In his 1942 philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd. We all know life can be really weird sometimes, but making a whole philosophy out of it? Only Camus is able to do that. Born in Algeria in 1913, one of the best French philosophers Albert Camus lived in a world torn apart by two World Wars. He was … Continue reading Imagine Sisyphus happy!
One of the best French poets, Paul Valéry, was born on this day in 1871. In addition to his poems, he also wrote philosophical essays. After an existential crisis in his twenties, Paul Valéry stopped writing and experienced writer’s block, a well-known phenomenon in the life of many classic authors. His salvation, you may ask? Poetry. Here are some of his quotes on his beloved … Continue reading 150 years – Paul Valéry (October 30, 1871 – July 20, 1945)
How do we write a poem? Where does inspiration come from? What does it take to be a poet? Is being visited by the muses a torture or a bliss?To answer these questions, I chose two poems by authors whose personalities represent the true nature of poetry – melancholy and plurality. The French symbolist Charles Baudelaire compares poets with albatrosses, seabirds tortured by sailors. Fernando … Continue reading Being a poet: between agony and privilege
Ovid – Metamorphoses In the book XV of the Metamorphoses, Ovid talks about a philosopher who greatly influenced him – Pythagoras. Born in 570 BC in Samos, Pythagoras contributed to mathematics with his scientific discoveries, including the Pythagorean theorem, the Theory of proportions, the sphericity of the Earth, etc. He was a strict vegetarian and he implored people to adopt his diet. It is a … Continue reading Vegetarianism in literature: 9 vegetarian authors and their thoughts on plant-based diet
Art of Saudade 