He was the hero of a thousand romances of life and art—and he was a virtual moron, performing staidly yet absurdly a series of complicated and infinitely astounding epics over a span of threescore years.

他是一千部人生和艺术浪漫史的主人公——他实际上是个白痴，在长达三十年的时间里，沉稳而荒谬地演绎着一系列复杂而无限震撼的史诗。