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Quote by Jonathan Coe

“Here I sat down and closed my eyes, tilting my face towards the sun and listening to the gentle lap of the blue water against the rocks. Perhaps it was my destiny, after all, to be always alone: that was the tragic, self-dramatizing thought that came to me, and in some paradoxical way it also brought me a kind of comfort, reconciling me to what seemed, at that moment, to be my essential nature: introverted, melancholy and solitary.”

Quote by Jonathan Coe

Work

Mr Wilder & Me

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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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“Idet hun forsigtigt havde banet sig vej gennem græsset, da hun med ét kommet til en lysning midt inde i det, en ganske lille åben plads, som en alkove med gyldengrønne omhæng. Hun havde pludselig følt, at hun her var lige i hjertet af sit kongerige, hun var blevet så lykkelig bevæget derved. Ak, mon hun kunne finde det hellige hemmelighedsfulde sted igen? Hvis hun fandt det, ville hun stå ganske stille derinde, skjult for hele verden.”

“You’ve never seen the island as it looks now, tipping over into autumn. There are no bright colours out here to signal departure, they are simply erased, a withered tangle of greys and browns, the island shrinks and is somehow absorbed into the rain and sea and the evenings are dramatic with their desolate sunsets and banks of cloud. The darkness on an island such as this is like standing at the end of the world and all the night sounds are intensified, giving an impression of utter solitude – nature no longer frames one’s existence, but hurls it to the periphery and imposes its sovereign domination. Suddenly it’s just the sea and vast, dramatic autumn skies. Oddly enough I feel less and less inclined to leave, the less benign my surroundings grow – the security of town is more menacing.”