As he begins to write, with an inkwell and an old-fashioned pen, he reflects that “he was already dead.” And then, “Now that he had recognized himself as a dead man it became important to stay alive as long as possible.” But he doesn’t do that. He decides instead to live as fully as possible, pursuing a series of dangerous actions—keeping a diary of subversive thoughts, skipping obligations, engaging in solitary wandering, a love affair, a venture into political resistance—as the novel progresses. But he’s a condemned man from the outset. His only freedom lies in what he says and does along
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