Why Read Classic Literature - Italo Calvino

The literary master Calvino begins by defining what a "classic" is and how to approach reading them. He reviews a series of world-renowned works, offering insights on each one, and answers the question of why it's important to read the classics.

Calvino was an Italian author whose unique and imaginative fables made him one of the most important novelists of the 20th century. His notable works include *The Castle of Crossed Destinies,* *The Cloven Viscount,* *The Baron in the Trees,* and *If on a Winter's Night a Traveler.*

Transcript

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Today, we're going to talk about a major book that tries to capture the entire universe—what book could be so ambitious? It's called *Why Read Classic Literature*.

Over the past year, I've often been asked, "With so little time and so many options, what should I read?" My answer is simple: 0:17

since time is limited, you should only read the classics. Why am I confident in saying this? The value of a book can only be truly measured when it's tested over a long period. Its lasting impact shows its true worth. Many bestsellers are just fleeting trends; they can't stand the test of time and quickly fade away, like clouds in the sky. But through the process of time's sifting, certain works endure, and those that remain are what we call "great books." You should read these great books because classics can serve as a guide, offering a model for how to live your life. By following that model, you can gradually become the person you want to be. When we share a connection over a single phrase or book, it shows that our souls resonate with each other. What’s the benefit of this connection? It makes us feel less lonely, less isolated. Even if your world is as small as a football field, you won't wither away or become dull. But what exactly is a "classic"? When you open this book,  The first essay is titled the same.

Calvino starts by saying that there is a definition for classics. To be precise, he first offers one definition: 1:33

a classic is a book you often hear people say, "I’m re-reading..." rather than "I’m reading..." Yes, "re-reading" and "reading" are different. Re-reading implies encountering the work again and again, while just reading it might not leave a lasting impact on you. However, some may disagree, as everyone has their own definition of what constitutes a classic—just as there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's minds. In fact, Calvino wrote this book, *Why Read Classic Literature*, because he realized that modern readers' tastes were becoming increasingly superficial. He anticipated that everyone would have their own answers, so he provided not just one, but multiple perspectives to explain what makes a book or work a classic. Can you guess how many perspectives Calvino offers? The answer is fourteen, which aligns perfectly with his literary taste and signature writing style. If you're not familiar with Calvino, let me give you a brief introduction. Some of his works, such as *If on a Winter's Night a Traveler*, *Invisible Cities*, and *The Castle of Crossed Destinies*are good examples. If you've read any of these, you won't be surprised by the fourteen definitions he provides. In *Why Read Classic Literature*, which is more of a literary essay, Calvino discusses over thirty authors and their works that he admires. You can treat this book as a guide or even a literary dictionary. You can open it to any page, and you might find yourself learning an important piece of knowledge or unlocking a new world. The book spans almost the entirety of human literary history, from Homer to modern writers like Borges. It even includes some lesser-known authors. But even when discussing famous writers like Flaubert, Hemingway, and Tolstoy, Calvino doesn’t always focus on their most celebrated works. He even criticizes them at times. For example, when mentioning Hemingway's *The Snows of Kilimanjaro*, Calvino says it’s Hemingway’s worst work. This book is fascinating not only because it offers literary criticism, but also because it touches on philosophy, history, politics, ideology, and includes Calvino's personal experiences. The range of topics is incredibly diverse. You might wonder if it’s chaotic or difficult to understand. But if you sit down and start reading, you’ll feel as though Calvino is sitting right in front of you, speaking to you in a clear and engaging manner. It’s like listening to an interesting lecture, receiving valuable insights, or having a conversation with a particularly intriguing person.

