“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking out the view; i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.”
―
―
“Gripped by this familiar shame, she thought of the dead, for whom the absence of life meant they would never be hungry again. But life still lingered on for her, with hunger still a yoke around her neck. It was that which had tormented her for the past five years – that she could still feel hunger, still salivate at the sight of food.”
― Human Acts
― Human Acts
“When I pretended to be precocious, people started the rumor that I was precocious. When I acted like an idler, rumor had it I was an idler. When I pretended I couldn't write a novel, people said I couldn't write. When I acted like a liar, they called me a liar. When I acted like a rich man, they started the rumor I was rich. When I feigned indifference, they classed me as the indifferent type. But when I inadvertently groaned because I was really in pain, they started the rumor that I was faking suffering. The world is out of joint.”
― The Setting Sun
― The Setting Sun
“There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.”
― Silence: Lectures and Writings
― Silence: Lectures and Writings
“Silence, I discover, is something you can actually hear.”
― Kafka on the Shore
― Kafka on the Shore
Korean Literature Night
— 62 members
— last activity Sep 25, 2020 01:20PM
Hi there! Korean Literature Night (KLN) is a discussion group and book club that explores various themes and topics relating to that month’s chosen bo ...more
Japanese Literature
— 5651 members
— last activity Jun 22, 2026 11:20AM
A group for people who enjoy literature written by Japanese authors, the arts, culture, and history of Japan. June 2026: Sisters in Yellow by Mieko ...more
Korean Literature
— 650 members
— last activity Jun 08, 2026 02:47AM
안녕하세요! Annyeonghaseyo! This is an open group where we discuss Korean literature, fiction and non-fiction from both South and North Korea. New members: ...more
Alysia Anne’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Alysia Anne’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Art, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic novels, Horror, Manga, Mystery, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Poetry, Psychology, Science, and Science fiction
Polls voted on by Alysia Anne
Lists liked by Alysia Anne










































