#chatwin

En grandissant, le sauvage, lui, ne perd jamais son paradis d'enfant à moins qu'il n'en soit chassé de force.

'There are no eels,' said the waiter. 'No eels? This is bad. What have you?' 'We have carp.' 'Carp only?' 'Carp.' 'How shall you cook this carp?' 'Many ways,' the waiter gestured to the menu. 'Which way you like.' The menu was multilingual: in Czech, Russian, German, French and English. But whoever had compiled the English page had mistaken the word 'carp' for 'crap'. Under the heading CRAP DISHES, the list contained 'Crap soup with paprika', 'Stuffed crap', 'Crap cooked in beer', 'Fried crap', 'Crap balls', 'Crap à la juive...' 'In England,' I said, 'this fish is called "carp". "Crap" has a different meaning.' 'Oh?' said Dr Orlík. 'What meaning?' 'Faeces,' I said. 'Shit.' I regretted saying this because Utz looked exceedingly embarrassed. The narrow eyes blinked, as if he hoped he hadn't heard correctly. Orlík's wheezy carapace shook with laughter. 'Ha! Ha!' he jeered. 'Crap à la juive... My friend Mr Utz will eat Crap à la juive ...!' I was afraid Utz was going to leave, but he rose above his discomfiture and ordered soup and the 'Carpe meunière'. I look the line of least resistance and ordered the same. Orlík clamoured in his loud and crackly voice, 'No. No. I will eat "Crap à la juive"...!' 'And to begin?' asked the waiter. 'Nothing,' said Orlik. 'Only the crap!'

J'ai le sentiment que tout le temps que nous passons, tout le mal que nous nous donnons pour fabriquer et acquérir de nouvelles choses - ce que nous avons ritualisé sous la forme du mythe du Progrès - ne servent qu'à compenser la perte du territoire idéal dont nous nous sommes bannis nous-mêmes.