"
A bird foraging for food in the swamps and marshes sinks rapidly if it doesn't move. It has to keep pulling its feet out of the mire to move on, regardless of whether it has caught something or not. And the same applies to us and to our love. We have to move on, we can't stay where we are, because we'll sink."
— Milorad Pavić (
Dictionary of the Khazars)
The
Dictionary of the Khazars is unlike any book I have ever read, before or since. I will not even attempt to describe what the book is about or how it is set up. All I will tell you is that there are that there are two versions of the book - a male and a female one - that differ in just one paragraph. Yet, if you read the book, your interpretation of it changes dramatically based on which version you read.
With time my memory of the passages in the book fades and I don't think I will re-read the book again. I may be disappointed with my second round and I don't want that to happen.
Sometimes, our memories are better off if left untouched by the fickle finger of reality.
2 comments:
This gets added to my list of recommended-by-jauntyjaywalking ... if only I had the time to get thru the list!
:-)
L, Pavić has something to say about this too!
"Houses are like books: so many of them around you, yet you only look at a few and visit or reside in fewer still."
— Milorad Pavić (Dictionary of the Khazars)
Watch this space. A few more books that I have read but not reviewed will be blogged about in the coming days.
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