Romain Gary
- The Kites - Tad Bronicki
Tad, keeping a finger on the globe so he wouldn't lose his place in the Gobi or the Sahara Desert and die of thirst, glanced coldly at his sister. At sixteen, Tad Bronicki seemed to have such knowledge of the world that the only thing left for him to do was add a few small corrections to the planet's history and geography.
Romain Gary
- The Kites - Herbier and Ambrose
"As for French history, he can recite every bit of it, from A to Z." There was an even longer silence, and then I suddenly heard my uncle bawl, "To Z? What Z? Because there's already a Z in sight?" Monsieur Herbier had nothing to say to that. After the defeat in 1940, with the Z hovering distinctly on the horizon, I often found myself thinking back to that conversation.
Romain Gary
- The Kites - What Characterises Grace?
I had chosen aesthetics as the subject of my exams, and the examiner, who I imagine was worn out after a long day's work, said: "I shall ask you only one question. What characterises grace?" I thought of the Polish girl - her neck, her arms, her floating hair - and did not hesitate. "Motion." He gave me nineteen points out of twenty. I owe my baccalaureate to love.
