«Every Sunday August took a stroll through his beloved forests near Romanshorn and when nobody was watching him – or at least that’s what he thought – he hugged his favourite trees, usually the most battered and fragile ones. He wished that, like in St. Heiden, the trees could talk to him; he wanted them to say something and therefore prove that the miracle of his life had actually happened. However, the Romanshorn trees neither played music nor talked. August reached the conclusion that the St. Heiden trees were the only ones gifted with those particular skills, a discovery that he did not reveal to anyone but me, so as not to be considered a fool. Even without music or the sounds of nature, even without words, August felt good in those constantly protracted Sunday embraces. He thought that the Romanshorn trees, although quieter, showed a trait that the St. Heiden’s lacked. There, he hugged the trees; here, somehow, the trees hugged him, making him feel serene and welcomed. For this reason – because he felt safe – August’s embraces became longer and deeper. Until some village kids caught him in the act. But they did not dare to laugh at him, nor to rush to the square and tell everyone what they had seen; nor did they dare to throw stones at him, like they used to with other loners. They just observed him from a distance, in complete silence, as if watching an incomprehensible phenomenon and sensing its holy nature. From that moment, children started to call the Romanshorn printer: “the tree hugger”.»
from Andanzas del impresor Zollinger
Of hermits, trees and children… what’s the meaning? Of course, they know that life has no meaning: it gives meaning. We cannot but listen, hug, and not understand.
10 suggested readings
ANDANZAS DEL IMPRESOR ZOLLINGER
Pablo d’Ors, Anagrama 2003
COSIMO
Roger Olmos, #logosedizioni 2016
IN GRATITUDE
Jenny Diski, Bloomsbury USA 2016
RADIANT TERMINUS
Antoine Volodine, Open Letter 2017
MYSTERIES
Knut Hamsun, Farrar Straus Giroux 2006
ERAVAMO BAMBINI ABBASTANZA
Carola Susani, Minimum Fax 2012
LA GIOIA PICCOLA D’ESSERE QUASI SALVI
Chiara Valerio, Nottetempo 2009
AROUND THE DAY IN EIGHTY WORLDS
Julio Cortázar, North Point Press 2017
LE SENS DE LA VIE
Oscar Brenifier, Jacques Després, Nathan 2009
PIPPI LONGSTOCKING
Astrid Lindgren, Puffin Modern Classics 2005