#ballard quote

[rjdent]

[thehumming6ird]

‘Laing stripped off his grimy sports-shirt and washed himself in the last water flowing from the shower. He shaved and put on a fresh shirt and suit. If he visited the medical school looking like a tramp he might give away to some sharp-eyed colleague what was actually going on in the high-rise.’

High-Rise (2015)

[thehumming6ird]

‘Within ten minutes he had returned to his apartment. After bolting the door, he climbed over his barricade and wandered around the half-empty rooms. As he inhaled the stale air he was refreshed by his own odour, almost recognizing parts of his body – his feet and genitalia, the medley of smells that issued from his mouth. He stripped off his clothes… He knew now that he would never again try to leave the high-rise.’ ~ J.G. Ballard, High-Rise

[thehumming6ird]

‘During the long afternoon Laing slept in his office, waiting until he could leave the medical school and return home.’ ~ J.G. Ballard, High-Rise

[thehumming6ird]

‘Far more important was the physical security of the apartment, particularly while he was away…. All pieces of heavy furniture, the dining-table and a hand-carved oak chest in his bedroom, he pulled into the hall. With the armchairs and desk he constructed a solid barricade.’ ~ J.G. Ballard, High-Rise

[thehumming6ird]

‘He knew that he was testing himself against the excitements of the world outside, exposing himself to its hidden dangers. For all its present conflict, the high-rise represented safety and security… Within ten minutes he had returned to his apartment.’ ~ J.G. Ballard, High-Rise

[thehumming6ird]

Dr. Robert Laing, High-Rise (2015)