5 Phrases By Italo Calvino For Teachers
In the history of literature, there have been many authors who marked an era and left great lessons. When it comes to reflections, Italo Calvino’s phrases are an immeasurable source of inspiration for many teachers around the world.
Who was Italo Calvino?
Italo Calvino, born in Cuba in 1923, was a world-renowned writer in the 20th century. Although he was born in Central America, most of his education and also his writing career took place in Italy. It was in this country where he died in 1985.
His parents considered themselves freethinkers, so they offered their son a secular and anti-fascist education and training. In 1941, he enrolled in the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Turin.
However, shortly after the Second World War and his call for the Italian army, commanded by Benito Mussolini, interrupted his studies.
However, Calvino did not join the troops of his country. Quite the contrary: he defected and joined together with his brother the Garibaldi Partisan Troops, the front of the Italian Resistance against the regime. His parents, meanwhile, were held hostage by the Germans.
After the war, he returned to Turin. There he enrolled in Letters and began his contact with the publishing world. By 1947, he had already written and published his first novel: Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno ( The Path of the Spiders’ Nests ). Thus began his successful career, full of mentions and recognition.
5 phrases by Italo Calvino for teachers
Next, we compile phrases of Italo Calvino that were reflected in his works and that can mean great advice for those responsible for the education of young people.
1.- The invisible goal of education
“—What is the point of this building? -question-. What is the purpose of a city under construction if not a city? Where is the map that you follow, the project?
“We’ll show you as soon as the day is over; now we can’t interrupt — they reply. Work stops at sunset. Night falls on the construction site. It is a starry night.
“This is the project,” they say.
This phrase, taken from one of Italo Calvino’s famous works, The Invisible Cities , can be equated to the very end of education. What other goal do teachers pursue other than to see their students outside of class, immersed in and developing in a larger society?
2.- The magic of books
“The stimulus of reading is essential to me, and a substantial reading, even if I only manage to read a few pages of each book. But those few pages already enclose whole universes for me, the depths of which I can’t get to ”.
This phrase by Italo Calvino, from the book If a traveler is on a winter night , is a very good stimulation to convince about the values of reading. Each will have a different connection to a book. Perhaps it is necessary to read it in its entirety or perhaps a few pages will suffice to discover its magic.
3.- The passion for reading
“Reading is going to meet something that is about to be and still no one knows what it will be …”
Also from If a winter night a traveler , another statement that emphasizes the magic of reading. These sentences demonstrate Calvin’s passion for reading. In addition, which is no less important, it transmits it perfectly.
4.- What does man do in society?
“It was an idea of a universal society, which he had in mind… But, although from time to time he launched himself, body and soul, to organize a new society, meticulously establishing the statutes, the purposes, the choice of the most suitable men for each position, his colleagues never knew to what extent they could count on him, when and where they could find him, and when he would be won over by his birdlike nature and would never allow himself to be caught ”.
It is a phrase by Italo Calvino much deeper than the previous ones. Highly recommended for subjects such as philosophy or ethics training, it can lead to interesting debates about the role of man in society and its nature. This statement belongs to The Rampant Baron .
5.- Writing, a source of personal emotions
“Only when it comes to me naturally to use the verb to write in impersonal can I expect something less circumscribed than the individuality of an isolated being to express itself through me.”
Again, the author refers to his personal connection to the lyrics. He talks about the experience that writing represents for one of the characters in If a winter night, a traveler. It can perfectly be transferred to those who enjoy writing and wish to comment on this sentiment expressed in the phrases of Italo Calvino.
Italo Calvino has left an indelible mark on world literature. Not only that their works are worthy of being enjoyed and admired: they also have great value when it comes to instilling values and feelings in the new generations.
