Adventure Quote by Walter Moers
““There were adventure stories supplied with cloths for mopping your brow, thrillers containing pressed leaves of soothing valerian to be sniffed when the suspense became too great, and books with stout locks sealed by the Atlantean censorship authorities ("Sale permitted, reading prohibited!"). One shop sold nothing but 'half' works that broke off in the middle because their author had died while writing them; another specialised in novels whose protagonists were insects. I also saw a Wolperting shop that sold nothing but books on chess and another patronised exclusively by dwarfs with blond beards, all of whom wore eye-shades.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers, 2004
The passage satirically imagines a fantastical bookshop where books are absurdly altered or censored, highlighting the absurdity of over‑regulation and the limits of imagination.
In simple terms: A whimsical critique of censorship and the absurdity of over‑controlled creativity.
Key Takeaway
Question the boundaries imposed on art and imagination.
Themes
censorship
creativity
absurdity
fantasy
satire
Mood
playful
ironic
critical
Type
satirical
literary
When to use this quote
- library policy debates
- creative writing workshops
- publishing industry reforms
- educational curriculum design
Key Concepts
postmodernism
literary criticism
imagination
Questions to Reflect On
- What freedoms are essential for creative expression?
- How does absurdity reveal deeper truths about control?
A Different Perspective
The humor may downplay real harms of censorship.
![“I've sold too many books to get good reviews anymore. There's a lot of jealousy, because [reviewers] think they can write a good novel or a best-seller and get frustrated when they can't. I've learned to despise them.” quote by John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ddb/john-grisham-974_best-sellers_i-ve-sold-too-many-books-to-get-good-rev_731179.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
