Madonna in a Fur Coat

by Sabahattin Ali

I had yet to learn that nothing in this world can ever match the marvels that we conjure up in our own minds.

You’ll see — I live more in my head than anywhere else. In comparison, my real life is a dull dream…

That night I came to understand how it was possible to be more attached to another person than to life itself.

Waking in the morning to a terrible ache in my heart, I would wonder why I was still alive.

I felt no anger toward her. I could not begrudge or resent her, or even think ill of her. Rather, I begrudged and resented everyone in the world, because for me she was the symbol of humanity.

These memories were rich enough to fill an entire lifetime. Compressed into such a short space of time, they were all the greater and more vibrant than anything real could ever be.