José Eduardo Agualusa

José Eduardo Agualusa Alves da Cunha (born December 13, 1960) is an Angolan journalist and writer of Portuguese and Brazilian descent.

A General Theory of Oblivion (2012)

 * When people look at clouds they do not see their real shape, which is no shape at all, or every shape, because they are constantly changing. They see whatever it is that their heart yearns for.


 * God weighs a soul on a pair of scales. In one of the dishes is the soul, and in the other, the tears of those who weep for it. If nobody cries, the soul goes down to Hell. If there are enough tears, and they are sufficiently heartfelt, it rises up to Heaven...People who are missed by other people, they are the ones who go to Paradise. Paradise is the space we occupy in other people's hearts.


 * Nothing happened today. I slept. While asleep I dreamed that I was sleeping.


 * God weighs souls on a pair of scales. In one of the dishes is the soul, and in the other, the tears of those who weep for it. If nobody cries, the soul goes straight down to hell. If there are enough tears and they are sufficiently heartfelt, it rises up to heaven.


 * God invented music so poor people could be happy.


 * I have understood over these last years that in order to believe in God, it is essential to have trust in humanity. There is no God without humanity.

a general theory of oblivion.
 * If I still had the space, charcoal, and available walls, I could compose a great work about forgetting:


 * Dreams Are Where It All Begins.


 * Monsters, show me the monsters: these people out on the street.


 * Speeches don't feed people. What the people need are fresh vegetables and a good fish broth, at least once a week. I'm only interested in the kinds of revolution that start off by getting people to the table.


 * The owner of the establishment, an old guerilla fighter called Pedro Afonso, had lost his right leg when a landmine exploded. This had not robbed him of his love of dancing. To see him dance, you would never have guessed he wore a prosthesis. He came over when he heard the two friends laughing, tracing out some ornate rumba steps on the beaten-earth floor...