Artwork
- Type: Novel
- Country: Greece
- Creator: Theodor Kallifatides
- Creator Biography link:
- Year: 2001
- Copyright Holder: Bonnier Pocket
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- Appropriate Age: Primary
Secondary
Adult
- Artwork extract on youtube:
- Artwork text: His reply had filled me with happiness about being Greek, or more precisely at being back in the Greek language. I kept repeating to myself: "When the sea turns to yogurt, that's when the poor man finds he has no spoon."
I smiled happily to myself, as if remembering something agreeable. Then it struck me that that was exactly right. From being central to my life, the Greek language had become just a memory.
I no longer had any real empathy with my language. I recognised that. But after a 36-year absence, I was beginning to discover it anew. That was a blessing.
My lips moved effortlessly, my voice sank deeper within my chest, like a diver hunting for hidden treasure.
I don't know what else I can say to describe the feeling I experienced. But let me try once more. It was as if I were falling. The fall seemed long and inevitable, when suddenly it was being slowed down by a self-opening parachute.
I would never lose my way as long as the homely hearth of my language was still glowing, even if at a distance.
I would die with my dignity intact. No one can be more safe and secure than one who possesses a language.
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