Beverly

“Zina - We need novels somehow, don't we? And why? We need literature and poetry the way we need music or the view of the (river) Psyol . . . perhaps I have answered my own question. But why literature, Anton Pavlovich? Why words? You must know?
Anton - Ah, I suppose it's like anything, Zinaida Mikhailovna, like religion or, as you say, music. Is there really an answer? Do we want an answer? For some mysterious reason, a story - and all the more so a poem - finds an echo in one's spirit, first of all. It can entertain, as I said, then it can console, as you said, and obviously it helps us to see and understand the world. And it asks questions, helps us to find answers - and beauty. Not to forget beauty. And like any other form of art, I suppose literature can be uplifting.”
― Alison Anderson