It has often been stated that the multiplicity of reality can be compared to an artichoke. This simile may be used to describe a literary work: the many interpretations that arise are like the peeling away of its numerous parts, discovering in the process new ways of reading the same text. Calvino expresses this idea in 1963 in support of Carlo Emilio Gadda, who is a great writer of "artichoke" literary works. This image of the artichoke is one of many images that Calvino uses to express his idea of the potentialities inherent in literary creation: "Come un carciofo. Ciò che conta per noi nell'opera letteraria è la possibilità di continuare a sfogliarla come un carciofo infinito, scoprendo dimensioni di lettura sempre nuove"1.