2
" The two centuries before us were nothing but striving, fever, onslaught, and revolution. The centuries before us were ogres, devouring courage and genius, whole lives at a time. And here we are, With these words handed down to us: “Nation,” “Equality,” “Freedom,” And we contemplate them wearily. For we have long become citizens of boredom. "
― Laurent Gaudé , Nous, l'Europe: banquet des peuples
5
" They are all there, in Berlin in 1885: French, Italians, British, Spanish, Belgians, Danes, Dutch, Portuguese, Russians, Norwegians, Ottomans, Americans, and Austro-Hungarians Staring at a huge dish: Africa. Bigger than their eyes, their mouths, their bellies, But that doesn’t matter, They eat for more than themselves, They eat for their children and grandchildren. They eat for at least a century of colonization. "
― Laurent Gaudé , Nous, l'Europe: banquet des peuples