Life on Basel's Margins: Observing the 'Svenoids' from a PhD Student's Balcony
By
casmalia
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
The article describes the narrator's experience living in a run-down neighborhood in Basel, Switzerland during their PhD studies. It focuses on the peculiar characters who frequent a local drug house, referred to as "Svenoids," and their bizarre, theatrical behavior. The narrative captures the surreal atmosphere of observing these individuals from a balcony, their strange mannerisms, and the narrator's interactions with them, creating a vivid portrait of urban life on the margins.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledOrtiz called the house's patrons Svenoids, named for their habit of approaching and shouting up to an open window 'Sven—Sven!' until they were let in to complete whatever fetid task awaited them.
They were natural clowns, prowling around the road as if engaged in some secret errand and yet immediately identifiable by their stilted gait.
They moved like a bad animation, spoke only in stage whispers, high whistles, and barks.
Whenever two or more convened, they would fall into long Shakespearean disputes until the scene reached some height of dramatic intensity.
I would yell out 'Kokain!' in the voice of a Turkish market vendor or toss down torn pieces of pretzel, causing them to fall on one another in a rage.
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