Among the names of painters and writers invoked by Giulio Paolini, that of Jorge Luis Borges is of fundamental importance. The artist read him when he was young, and expressed admiration for the writer on several occasions. 'To J.L.B.' (1965), Storia dell'eternitą (1969), the double page for the exhibition catalogue Gennaio 70 (1970), for example: very different works in terms of technical and expressive choice, which nonetheless find unity in their homage to the great Argentine. Borges was enjoying extraordinary success, particularly in Italy: yet Paolini's interest was too deep and long-lasting to be seen as merely the reflection of a cultural fashion. He immediately identified with him, finding in his books an endless source of inspiration. The absence of time, the value of the imagination, the vertigo of the infinite, the suspension of waiting: these themes fascinated him and contributed to the definition of his own artistic expression. . The article attempts to give an account of Paolini's actual readings, how he visually translated Borges and the significance his passion had on Italian art of the time.