The country of the tourist pamphlet always is another country, an embarrassing abstraction of the desirable that, thank God, does not exist on this planet, where there are always ants and bad smells and empty Coca-Cola bottles to keep the grubby finger-print of reality upon the beautiful.

Summary

This quote highlights the stark contrast between the idealized image portrayed in tourist pamphlets and the true reality of a place. It emphasizes that the picturesque depiction of a country presented in these brochures does not accurately reflect the existence of imperfections, such as ants, bad smells, and litter. The phrase "embarrassing abstraction of the desirable" suggests that the overly romanticized representation is unrealistic and potentially misleading. In contrast, the quote celebrates the authenticity of imperfections and implies that beauty can still be found amidst the messy realities of life.

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