Amu Raja

“Hutte, for instance, used to quote the case of a fellow he called "the beach man." This man had spent forty years of his life on beaches or by the sides of swimming pools, chatting pleasantly with summer visitors and rich idlers. He is to be seen, in his bathing costume, in the corners and backgrounds of thousands of holiday snaps, among groups of happy people, but no one knew his name and why he was there. And no one noticed when one day he vanished from the photographs. I did not dare tell Hutte, but I felt that "the beach man" was myself. Though it would not have surprised him if I had confessed it. Hutte was always saying that, in the end, we were all "beach men" and that "the sand" - I am quoting his own words - "keeps the traces of our footsteps only a few moments.”
― Patrick Modiano, Rue des boutiques obscures

“She had the right idea, old man, don't you think - to disappear before it gets too late?”
― Patrick Modiano, Rue des boutiques obscures

“My wife's a lot younger than me ... thirty years difference . . . You should never marry a woman a lot younger than you ... Never ...”
― Patrick Modiano, Rue des boutiques obscures

“Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.”
― Patrick Modiano, Rue des boutiques obscures