KAZUO ISHIGURO

Never Let Me Go - fragments
 

That summer, right up until the warm weather faded, we developed this odd way of listening to music together in the fields. Walkmans had started appearing at Hailsham since the previous year’s Sales and by that summer there were at least six of them in circulation. The craze was for several people to sit on the grass around a single Walkman, passing the headset around. Okay, it sounds a stupid way to listen to music, but it created a really good feeling. You listened for maybe twenty seconds, took off the headset, passed it on. After a while, provided you kept the same tape going over and over, it was surprising how close it was to having heard all of it by yourself. As I say, the craze really took off that summer, and during the lunch breaks you’d see all these clusters of students lying about the grass around the Walkmans. The guardians weren’t too keen, saying we’d spread ear infections, but they let us carry on. I can’t remember that last summer without thinking about those afternoons around the Walkmans. Someone would wander up and ask: “What’s the sound?” and if they liked the answer, they’d sit down on the grass and wait their turn. There was almost always a good atmosphere around these sessions and I don’t remember anyone being refused a share of the headset.
 

Elena Cigareanu

Kazuo Ishiguro
 

In vara accea , imediat ce caldura a inceput sa scada, am dezvoltat acest mod ciudat de a asculta muzica impreuna, pe camp. Walkman-urile au inceput sa apara la Hailsham inca de la Vanzarile de anul trecut, iar pana in vara cel putin sase erau puse in circulatie. Moda era sa stam cativa pe iarba in jurul unui singur walkman, trecand castile de la unul la altul. Bine, pare un mod straniu de a asculta muzica, dar ne dadea o traire deaosebita. Ascultai poate doar pentru 20 de secunde, iti scoteai castile si le dadeai mai departe. Dupa un timp, cu conditia sa fi ascultat aceeasi caseta iar si iar, era surprinzator sa observi cat de mult ai ascultat tu singur. Dupa cum spuneam, moda a durat doar aceea vara, iar in pauzele de pranz puteai vedea grupuri de elevi intinsi pe iarba, in jurul walkman-ului. Tutorii nu erau prea incantati de idee, spunand ca astfel imprastiem infectii ale urechilor, insa ne-au lasat sa continuam. Nici nu-mi pot aminti aceea ultima vara fara a ma gandi la acele dupa-amieze petrecute in jurul walkman-urilor. Cineva putea trece prin zona si sa intrebe: Cum suna? iar daca ii placea raspunsul, se aseza pe iarba si-si astepta randul. Intotdeauna era o atmosfera placuta in cadrul acestor intruniri si nu-mi amintesc ca vreodata sa-i fi fost refuzat cuiva randul la casti.