'Difficult loves' - a glimpse into the most private moments

I was introduced to Italo Calvino many years ago and found its writing distracting. His most notable works are 'If on a winter's night a traveler',  'Difficult loves', and 'Invisible cities' and the last two are my personal favorite.
'Difficult loves' is a collection of short stories that should have a place on your nightstand, its calming tone making it the perfect read before bedtime, one story at a time. Despite being written in the 70's most of the subjects are timeless. The title suggests love stories and the difficulty of communication but I found it being more than that.
It takes a great writer to be able to capture human psyches like Calvino does and this is what makes his writing great.
You do not read a book, you read excerpts from people's diaries,  delicate and uncomfortable moments that are not meant to be shared. You are part of private glimpses into their lives and see what is behind the façade required by society and conventions.
From the thirteen stories I highly recommend 'The adventure of a photographer' and 'The adventure of a Motorist'.
“The line between the reality that is photographed because it seems beautiful to us and the reality that seems beautiful because it has been photographed is very narrow."
- from "The Adventure of a Photographer”
“Life, thought the naked man, was a hell, with rare moments recalling some ancient paradise.”
― Italo Calvino, Difficult Loves
“Every silence consists of the network of minuscule sounds that enfolds it."
- from "The Adventure of a Poet”

Enjoy!