“Every culture has its southerners -- people who work as little as they can, preferring to dance, drink, sing brawl, kill their unfaithful spouses; who have livelier gestures, more lustrous eyes, more colorful garments, more fancifully decorated vehicles, a wonderful sense of rhythm, and charm, charm, charm; unambitious, no, lazy, ignorant, superstitious, uninhibited people, never on time, conspicuously poorer (how could it be otherwise, say the northerners); who for all their poverty and squalor lead enviable lives -- envied, that is, by work-driven, sensually inhibted, less corruptly governed northerners. We are superior to them, say the northerners, clearly superior. We do not shirk our duties or tell lies as a matter of course, we work hard, we are punctual, we keep reliable accounts. But they have more fun than we do ... They caution[ed] themselves as people do who know they are part of a superior culture: we mustn't let ourselves go, mustn't descend to the level of the ... jungle, street, bush, bog, hills, outback (take your pick). For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book, developing a sense of rhythm, making love whenever you feel like it -- then you know. The south has got you.”
Quote by Susan Sontag
Book:The Volcano Lover
Work
The Volcano Lover
This novel explores the tumultuous relationship between a young woman and a volatile artist, set against the backdrop of volcanic eruptions and the political upheavals of the eighteenth century. The story delves into themes of love, obsession, and the destructive power of nature. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Present Concerns
Source: The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
Source: The Housekeeper and the Professor
Source: The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion: A playbook for sculpting cultures that overcome demographic collapse & facilitate long-term human flourishing
Source: Our Oriental Heritage
“Violence is the only lever big enough to move the world”
Source: The Nickel Boys
Source: The Unbound
Source: Writings And Speeches: A Ready Reference Manual
