design charrette character study
Pratt Institute, 2009
The Delayer (Earwitness: Fifty Characters, Elias Canetti, 1974)
text excerpts
No day begins without taking care of his mail. He hides the letters. All are done away with. Once the mail is gone, he sets about forgetting. The safest thing is to go back to sleep.
His doorbell has not worked for years. Sometimes he secretly stares from his window at people who uselessly press the button. The longer he watches, the more content he is.
He is well-known because he lives so privately. It is assumed that he is very busy. Since no one has found out what he is busy with, people are forced to believe it is very important.
The mattresses are so heavy with letters. Every book is crammed with them. There is practically no empty valise in the attic.
