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Quote by Anne Michaels

“...when we say we're looking for a spiritual adviser, we're really looking for someone to tell us what to do with our bodies. Decisions of the flesh. We forget to learn from pleasure as well as pain.”

Quote by Anne Michaels

Work

Fugitive Pieces

Fugitive Pieces is a novel that follows the life of Jakob Beer, a Polish Jewish child who survives the Holocaust by hiding in the ruins of his home. Rescued by a Greek geologist, he is taken to the island of Zakynthos, where he begins to piece together his shattered past. The narrative later shifts to Athos, a young Canadian historian who becomes obsessed with Jakob's story. The book delves into themes of trauma, the act of bearing witness, and the ways in which history and personal memory intertwine. Through lyrical prose, the novel examines how the past can be both a burden and a source of strength, and how storytelling can offer a path toward healing. more

Author

Anne Michaels
Anne Michaels

Anne Michaels, born on April 15, 1958, is a renowned Canadian poet. Her works are known for their profound emotions and unique narrative style, which have won her a wide audience. more

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“Without poets, without artists... everything would fall apart into chaos. There would be no more seasons, no more civilizations, no more thought, no more humanity, no more life even; and impotent darkness would reign forever. Poets and artists together determine the features of their age, and the future meekly conforms to their edit.”

“I see that the life of this place is always emerging beyond expectation or prediction or typicality, that it is unique, given to the world minute by minute, only once, never to be repeated. And this is when I see that this life is a miracle, absolutely worth having, absolutely worth saving. We are alive within mystery, by miracle.”

“From childhood's hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.”