The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

by Claire North

In a conflict where whole regiments could be wiped out in a single day, undistinguished was a rather enviable obtainment.

It is said that there are three stages of life for those of us who live our lives in circles. These are rejection, exploration and acceptance.

ever heard him say which made any sense was, “Dr August, there is no greater isolation a man may experience than to be lonely in a crowd. He may nod, and smile, and say the right thing, but even by this pretence his soul is pushed further away from the kinship of men.”

They say that the mind cannot remember pain; I say it barely matters, for even if the physical sensation is lost, our recollection of the terror that surrounds it is perfect.

Time is not wisdom; wisdom is not intellect. I am still capable of being overwhelmed; he overwhelmed me.

We are no more and no less than minds, and it is human for the mind to be imperfect and to forget.

“Time was simple, is simple. We can divide it into simple parts, measure it, arrange dinner by it, drink whisky to its passage. We can mathematically deploy it, use it to express ideas about the observable universe, and yet if asked to explain it in simple language to a child – in simple language which is not deceit, of course – we are powerless. The most it ever seems we know how to do with time is to waste it.”

History was of little interest to the Soviets, unless it was the history of their success,

The trick with a truly successful intimidation is not to rely on volume or obscenity, but to cultivate that quiet certainty which informs any listener that your people will do the shouting for you, should the moment come.

“the past is the past. You are alive today. That is all that matters. You must remember, because it is who you are, but as it is who you are, you must never, ever regret. To regret your past is to regret your soul.”

had eaten vast amounts of cheese in preparation for this moment, and drunk copious quantities of water. There is an art to getting drunk in the line of duty, and I was determined that he would catch me neither shirking in my efforts nor off guard as a consequence.

Could I smile at this? It would appear that I could. I know now that there is something dead inside me though I cannot remember exactly when it died.