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Quote by Jonathan Coe

“¿Conoce esa sensación? Seguro que sí: tropezarse con un artista cuyo trabajo te habla tan directamente que es como si los dos compartieran el mismo lenguaje cómplice, y eso a la vez te reafirmara en lo que siempre has pensado y te dijera algo completamente nuevo. (...) ¿No la ha sentido, entonces?”

Quote by Jonathan Coe

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What a Carve Up!

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Author

Jonathan Coe
Jonathan Coe

Jonathan Coe is a renowned British novelist known for his unique sense of humor and profound insights into social issues. His works are typically set in London, exploring the complexities of modern life. more

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“Tuve que ahorrar un poco para mi siguiente obsesión. Los discos de mi padre se me habían quedado cortos, así que finalmente dejé de desayunar durante unas semanas y reuní lo suficiente para una nueva adquisición. Un disco. Era Temptin' Temptations, de los Temptations. En la portada aparecían cinco jóvenes negros vestidos de blanco inmaculado, con chaquetas cortas de un botón y zapatos negros. Recuerdo la primera vez que lo puse en el tocadiscos. Primero un crujido. Y luego, BAM. Una música elegante, evocadora, romántica. Chirriando, algo lejana, tomando la habitación. La canción era «Since I lost my baby». Mirándolo, comprendí. Esa foto pintaba un mundo superior en el que los hombres eran dandis y toda la música era gloriosa, sus trajes nítidos, blancos, sus caras de ébano, sus zapatos relucientes. Donde cada minuto de vida era así: refinado y pleno, hermoso. Sin manchas. Un mundo irreal en el que nadie envejecía y había códigos de honor, y todo era puro y bello. Un mundo que no se parecía en nada a mi pueblo, a mi instituto, a los jugadores de fútbol que me perseguían para mantearme. Mi tía abuela me ha contado muchas veces cómo entraba en mi cuarto y me encontraba dormido al lado del tocadiscos, durmiendo plácidamente en el suelo. Aquellos discos eran mi medicina y mi vaso de leche caliente, mi primer compadre, mi escondite y mi refugio, mis armas. Con el tiempo llegaron las Marvelettes y los Impressions, los Temptations y Betty Harris, Bobby Womack y Al Green, Sam Dees y los Miracles. También Gloria Jones, Kim Weston, Barbara Acklin, Esther Williams, Curtis Mayfield, los 4 Tops, las Supremes, Chuck Jackson, Z.Z. Hill, Tommy Hunt, Billy Stewart, Sly & The Family Stone, Nina Simone, Billy Butler, Gene Chandler, Shirley Ellis y J.J. Jackson. Nunca volví a escuchar otra cosa”

“Sindromul Repetitiv îi împingea să învețe toată viața pe brânci. Multă vreme a fost tratat ca o modă. Oamenii lucrau ziua, iar seara se duceau să mai facă o școală. Se așezau în bănci, scriau ore în șir, apoi dădeau examene între ei. Dacă cineva încerca să-i trateze, să le închidă clasele, deveneau apatici, mâncau tot ce găseau, până ajungeau ca niște piftii și le pierea cheful de viață, dacă viață puteai numi ceea ce trăiau ei. Era celebru cazul unei femei care la 121 de ani era studentă la medicină, deși îi tremura mâna.”

“ناهنجارى ها و زشتى هاى شهرهاى ما علامت پاشيدگى وخيمى است كه ريشه اش در فضاى ويرانه ى درون ماست. مغول خراب كرد، ولى ايرانى بر روى آن ويرانه ها يكى از درخشان ترين دوره ى معمارى را پديد آورد؛ اما اين بار ايرانى ساخته هاى نياكانش را به خواست خود نابود مى كند و به جاى آن، جعبه هاى بى قواره مى سازد.”

“In short, in contrast to the magician - who is still hidden in the medical practitioner – the surgeon at the decisive moment abstains from facing the patient man to man; rather, it is through the operation that he penetrates into him. Magician and surgeon compare to painter and cameraman. The painter maintains in his work a natural distance from reality, the cameraman penetrates deeply into its web. There is a tremendous difference between the pictures they obtain. That of the painter is a total one, that of the cameraman consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law. Thus, for contemporary man the representation of reality by the film is incomparably more significant than that of the painter, since it offers, precisely because of the thoroughgoing permeation of reality with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is free of all equipment. And that is what one is entitled to ask from a work of art.”

“I love all bars, not just gay bars,” Evan said. It was the first time he’d ever admitted this aloud to anyone. “I love bars where there are men drinking and looking for nothing but casual sex. I love that hungry look in their eyes and the way they smell and feel. I love the way they look at me. The first time I ever went into a bar I felt as if I’d gone home again. I’d never felt so comfortable in my life. All the stress and anxiety and problems in the world disappeared within those dark walls. And that was a straight bar. When I started going to gay bars and I realized the power I had over other men there, it felt as if I’d won the lottery and nothing was beyond my reach. Combine that feeling of elation with vodka and you get the most fantastic concoction the universe has ever known. But it’s gets tired after a while, and soon you begin to block out reality and nothing else matters but getting drunk and pleasing other men. It reaches the point where you can’t stop thinking about your next drink. And I just can’t do it anymore. I want to know what it’s like to walk past a bar and not feel as if I’m going to shatter into a million little pieces. I’m turning thirty years old soon and I know deep down that if I don’t get it right this time I might not get another chance.”