Vercors’s novel, which was published in 1942 in Paris, under the occupation, constitutes a worldwide editorial case. It was translated in dozens of languages and risen as text-symbol of the European Resistance, despite several controversies and contradictions. In Italy, the book first appeared in 1945, translated by the young Natalia Ginzburg. The A. reconstructs the main phases of that publication, with the help of the manuscripts and the private correspondence of those who were involved in that event, by trying to fill in the gaps that documents don’t solve. The result of the research is a problematic tangle of human and editorial connections, which is at the same time a model, as regards Italian publications in the second post-war period, and an isolated case, due to the consequences that came after, and the dissonant voices of the critics, which used to swing between enthusiasm and indifference. The silence of the sea, which nowadays seems quiescent, still shows the capacity to raise curiosity and questions; some re-readings are needed to suggest new research perspectives and stimulate studies.