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438 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2004
鈥e, Mundus, the most reliable and predictable person in this building and probably in the whole history of the school, having worked here for more than thirty years, impeccable in his profession, a pillar of the institution, a little dull perhaps, but respected and even feared in the university for his astounding knowledge of ancient languages.
I would not like to live in a world without cathedrals. I need their beauty and grandeur. I need them against the vulgarity of the world. I want to look up at the illuminated church windows and let myself be blinded by the unearthly colours. I need their lustre: I need it against the dirty colours of the uniforms鈥�
But there is also another world I don鈥檛 want to live in: the world where the body and independent thought are disparaged, and the best things we can experience are denounced as sins. The world that demands love of tyrants, slavemasters, and cutthroats, whether their brutal boot steps reverberate through the streets with a deafening echo or they slink with feline silence like cowardly shadows through the streets and pierce their victims in the heart with flashing steel.
To stand by yourself 鈥� that was also part of dignity. That way, a person could get through a public flogging with dignity. Galileo. Luther. Even somebody who resisted the temptation to deny his guilt. Something politicians couldn鈥檛 do. Honesty, the courage for honesty. With others and yourself.
"賲賳 亘賷賳 丌賱丕賮 丕賱鬲噩丕乇亘 丕賱鬲賷 賳禺賵囟 睾賲丕乇賴丕貙 賴賳丕賰 鬲噩乇亘丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賱丕 睾賷乇 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲爻毓賮賳丕 賮賷 賳賯賱賴丕 丕賱賰賱賲丕鬲. 賵賲賳 亘賷賳 賰賱 丕賱鬲噩丕乇亘 丕賱禺乇爻丕亍 丕賱賲爻鬲毓氐賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賯賵賱貙鬲賰賲賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賴亘 賱丨賷丕鬲賳丕貙 禺賱爻丞貙 卮賰賱賴丕 賵賱賵賳賴丕貙 賵賱丨賳賴丕 賲毓丕賸 "
"丕賱兀賲乇 賷鬲毓賱賯 亘賯丿乇鬲賷 丕賱兀賳 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賳賯胤丞 賲賳 丨賷丕鬲賷 毓賱賷 廿鬲禺丕匕 賵噩賴丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 鬲賲丕賲丕 毓賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱鬲賷 噩毓賱鬲 賲賳賷 賲丕 兀賳丕 毓賱賷賴 丕賱賷賵賲貙 兀賳丕 丕賱匕賷 賱爻鬲 廿賱丕 兀賳丕 亘爻亘亘 鬲丨賯賯 兀賲賳賷丕鬲 賱賲 鬲賰賳 賱賷! 廿賳賳賷 丕賱丕賳 卮禺氐 丌禺乇"
" 賮賶 卮亘丕亘賳丕 賳毓賷卮 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 賰賲丕 賱賵 丕賳賳丕 禺丕賱丿賵賳 . 賵 賲毓乇賮鬲賳丕 亘胤亘賷毓鬲賳丕 丕賱賮丕賳賷丞 鬲胤賵賮 丨賵賱賳丕 賲孬賱 卮乇賷胤 賵乇賯賶 氐睾賷乇 賱丕 賷賰丕丿 賷賱賲爻 噩賱丿賳丕 . 賲鬲賶 賷鬲睾賷乇 賴匕丕 賮賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞 責 賲鬲賶 賷亘丿兀 賴匕丕 丕賱卮乇賷胤 賮賶 丕賱囟睾胤 毓賱賷賳丕 亘卮丿丞 賱賷賳鬲賴賶 丕賱賶 禺賳賯賳丕責 賵 賰賷賮 賳賲賷夭 囟睾胤賴 丕賱賳丕毓賲 賵 丕賱氐賱亘 賮賶 丌賳 賵丕丨丿 , 丕賱囟睾胤 丕賱匕賶 賷亘丿賵 丕賳賴 賱賳 賷乇鬲禺賶 丕亘丿丕賸 責 賰賷賮 賳賲賷夭賴 毓賳丿 丕賱丕禺乇賷賳 責 賵 賰賷賮 賳賲賷夭賴 賮賶 丿丕禺賱賳丕 賳丨賳 責 "
I start trembling at the thought of the unplanned & unknown but inevitable & unstoppable force with which parents leave traces in their children that, like traces of branding, can never be erased. The outlines of parental will & fear are written with a white-hot stylus in the souls of children who are helpless & ignorant of what is happening to them. We need a whole life to find & decipher the branded text & we can never be sure that we have understood it.Raimund's enchantment with the life of Amadeu de Prado, who had enjoyed a brilliant childhood, causes him to work at translating the thoughts of the man, while pursuing clues to the man's later life in Lisbon, always it seems in search of deeper meaning about the moral decisions that had been made & which ultimately determined Dr. Prado's fate.