Let's dive into the content of the book. First, let’s revisit the initial definition: 4:17

a classic is a book you often hear people say, "I’m re-reading..." rather than "I’m reading..." Calvino notes that this statement doesn’t necessarily apply to young people. Calvino explains that during youth, it’s the time to encounter the world and the classics that are a part of it. This period is particularly important for young people because their first encounters are driven by curiosity, leading them to flit from one thing to another like butterflies, exploring everything around them. It’s not uncommon for people to be embarrassed to admit that they haven’t read famous works. Calvino says that, to put people at ease, we should acknowledge that no matter how broad your reading is, there will always be many important books that you haven’t yet explored. This is an honest attitude. He notes that in France, people begin reading Balzac in school, but Balzac’s most important and devoted readers often aren’t students. It’s usually much later in life, long after their school years, that people continue to read his works and truly discover his appeal. Why is this the case? According to Calvino, the most important aspect of young people encountering classics is precisely that it’s their first encounter. Adults, on the other hand, appreciate more details and grasp deeper meanings, which is why they revisit classics repeatedly. This suggests that a person’s first reading of a great work after fully maturing brings immense joy, a joy that’s distinctly different from the pleasure of reading in youth. While it’s difficult to say whether this joy is greater or lesser, you can certainly tell that it comes from a different level of understanding. Calvino argues that classic works are those books that, for those who have read and loved them, offer a valuable experience. Yet, even for those who wait to read them until the perfect moment, they still provide a rich experience. Take *The Little Prince*, for example. This is a truly magical book. People of different ages may see different things in it, and each time you revisit it, it might spark new thoughts. When I first read *The Little Prince* as a young person, I didn’t find it particularly remarkable. I’ve mentioned before that it wasn’t until I was nearly thirty that I truly understood *The Little Prince*. It was only then that I could deeply appreciate the love the little prince had for his rose and understand the concepts of uniqueness and taming. Also, the points you focus on while reading might change over time. I can’t remember which time it was when I read *The Little Prince* and suddenly burst out laughing. There’s a detail that says adults are obsessed with numbers. For example, if you tell an adult about a beautiful house with weathered red bricks, geraniums in the garden, and pigeons on the roof, a child would say it’s beautiful, but adults can’t picture it—they have no imagination. But if you tell them the house is worth a hundred thousand francs, they instantly understand and praise it as a beautiful mansion. I laughed when I read this, but if I had been younger, I might have overlooked this detail.

This is what makes a classic: 7:24

it feels fresh with every reading. It confronts you at different moments, cutting through the frozen layers of your heart. When a book moves you to tears, makes you smile, or gives you sudden clarity, it means you’ve seen a reflection of a special part of your own life in it. This is what we call fate. The book suddenly appears before you, and just like that, the fog clears, your vision sharpens, and maybe from that moment on, you’ll never be the same person again. This is why Calvino emphasizes the importance of finding the book that truly belongs to you. He gives an example of a friend whose favorite book is Charles Dickens’ *The Pickwick Papers*. This friend loved the book so much that he compared and connected many events in his own life to those in *The Pickwick Papers*, even equating them. In a sense, he lived his life as if he were a character in the book. He also intertwined the book’s characters with real people, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. So how can we encourage our children to love reading? Calvino touches on this topic, mentioning that the reading we do in our youth often holds little value. Therefore, don't feel the need to constantly pressure your child to read, and don’t worry too much about it. However, I want to emphasize that reading during youth is very important. Calvino explains that childhood reading may be the true formative reading because it provides a framework or shape for our future experiences. It gives us models, ways to process those experiences. Even if we remember little or nothing of the books we read in our youth, all these things still influence us. Does this realization resonate with you? Some people say they've forgotten everything they read, and it feels as if they never read the book at all—it seems new to them. But why is it that in certain moments, we instinctively feel the need to be kind, to be brave? It’s because those books have left something within us, something that only reveals itself in critical moments.

And when does this critical moment happen? Calvino says that when we re-read these books as adults, we rediscover these enduring truths. Even if we’ve forgotten where they came from, they have become a part of our inner mechanisms. Such works have a unique power: 9:20

