Italo Calvino, If on a winter’s night a traveler, trans. William Weaver (New York: Harcourt, 1981).
The “you” of this passage is a character in the novel, a reader who is now reading On the carpet of leaves illuminated by the moon by Takakumi Ikoka. That novel is one of ten (imaginary) novels that the reader in/of this novel encounters, each in the form of a few pages.
Postmodern play aside, this passage captures what flying always feels like to me: it’s not being anywhere.
Also from this novel
The formula : Novels and theories : “A fairly precise notion of the book”
[I am not now flying.]
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Travel by plane and book
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comments: 4
It's funny... I read one of Calvino's books while on such a flight once. Kind of a meta experience, I guess. It wasn't this book, though.
That would've broken the meta speed barrier, or ceiling, or something.
I have been surprised to see multiple copies of this book on shelves in two bookstores recently. It must still sell well.
Just stumbled across this:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001qt49
Oh my! Thanks, Jim.
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