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Italo Calvino tells a poignant and paradoxical tale in “The Adventure of a Nearsighted Man.” The protagonist, Amilcare Carruga, is a man burdened with severe myopia who stubbornly avoids wearing glasses. Feeling disconnected from life, he decides to revisit the town where he spent his youth, a place filled with memories and the faint hope of meeting his first love once more.
Arriving in the bustling town, Amilcare wanders the streets, searching for familiarity among the faces around him. Unable to recognize anyone from a distance, he finally gives in and puts on his glasses, fearing he might miss a glimpse of the woman who once captured his heart. Yet, when encountered by an old teacher, he notices the man cannot recognize him with his glasses on, only doing so when he removes them.
This realization troubles Amilcare — what if the woman he seeks does not recognize him behind his glasses? He removes them again, but now faces the opposite problem — he cannot identify anyone. Caught in this dilemma, Amilcare alternates between wearing his glasses and taking them off, endlessly searching yet unable to find her. His search ends unresolved, wrapped in the quiet melancholy of a man caught between vision and identity — proof that for someone with glasses, even the act of falling in love can be a struggle.
