“Listening to someone read aloud is very different from reading in silence. When you read, you can stop or skip sentences: you are the one who sets the pace. When someone else is reading, it is difficult to make your attention coincide with the tempo of his reading: the voice goes either too fast or too slow.And then, listening to someone who is translating from another language involves a fluctuation, a hesitation over the words, a margin of indecision, something vague, tentative. The text, when you are the reader, is something that is there, against which you are forced to clash; when someone translates it aloud to you, it is something that is and is not there, that you cannot manage to touch.”

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Originally said in English.

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About Italo Calvino

Italian novelist and short story writer of the 20th century, Calvino is best known for his inventive, playful exploration of narrative structure and his six-part *Six Memos for the Next Millennium*, a reflection on literature’s future. His works like *Invisible Cities* and *If on a winter’s night a traveler* blend fantasy, philosophy, and linguistic experimentation, offering insights into memory, time, and human connection.

More from Italo Calvino (155 quotes) →
"Listening to someone read aloud is very different from reading in sil…" — Italo Calvino | Daily Quotes