Greek Lessons: A Novel

To her, there was no touch as instantaneous and intuitive as the gaze. It was close to being the only way of touching without touch.

There are times when my eyes burn and suddenly start to water. When these tears, which are but physiological, fail to stop for some reason, I quietly turn away from the road and wait for the moment to pass.

Images of objects form in her eyes, and they move, fluctuate, or are erased in time with her steps, without ever being translated into words.

The pale green trees undulate as a single mass, their flowers a riot of unbelievably beautiful colors.

A tremor would pass through my lips, which had never yet known another’s, like a tiny electric shock.

Hyeonamsa.

she had felt the thin, flimsy, enormous single-layer world being swallowed up in the darkness.

And so Plato represents one who stood and watched the sun set not only on language but on everything that surrounded him.”

Whatever their motivation, those who study Greek share certain tendencies. They walk and talk slowly, for the most part, and don’t show much emotion (I guess this applies to me too). Perhaps because this language is a long-dead one and doesn’t allow for oral communication. Silence, shy hesitation and reactions of muted laughter slowly heat the air