O carte pe care am asteptat-o numarand zilele. Am precomandat-o pe amazon, intrand apoi mandra intr-o librarie Waterstones, in chiar ziua in care desfacusem cartea din cutie, banuind, plina de mandrie, nevazand-o la ei in vitrina, ca eu o aveam si ei nu. Ei bine o aveau, ba chiar si cu autograf – asa ca am dat intr-o clipita mandria pe ciuda. Nu puteam sa cumpar si un al doilea exemplar – cartea este cartonata, numara cateva sute de pagini si oricum aveam sa platesc suprataxa la aeroport in doar cateva zile pentru valiza mea grea ca piatra. Ce nu am inteles insa a fost faptul ca au dibuit exemplarul lor cu autograf prin cine-stie-ce sertar, cartea nu numai ca nu era in vitrina, asa cum te-ai astepta cand e vorba de cea mai noua scriere a lui Backman, de-abia aparuta, dar nici expusa prin magazin nu am vazut-o… Ciudat… (Recunosc ca nu m-am putut abtine sa bomban pe tema – nu ca ar fi schimbat ceva, cel putin nu pe moment.)
Este prima carte a lui Backman, zic eu, despre arta. Si, ca si in cazul altora dintre cartile sale, despre prietenie (in primul rand despre prietenie), despre anii adolescentei, despre relatia parinti-copii, despre copilarii zdrobite in varii moduri. Despre violenta – violenta de la scoala, violenta domestica („The biggest threat to men’s health, statistically, is heart disease. (.) Do you know what the biggest threat to women’s health is?” „Men,” Louisa says, because all women know that.)
O carte care, contrar temerilor pe care ti le sadeste in suflet, reuseste sa fie una cu happy end. Si care a reusit in multe momente sa ma faca sa icnesc de ras:
„… Louisa has looked prouder than a cat that has just left a mouse in it’s owner’s cereal bowl” – ca veni vorba noi am primit „cadou” ieri o libelula imensa pe presul de la intrare 🙂
„… and started feeling the pockets of his shorts with an optimism that really was admirable, because there were kangaroos that had money in their pouches more often than he did.”
„As agile as a fridge, that one.”
„”Great. Tremedous. Never been better”, he grunts, getting to his feet with all the grace of a pony in high heels.”
„Once he read a book that said that people with neuropsychiatric disorders need „to make friends with their brain,” but Ted and Ted’s brain are not friends, they’re classmates, forced to do a group assignment called „life” together. And it’s not going great.”
„The birds are like tourists. They schreech and make a mess, but you’re not allowed to shoot them…”
Si care in multe momente mi-a umezit ochii, asa cum reusesc mereu cartile lui Backman:
„… the best thing about babies is that they remind us that life goes on…”
„… there’s no harder person on the planet than a romantic with a broken heart.”
„Disappointment is a powerful thing. Used correctly, it is stronger than fear, more terrible than physical pain, if you see it in the eyes of the one you love, you’ll do almost everything to make it stop.”
O carte, cum spuneam, despre arta: ” It’s art that makes me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that’s humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield.”
„…otherwise you can’t understand what a painting can mean. That there is a speed at which a heart can beat that you can’t remember when you’ve stopped being young. There is art that can be so beautiful that it makes a teenager to big for her body. There is a sort of happiness so overwhelming that it is almost unbearale, your soul seems to kick its way through your bones. You can see a painting, and for a single moment of your life, just for a single breath, you can forget to be afraid.”
Si despre biblioteci: „… a library. You don’t have to put up with reality there. It’s as if thousands of strangers have given away their imaginary friends, they’re sitting on the shelves and calling to you as you walk past.”
„There was a comfortable chair, a safe place, and shelves filled with imaginary friends. That was why he became a teacher. Because he wanted to give that security to other children, teach them how to have adventures without moving.”
O carte despre „winks from Heaven” si cum sa devii „someone else’s postcard” – va las sa descoperiti singuri despre ce este vorba – mi-au placut mult.
Mi-au placut si multumirile aduse de autor parintilor sai, pentru ca am realizat ca si eu sunt datoare cu multumiri pentru ca ei „always made sure I had books in my hands and food on my table.”
Si acum incepe numaratoarea pana la urmatoarea carte a lui Fredrik Backman…