In het begin denk je, ik moet dingen weten, ik heb kennis nodig, wiskunde, natuurkunde, de omtrek van een cirkel, de geheimen van een vak. Nadat je een tijd hebt geleefd, besef je dat je strategieën zoekt, de omgang met mensen blijkt psychologisch van aard.
on silent people
‘Silent people can be misleading, suggesting a profundity and thoughtfulness where there may be none.’ – Rachel Kushner, The flamethrowers
on talking people
‘Lately I had developed a curious habit when Chesil went into these monologues. I closed my eyes and pretended I was skiing. A deep-snow day, the snow coming down, the light dim, and that kind of socked-in, windless quiet when you can hear mostly the fabric of your parka hood as you move your head left or right. I would start to make turns in the dry, light powder. Bouncy, sailing curves in the deep snow, swinging left, then right, floating, shaping my rhythm around the snow-laden trees, deep in the back-and-forth float of fresh snow, and not at all listening to this old man. It was surprising how well it worked. He was still talking.’ – Rachel Kushner, The flamethrowers