they may be forgotten, but they leave seeds within us. So now, we can define classics as a category of books with special influence. When they leave an unforgettable mark on our imagination or hide within our individual or collective unconscious, they exert a special impact on us. Therefore, there should be a dedicated time in every adult’s life to rediscover the books they once read. You may suddenly realize that this is the most important book in your life. Even though it's still the same book, you are no longer the same person, and you’ll encounter it anew. True classics will cross paths with us time and time again throughout our lives. Take *Jane Eyre* for example. I first read this book in my youth after watching the movie. I was struck by the moment when Jane says to Mr. Rochester, “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?” At that time, I thought, "So this is what love is like," and it sparked my interest in romance. But when I read *Jane Eyre* later in life, including when I discussed it with others, my focus was no longer on that particular line. My reading experiences have been repeatedly validated by what I find in *Why Read Classic Literature*. It’s an incredibly gratifying feeling, like meeting an old friend or finding a worthy opponent in a game. In the following passages, Calvino provides one definition after another of what makes a classic. Let's review them. A classic is a book that brings the same sense of discovery on each re-reading as it did the first time—this "sense of discovery" is crucial. A classic is a book that, even on your first read, feels like revisiting something you’ve read before. A classic is a book that never exhausts its ability to speak to the reader, offering something new each time. Classics are books that come to us with the glow of previous interpretations, leaving a mark on the culture they pass through. A classic is a work that continually generates a cloud of criticism around it, but always manages to shake them off. No matter the critique, the value and brilliance of a classic remain intact. Some classics are even ahead of their time, misunderstood, feared, or dismissed when they first appear, but their value endures. So, a classic doesn’t necessarily teach us something we didn’t know. Sometimes, we discover in classics things we already knew but hadn’t realized were first mentioned in these texts. This kind of discovery is a deeply satisfying surprise. From this, we can conclude that a classic is a work that, the more we think we know it through hearsay, the more surprising, fresh, and creative it turns out to be when we actually read it. This is something I’ve come to understand more deeply over time. Books I thought I knew based on what I’d heard about them turn out to be full of unexpected delights when I read them myself—they’re not at all what I had imagined. Calvino believes that reading classics out of a sense of duty or respect is ineffective. So, what should we do? His advice is that we should read for the love of it. Of course, school is an exception—teachers and those who recommend books can breathe a sigh of relief. Whether you like it or not, school must introduce you to a certain number of classic works. It's through these works, or by using them as benchmarks, that you'll later discover the classics that resonate with you personally. You can think of these foundational classics as stepping stones to finding your own books, serving as tools to help you make your own choices. However, the only thing that truly matters is the choices you make outside of your formal education. It's only through non-compulsory reading that you'll encounter the book that belongs to you. This is a great approach and hopefully, it inspires you.

If we follow this path, we arrive at a lofty and demanding concept of the classic: 13:25

a classic is a book that can be seen as representative of the universe itself, comparable to an ancient talisman. Have you ever found a book that, as soon as you read it, gives you a sense of peace, making you feel less afraid? That’s the power of a classic, as it provides comfort to the soul. We can say that a classic is a work that precedes other classics, but those who have read other classics will immediately recognize its place within the classic literature collection. This suggests that certain classics are essential; if you don’t fully grasp one of these key works, it might be difficult to understand others. There exists a fortunate reader who can dedicate all of their precious reading time to studying the works of renowned figures like Lucretius, Lucian, Montaigne, Erasmus, Marlowe, and other classical and highly esteemed authors. In essence, this means immersing oneself in a series of great and essential books, including those by lesser-known names you might not have even heard of. Now, imagine someone who can do all of the above—someone who doesn’t need to write reviews for the latest reprints, submit articles to secure a university teaching position. What does this imply? It suggests that a person is always bound by the circumstances and conditions of their environment. If you were truly disconnected from reality, living in an ivory tower, then you could fully immerse yourself in the joy of reading, whimsically choosing whatever you want to read. But to maintain this pure and uninterrupted focus, this lucky reader would have to avoid reading newspapers and resist the temptation of the latest novels or sociological reports. However, how reasonable or even useful is such strict discipline? Calvino admits that we don't really know. What is this passage trying to convey? Calvino acknowledges the importance of reading but disagrees with the idea of reading for the sake of reading alone—detaching oneself from reality, burying oneself in books, and completely ignoring what’s happening around them. Such reading, Calvino suggests, doesn’t allow for the integration of knowledge into life or the practical application of what one learns. He also points out that while the modern world may seem mundane or uninteresting, it’s still the world we must engage with to understand both the past and the future. You don’t need to return to Socrates’ time to become a good reader. To understand classics, you must first know where you are starting from, and that "where" is your own temporal and cultural context. Without this anchor, both the reader and the text will drift aimlessly in a fog. Therefore, classics are not just stories from thousands of years ago or from faraway lands—they are intimately connected to our character and the real world we must face. And what happens to those who truly understand the classics? Calvino, with his characteristic sharpness, says that this doesn’t necessarily make someone a harmonious or peaceful person inside. Continuously reading classics doesn’t guarantee that one will be able to fully digest and integrate them. To truly make the wisdom of the classics part of one’s very being, repeated practice and reflection are required.

