The street as a fount of stories, conveying the detail and complexity of human lives, even those which may appear humdrum to outsiders.

‘Now I know one thing: no street is small. They all hide never-ending stories, they all conceal countless secrets.’

For other story related gems, see Jorge Luis Borges on the essence of Turkestan tales; Karen Blixen on stories as therapy; Arundhati Roy on what makes Great Stories great; Elizabeth Goudge on fairy tales as a lesson in existential humility, and David Boyle on the value of stories in a world dominated by numbers.  

See also our bestellar review of this book, a lavishly illustrated quote mosaic for the mind.

Source: Mia Couto, The Tuner of Silences, trans. David Brookshaw (Biblioasis, 2012 (2009)), p. 192