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Woman at 1,000 Degrees

by Hallgrímur Helgason · 2011

“I live here alone in a garage, together with a laptop computer and an old hand grenade. It’s pretty cozy.” Herra Björnsson is at the beginning of the end of her life. Oh, she has two weeks left, maybe three—she has booked… more

7 quotes ★ 3.84 (3,632) Fiction

Quotes from the Book

In any case I attach no importance to God. It’s nothing more than arrogance for us humans to consider ourselves any more significant than all the animals, flowers and plants. Cows never created a bovine Jesus for themselves. Not even a dandelion believes in God, and that’s the most stupid plant of them all.
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Don't you want to tell the story yourself?' I asked my father one snowy, bright autumn Sunday. 'Ach. Who wants to hear a leaf tell the story of the wind?
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Concluzia trista la care ajunsesem in viata era ca fericirea nu vine de la ceilalti oameni, ci din a sta cat mai departe de ei.
A trebuit sa ma multumesc cu a mi se spune Erra, caci atunci cand zeul limbii le-a dat francezilor alfabetul, litera h a ramas incuiata in biblioteca, iar francezii sufera de pe urma acestei pierderi si azi. Pentru ei, heroian e eroina, iar hotelul e otel.
Nenorocirile vin cu gramada, in timp ce norocul calatoreste intotdeauna signur, spuneau oamenii in vechime.
Am ajuns sa vorbesc si alte limbi destul de bine, dar putine au solemnitatea islandezei, pentru ca sunt concepute pentru uz zilnic. Germana mi se pare cea mai putin pretentioasa limba, iar vorbitorii ei o folosesc precum isi foloseste tamplarul ciocanul: isi construiesc cu ea o casa pentru ganduri, fara vreo consideratie pentru estetic. In afara de rusa, italiana este cea mai frumoasa limba din lume, care transforma pe oricine intr-un imparat. Franceza este un sos gustor pe care francezii vor sa-l savureze cat mai mult posibil, iata de ce vorbesc in cercuri, mestecand fiecare cuvant, motiv pentru care deseori le curge sosul pe la coltul gurii. Daneza e o limba cu care danezilor le e rusine. Vor sa scape de ea cat mai repede, de-asta isi scuipa cuvintele. Olandeza e o limba guturala care a inghitit alte doua. Suedeza se crede franceza Nordului, iar suedezii fac tot posibilul sa-i dea gust plescaind din buze. Norvegiana e rezultatul incercarilor unui popor intreg de a nu vorbi daneza. Engleza nu mai e o limba, ci un fenomen universal ca soarele si oxigenul. Cat despre spaniola, e o pervertire aparte a limbii latine, care a aparut pe lume cand poporul a incercat sa se adapteze defectului de vorbire al unui rege, si totusi e limba pe care am invatat-o cel mai bine.
Se stie insa ca sursa tuturor greutatilor moderne este ceea ce numesc eu inertia masculina. Problemele in casnicie au aparut numai dupa ce barbatii nu au mai plecat pe mare si au inceput in schimb sa bocaneasca pe langa casa in weekenduri. Barbatii au inteles si ei in sfarsit chestia asta si incearca sa umple tot acest timp liber care le ramane cu treburi urgente imaginare.

About Hallgrímur Helgason

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About the book

“I live here alone in a garage, together with a laptop computer and an old hand grenade. It’s pretty cozy.” Herra Björnsson is at the beginning of the end of her life. Oh, she has two weeks left, maybe three—she has booked her cremation appointment, at a crispy 1,000 degrees, so it won’t be long. But until then she has her cigarettes, a World War II–era weapon, some Facebook friends, and her memories to sustain her. And what a life this remarkable eighty-year-old narrator has led. In the internationally bestselling and award-winning Woman at 1,000 Degrees, which has been published in fourteen languages, noted Icelandic novelist Hallgrímur Helgason has created a true literary original. From Herra’s childhood in the remote islands of Iceland, where she was born the granddaughter of Iceland’s first president, to teen years spent living by her wits alone in war-torn Europe while her father f

Book details

First published
2011
Genre
Fiction
Goodreads rating
3.84 (4k ratings)

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