Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Carsten Jensen

Quote by Carsten Jensen

“The stares that had haunted and followed the terrifying killer everywhere he turned had been nothing but a boy's imitation of a mother's reproachful look. No, Herman would never guess what had driven him out of town. We hadn't accused him of a man's murder. We'd accused him of a seagull's.”

Quote by Carsten Jensen

Work

We, the Drowned

This book delves into the lives of a small, isolated island community, where the inhabitants are bound by a shared history and a deep connection to the sea. The narrative intertwines personal stories with elements of the supernatural, examining the impact of tradition and the struggle for identity in a changing world. more

Author

Carsten Jensen
Carsten Jensen

Carsten Jensen is a renowned Danish author born on July 24, 1952. His works are known for their vivid portrayal of Danish rural life and profound insights into human nature. more

You May Also Like

“Now I am sitting in the Botanic Gardens. Though the puddles are frozen in the shade, you could sit out for ever so long in the sun without feeling cold. No one there but children with their nurses, and old men with pale, dreamy eyes thinking of nothing, perhaps wondering vaguely if they will hold on to see another spring. I am on a bench overlooking the Kelvin, and have been watching the seagulls. Whole flocks have come up inland from the Clyde. There are rooks too, very noisy and restless, deceived perhaps by the sunshine into thinking the winter is over.”

“My dad gave me a present once,” Nico said. “It was a zombie.” Reyna stared at him. “What?” “His name is Jules-Albert. He’s French.” “A...French zombie?” “Hades isn’t the greatest dad, but occasionally he has these want-to-know-my-son moments. I guess he thought the zombie was a peace offering. He said Jules-Albert could be my chauffeur.” The corner of Reyna’s mouth twitched. “A French zombie chauffeur.” Nico realized how ridiculous it sounded. He never told anyone about Jules-Albert—not even Hazel. But he kept talking. "Hades had this idea that I should, you know, try to act like a modern teenager. Make friends. Get to know the twenty-first century. He vaguely understood that mortal parents drive their kids around a lot. He couldn't do that. So his solution was a zombie." "To take you around to the mall," Reyna said. "Or the drive-through at In-N-Out Burger." "I suppose." Nico's nerves began to settle. "Because nothing helps you make friends faster than a rotting corpse with a French accent.”

“She raised her cup and poured acid over her face. Then she turned and marched face-first into the nearest wall. The snake reared up and slammed its head repeatedly into the floor. "Okay," Jason said. "I think we have achieved idiot mode." "Hello! Die!" Hygeia backed away from the wall and face-slammed it again. (...) Another gust of wind levitated him upward. Leo went to work with his pliers, reprogramming the signs until the top one flashed: THE DOCTOR IS: IN DA HOUSE. The bottom sign changed to read: NOW SERVING: ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO!”

“[R]eligion was the race's first (and worst) attempt to make sense of reality. It was the best the species could do at a time when we had no concept of physics, chemistry, biology or medicine. We did not know that we lived on a round planet, let alone that the said planet was in orbit in a minor and obscure solar system, which was also on the edge of an unimaginably vast cosmos that was exploding away from its original source of energy. We did not know that micro-organisms were so powerful and lived in our digestive systems in order to enable us to live, as well as mounting lethal attacks on us as parasites. We did not know of our close kinship with other animals. We believed that sprites, imps, demons, and djinns were hovering in the air about us. We imagined that thunder and lightning were portentous. It has taken us a long time to shrug off this heavy coat of ignorance and fear, and every time we do there are self-interested forces who want to compel us to put it back on again.”