.) If you're from the other side of Atlantic, then you wish your literary muse to appear at a snap of the fingers. The humdrum routine of the city can suck the life out of you. Then you recall a book you read last summer.
The city of your dreams
You read "Invisible Cities" during a scorching afternoon. It's a series of prose poems, all fifty five of them, describing different communities. Marco Polo had been to these places, sharing his journeys to Kublai Khan. Their conversation took place in Xanadu, the summer capital of the Mongol Empire.
What struck you was the absence of an interpreter. It wasn't hard to imagine the aging emperor trying hard to appreciate every description. As for Marco Polo, he would rely on his facial expression (and hand signs) to entertain the Mongol ruler. Italo Calvino didn't imagine a meeting of two important figures. And twenty poems later, you sense the Italian merchant making up his stories. The descriptions can point to Venice, his hometown. It can also be a community without the daily grind.
How to deal with existential angst
You've been savoring your freedom, but you're aware of the coursework. And there are days when you have negative feelings about it. This can be attributed to lack of sleep, but "Invisible Cities" would make sense.
Italo Calvino's allegorical work would be a thinking man's rumination. "Marcovaldo, or The Seasons in the City" must be read too. (In case you haven't, then find a copy. It's about a poor rural man and his distaste for the city life. But he lives in Northern Italy. Industrialization would change the landscape.) Nothing in the horizon can comfort him. Depression is the likely outcome. He may also be a daydreamer.
In your case, daydreaming is a luxury. But you can have a good night sleep. (You badly need it.) And you can look forward to the next day. Maybe there's time to chat with your housemate. You're hoping for more moments with your coursemates, and it has nothing to do with assignments. You'll remember to call your parents. (It didn't cross you mind last week.) Who knows, someone will think of a party. It's not bad as it seems. But you wonder if Xanadu is real.
