Coincidence obeys no laws and if it does we don't know what they are. Coincidence, if you'll permit me the simile, is like the manifestation of God at every moment on our planet. A senseless God making senseless gestures at his senseless creatures. In that hurricane, in that osseous implosion, we find communion.
I'd obviously never heard of the group, but my ignorance in literary matters is to blame for that (every book in the world is out there waiting to be read by me).
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that there is an endless array of knowledge and literature to explore, emphasizing the importance of continual learning.
In this quote, Roberto Bolano reflects on his unawareness of a particular literary group, admitting that it stems from his own ignorance. He suggests that the world of literature is vast and filled with countless books waiting to be discovered, highlighting the notion that learning and reading should be lifelong pursuits. This sentiment serves as a reminder of the endless opportunities for growth and enrichment available through literature.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote to inspire students in a literature class to explore new authors and genres.
More from Roberto Bolano
All quotes →The sky, at sunset, looked like a carnivorous flower.
Every book in the world is out there waiting to be read by me.
Bright colours in the west, giant butterflies dancing as night crept like a cripple toward the east.
Being alone makes us stronger. That’s the honest truth. But it’s cold comfort, since even if I wanted company no one will come near me anymore.
Of all the islands he'd visited, two stood out. The island of the past, he said, where the only time was past time and the inhabitants were bored and more or less happy, but where the weight of illusion was so great that the island sank a little deeper into the river every day. And the island of the future, where the only time was the future, and the inhabitants were planners and strivers, such strivers, said Ulises, that they were likely to end up devouring one another.
Similar quotes
My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising. It seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.
When I'm writing, I'm never trying to teach anything - maybe I'm trying to illuminate.
Reading and writing, like everything else, improve with practice. And, of course, if there are no young readers and writers, there will shortly be no older ones. Literacy will be dead, and democracy - which many believe goes hand in hand with it - will be dead as well.
I started my own Pies Descalzos/Barefoot Foundation when I was 18. We provide education to vulnerable children in Colombia and other developing countries. I am an avid believer that education - and especially early childhood development - is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: Teachers? Teachers make a difference! Now what about you?
Much literary criticism comes from people for whom extreme specialization is a cover either for grave cerebral inadequacy or terminal laziness, the latter being a much-cherished aspect of academic freedom.