“I read somewhere that a man should tell the story of his life at the age of forty, and this deadline is fast approaching as I write these lines, only a few short weeks remain before this ominous birthday arrives.” — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“In the darkness of the bedroom I thought of that, although thinking in the darkness is not advisable: things seem bigger or more serious… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“And I tell myself at the same time that we're terrible judges of the present moment, maybe because the present doesn't actually exist: all… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“the kind of sadness we tolerate because it appears at happy moments” — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“they talked of intentions and projects, convinced, as only new lovers can be, that saying what you wanted was the same as saying who… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“A person is from wherever they feel best, and roots are for plants. Everyone knows that, don't they?” — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“with all the bad news expunged? Mallarino had never been able to understand that: for him it was the indignation or rage or hatred… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“Adulthood brings with it the pernicious illusion of control, and perhaps even depends on it. I mean that mirage of dominion over our own… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“creature with imprecise contours, a sort of deceitful, dishonest amoeba that can’t be investigated, for, looking for it again under the microscope, we find… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“I don’t know when I started to realize that my country’s past was incomprehensible and obscure to me, a real shadowy terrain, nor can… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“Remembering tires a person out. this is something they don't teach us. Exercising one's memory is an exhausting activity. It draws our energy and… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“Now that so many years have passed, now that I remember with the benefit of an understanding I didn't then have, I think of… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
“The memory has a marvellous capacity to remember the forgotten, its existence and its stalking, and thus allow us to stay alert when we… — Juan Gabriel Vásquez Copy Share Image
