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21 " The melody is the soul of all poetry and prose. "
― Aharon Appelfeld , The Story of a Life
22 " I remember the school janitors who supervised the schoolyard. Cold and cunning, they were the supreme arbiters and would instill fear in everyone. If a child got out of control, they would tie him up and give him ten lashes. After receiving his punishment, the child had to kiss the hand of the one who had lashed him, say, “As you command, Father,” and then leave the area. This ritual was repeated several times a week. "
23 " We zullen de koe melken maar we zullen haar niet slachten. "
― Aharon Appelfeld , Blooms of Darkness
24 " During the war, I honed my sense of suspicion into a fine art. Before approaching a house, a stable, or a barn, I would bend down to the ground and listen, sometimes for hours. By the sounds, I could tell if there were people there, and how many. People were always a sign of danger. "
25 " I spent much of the war flat on the ground, listening. Among other things, I learned to listen to the birds. They are remarkable harbingers, not only of imminent rain, but also of bad people and wild beasts. "
26 " Only much later did I understand that this raw material is the very marrow of literature, and that, from it, it’s possible to create an interior narrative. I say “interior” because at that time chronicles were considered to be where truth was to be found. “Interior” expression had not yet been born. "