Ali Smith

A Novel

Winter

Bilge Ince

Is this like when we were talking about the people who drowned trying to cross the sea running away from war, and you said we didn't need to feel responsible because it had been their choice to run away from their houses being burned down and bombed and then their choice again to get into a boat that capsized? she said.

I’ve been in Greece, Iris said. I came home three weeks ago. I’m going back in January

Holiday? Sophia said second home? Yeah, that’s right, Iris said. Tell your friends that tell them to come too. We’re all having a fabulous time. Thousands of holiday makers arriving every day from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq for city break holidays in Turkey and Greece. and the people from Yemen, who have nothing to eat they had for their holidays into Africa where there is loads to go round for everybody, especially in the countries where people are already starving, though the more sub-Saharan holiday makers tend to head for Italy and Spain also popular resorts with the people running away from Libya. A lot of my old friends are over in Greece, your friends will be interested in that. I’ll get together a list of names for you if you like. Tell your friends it helps if you had a bit of experience in how to put together out of nothing a place for people to live in or sleep. Tell them a lot of new young people, energetic young people, people they’ll be keen to have on their files are there too.

The literature doctor, she says. The man who wrote the dictionary. Johnson. Not Boris. The opposite of Boris. A man interested in the meanings of words, not one whose interests leave words meaningless.

Winter quotes

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