This is why some people, despite having read many classics, still struggle to live a good life. Is there a solution to this? Calvino offers a remedy: 16:36

the ideal situation is when, even as the noise from outside reminds us of traffic jams or changes in the weather, we can still hear the resonant echo of the words from the classic works within our room. For most people, simply treating the words of the classics as a distant echo within the room is already an achievement.

Calvino’s thirteenth definition of a classic is this: 17:04

a classic is a work that relegates the current noise to background hum, yet the classic itself cannot exist without this background. In other words, while you treat the harsh reality of the world as background noise, you and the classic work engage with each other against this backdrop. His fourteenth and final definition explains that a classic is also a kind of background noise that persists even in a world that seems entirely incompatible with it. In other words, even in our very pragmatic world, there will always be people who love romance, poetry, and dreams of distant places—they won’t disappear. These are Calvino’s fourteen definitions of what makes a classic. In truth, reading classics often feels out of sync with our fast-paced lives. So, what should modern readers do? In this book, it is written that what we can do is create our own ideal personal library, which is referred to as a "classic library corner." Half of this library should consist of books we've read and found valuable, and the other half should be made up of books we plan to read, which might hold meaning for us. Additionally, we should leave some space for surprises and serendipitous finds. This passage is important because it helps us understand what kinds of books deserve a place on our bookshelf at home. Sometimes you might buy a book but feel uneasy because you haven’t read it yet. That’s okay—the most important aspect of buying a book is simply acquiring it. You see, it might end up being meaningful to you; after all, it’s a book you “intend” to read. As for how long that intention will last, that depends on fate. No book is ever useless.

However, classic works won’t immediately help you buy a bigger house or a luxury car; in terms of societal utility, these things seem trivial when compared to what classic literature can offer. But there is a great utility in these books: 18:47

they help us understand who we are and where we’re going—questions of vital importance that contribute to the formation of our character. In essence, the most important thing in life is “being a person,” and classics are books that teach us how to be. After defining what makes a classic, Calvino goes on to dedicate many chapters to discussing the classic works he considers significant, how he critiques their authors, and various literary phenomena. I highly recommend this section—if you’re interested, you should definitely read it. It covers a wide range of works, from *The Odyssey* to *Robinson Crusoe*, offering a deep and diverse literary guide. So, what kind of classic has Calvino himself left in the history of world literature? Let’s focus on that next. Calvino was born on October 15, 1923, so in 2024, he would have turned 101 years old. His parents were Italian, and he was born in Cuba. His mother, longing for her homeland, named him Italo, which means "Italy." Calvino had a love for gardening, likely influenced by his father, who was a horticulturist. This deep connection with nature, spending his days among exotic plants and animals, marked his early years. Later, he studied agronomy at the University of Turin, a choice closely related to his childhood experiences. However, during his university years, World War II broke out, and Germany occupied Italy. Calvino and his brother joined the Italian resistance and participated in numerous resistance activities. In 1947, Calvino published his first novel, *The Path to the Nest of Spiders*, which was based on his experiences with the resistance. Calvino’s final book, *Six Memos for the Next Millennium*, also known as *American Lectures*was his last work and left unfinished. In 1985, Calvino was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but unfortunately, In September 1985, Calvino passed away suddenly from a stroke. narrowly missing the award, and leaving this project incomplete. Despite being unfinished, *Six Memos for the Next Millennium* is filled with fascinating thought and captivating expression. Looking back, however, it’s clear that Calvino’s absence from the Nobel laureates is more of a loss for the prize itself, given how important he was. Calvino, like Kafka, is known as a “writer’s writer,” having influenced countless authors. In 2023, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Calvino’s birth.