Solitude is the play field of Satan

Solitude is the playfield of Satan. - Pale Fire, 1962.

To play safe, I prefer to accept only one type of power: the power of art over trash, the triumph of magic over the brute

To play safe, I prefer to accept only one type of power: the power of art over trash, the triumph of magic over the brute.

I have no desires, save the desire to express myself in defiance of all the world’s muteness.

A thousand years ago five minutes were
Equal to forty ounces of fine sand.
Outstare the stars. Infinite foretime and
Infinite aftertime: above your head
They close like giant wings, and you are dead.