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Leaving the Atocha Station
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"Leaving the Atocha Station" Quotes

A young poet in Spain grapples with identity, authenticity, and the nature of art while navigating his relationships and experiences.

Quotes

I felt like a minor character in a novel written by someone who had read and remembered some novels I had read.

Ben Lerner

self-awarenessintrospection

I was intensely bored by my own voice, so I spoke as little as possible.

Ben Lerner

boredomcommunication

I felt my life to be a series of tableaux, each more preposterous and embarrassing than the last.

Ben Lerner

embarrassmentself-reflection

I was aware of myself as a performing animal.

Ben Lerner

self-awarenessidentity

I felt that I was acting in the play of my own life, that I was constantly being observed.

Ben Lerner

self-consciousnessperception

I often felt I was impersonating the sort of person who gives poetry readings.

Ben Lerner

impostor syndromeidentity

I felt that the most I could hope for was to be a passive instrument in the realization of the city’s beauty.

Ben Lerner

beautyappreciation

I had the feeling that I was acting in a way that was both sincere and wholly contrived.

Ben Lerner

authenticityself-awareness

I was skeptical of the language I was learning, but I was even more skeptical of the language I was born speaking.

Ben Lerner

languageskepticism

I was always aware of the ways in which I might be seen and judged.

Ben Lerner

perceptionself-consciousness