Viktor Shklovsky, now considered a classic of Russian literature, reconstructs in this work the extraordinary adventures of Marco Polo. Translation, notes and introduction by Ricardo San Vicente. Afterword by Xavier Aldekoa
Born into a family of rich merchants in the all-powerful Venice of the 13th century, Marco Polo embarked at the age of seventeen on a journey that took him to Beijing. His name would go down in history for his travels, for not being afraid of anything and for his memory, but above all because he allowed himself to be enthralled by the world and its people. Also for the way in which he did it: he learned up to five languages, conversed and listened until he gained the trust of all kinds of people from distant lands, even kings and emperors.

Shklovsky masterfully recreates the epic story that Marco Polo told about his travels when he was taken prisoner by the Genoese. During his captivity, he dictated to one of his cellmates the adventures he had experienced for more than twenty years, one of the first Western chronicles of medieval Asia that we have any knowledge of. Shklovski takes note of this testimony and presents us with an accurate and unpretentious portrait of the Venetian merchant, his legendary adventures and the contexts and environments of the time. Its pages convey the insatiable curiosity, the hunger for knowledge and the need to go beyond the limits that the great Marco Polo displayed.

Originally published almost a century ago, this new edition has been translated by the expert in Russian literature Ricardo San Vicente, and includes an afterword by the journalist and writer Xavier Aldekoa, who invites us to read it and in which he reflects on the influence of the great travelers in the history of humanity.