John Banville, The Sea - with annotations
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Annotations by John Banville
Beneath dedication 'I wonder what my children will think of this book. I suspect one or two of them have already read it, but we don't discuss it. Probably it's a horrible embarrassment for a son or daughter to read a parent's work.'
Flyleaf 'Nice, the opportunity to deface one of my own books.'
p.13 'This is the line everyone seems to remember. I wonder why? It's not particularly striking or memorable, at least I don't find it so. But then, what do I know? I'm forever being told things about my books that I was entirely unaware of.'
p.13 [on Mr Todd's name] 'Rather a simple joke, but I was terribly pleased with it at the time of writing. I think I am a simple soul, easily pleased.'
p.13 [on the name "De'Ath"] 'People think I made this up, but it's a real name.'
p.85 [on the Strand Cafe] 'In reality the Beach Cafe in Rosslare. Run by a splendid middle-aged woman with red hair and muscular arms. Mrs Butler?'
p.88 [on 'succubus'] 'Really should get hold of a dictionary. I'll be interested to see if he/she got to the end of the book before selling it to the second-hand shop. Could have exchanged it for a Chambers or a Shorter Oxford.'
p.124 'Why is this erotic? The mysterious world of sex...'
p.196 'Nice typographical accident, this sudden top of the page. It still shocks, I think.'
p.244 'Never noticed before the pre-echo of p.264. K[afka] is right, one works in deepest darkness.'