leo

“In old age a person becomes eccentric. This appears to be a natural law of development, once adapting to society is no longer essential, and the paths of the individual and the community start to diverge. Perhaps old age is actually the only time in life when we can finally be ourselves, without worrying about the demands of others or conforming to the social norms that we have been constantly instructed to follow. At last the adolescent obligation to belong to one group or another ceases to apply. That is why the philosophy of eccentricity expressed in The Hearing Trumpet is connected with age. It can be treated as a special message from the old to the young, going against the current of time. We must do eccentric things. Where everyone is doing This, we must do That. While the whole center is noisily establishing its order, we shall remain on the periphery—we won’t let ourselves be drawn into the center, we shall ignore it and surpass it. Thus eccentricity is posited as a spontaneous, joyful rebellion against everything that’s established and regarded as normal and self-evident. It is a challenge flung in the face of conformity and hypocrisy. Ultimately, The Hearing Trumpet is a book that brings great delight. Let us enjoy the opportunity to share in this wild tale about an old lady who couldn’t go to Lapland, so Lapland had to come to her.”
― Leonora Carrington, The Hearing Trumpet

“From the window of the main room we can see Marta’s house. For the past three years I have wondered who Marta really is. She has told me many different versions of the facts about herself. Every time, she has given a different birth year. For me and R., Marta has only ever existed in the summer; in winter she disappears, like everything else around here. She is small, her hair is white as snow, and some of her teeth are missing. Her skin is wrinkled, dry and warm.”
― Olga Tokarczuk, House of Day, House of Night

“Your house is your larger body. It grows in the sun and sleeps in the stillness of the night; and it is not dreamless. Does not your house dream? And dreaming, leave the city for grove or hilltop? Khalil Gibran, “On Houses,” The Prophet”
― Olga Tokarczuk, House of Day, House of Night

“I have failed to understand Marta in the past, and I don’t understand her now, whenever I think of her. But why should I? What would I get from uncovering the motives for her behavior, or the sources of all her tales? What would I gain from her life story, if indeed she has a life story to speak of? Maybe there are people with no life story, with no past or future, who are different, always in the present.”
― Olga Tokarczuk, House of Day, House of Night