Name: Under the Jaguar Sun
ISBN: 9780156927949

Italo Calvino

Three tales, each dominated by one of three senses, present a married couple touring Mexico, a tyrant made prisoner of contradictory messages, and a fashionable Parisian and a drugged rock musician impassioned by scents

Under the Jaguar Sun

A couple on an epicurean journey across Mexico are excited by the idea of a particular ingredient, suggested by ancient rituals of human sacrifice. Precariously balanced on his throne, a king is able only to listen to the sounds around him - sure that any deviation from their normal progression would mean the uprising of the conspirators that surround him. And three different men search desperately for the beguiling scents of lost women, from a Count visiting Madame Odile's perfumery, to a London drummer stepping over spent, naked bodies.

Interesting how rich and succulent sensory experiences are that we (well, Italo Calvino and other geniuses) can extract expressions from each sense into a world of its own. His writings are loud, beautiful, and riveting. My favorite short story's probably the first one that explores gustatory sense, simply because I like food and conversing characters. But all three are nice. Ah, this inspires me to writeeeeeeeee.