Tomorrow (Wednesday 4th February - effective from the traditional hour of three o'clock in the morning), Russell Hoban fans around the world will celebrate the cult author's 84th birthday by dropping favourite quotes from his books in public places.
The Slickman A4 Quotation Event (SA4QE) has taken place every 4th
February since 2002. To date, over 350 quotes from 31 books
have been dropped in 46 locations across 14 countries. The
recently-revamped SA4QE website at www.sa4qe.com records the quotes and the reasons why
they and their locations were chosen, accompanied by photographs,
videos and even some very nifty Flash animations.
Hoban has written scores of extraordinary novels but is probably
most famous for his classic 1980 dystopia Riddley Walker (included in
the Guardian's recent '1,000 novels everyone must read' feature).
The event's founder, Diana Slickman, wrote yesterday on The Kraken, the international Hoban online forum: "Just a quick note to encourage you all to participate in this year's
SA4QE on Wednesday - even you snowbound Londoners! Thanks to Gombert for his continual work documenting the event, and so beautifully and
thoroughly. Here's to all who 4quate in all manner of ways, in so many
parts of the world. And, of course, here's to Russ - the founder of the
feast!"
And here, as a taster, are just a few of the many quotes dropped in years past. Enjoy!
Her brown loaves were like bread from a fairy tale; her potato pancakes sizzled with lust and tasted of fidelity.
from Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer
chosen by Lindsay Edmunds
The world-child has been told that this is a world, ... and it believes
it; it is the energy of this belief that binds the world together. The
world-child holds in its mind the idea of every single thing: root and
stone, tree and mountain, river and ocean and every living thing. The
world-child holds in its mind the idea of woman and man, the idea of
love.
from
The Medusa Frequency
chosen by Yvonne Studer
More and more I find that life is a series of disappearances followed
usually but not always by reappearances; you disappear from your
morning self and reappear as your afternoon self; you disappear from
feeling good and reappear feeling bad. And people, even face to face
and clasped in each other's arms, disappear from each other.
from
Fremder
chosen by Dave Awl
A frightening thought had been growing in me. I'd always assumed that I
was the central character in my own story but now it occurred to me
that I might in fact be only a minor character in someone else's. Miss
Neap's perhaps. And I didn't even know the story.
from
Turtle Diary
chosen by Graeme Wend-Walker
He put his face in front of the bathroom mirror.
I exist, said the mirror.
What about me? said Kleinzeit.
Not my problem, said the mirror.
from
Kleinzeit
chosen by Carolyn Mayne
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