Why should I seek? I am the same as He. His essence speaks through me. I have been looking for myself! In the heart of 13th-century Konya, Turkey, the meeting of two luminaries—Rumi, the celebrated Persian poet, and Shams, the enigmatic mystic from Tabriz—marked the beginning of a profound spiritual journey that continues to inspire seekers of truth and enlightenment to this day.Shams means sun … Continue reading Rumi and Shams: a love story
Rumi’s poetry is based on Sufi mysticism, spirituality and most importantly, love. Sufis dance “like nobody’s watching, love like they’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on earth”, as a wise man once said. However, according to Sufism, there is indeed someone watching – God, and love can never hurt since there is no love without sacrifice. But Sufis dance like there is … Continue reading Rumi’s Dance
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!
Hello November! Time for a new language challenge! This time the choice was easy – the language I’ll be studying in November is not a language that I’m starting from scratch as was the case in October. However, it is one of those languages that I’ve always wanted to learn, yet I never got the chance. So, here it is! One month of extensive learning, … Continue reading #2: Monthly language challenge – November 2021
Hey there, fellow language enthusiast! Ever thought of learning Estonian? Personally, I never thought I’d start studying one of the hardest languages in Europe as part of a language challenge! If you want to know more about my language challenge, check out my previous posts. One of the first steps in learning a language from scratch (and when you don’t have much time) is certainly … Continue reading Essential expressions in Estonian
Ühest keelest ei piisa kunagi! – One language is never enough! First impressions of the Estonian language Trying to get familiar with a new language in only one month is definitely an interesting challenge for language enthusiasts, however it is not as easy as it seems. The idea was to start learning a language from scratch and see how much we can learn in a … Continue reading #1: Monthly language challenge – October 2021
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)
German-speaking Jewish writer from Prague working for an Italian insurance company… No, that’s not how one can describe the author of The Metamorphosis. At least, that’s not how Kafka would describe himself. “I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.” This … Continue reading Was Max Brod a bad friend?
The Lusiads by Luís Vaz de Camões is one of the most important and most representative literary works ever written in Portuguese. If English is the language of Shakespeare, French the language of Molière and Italian the language of Dante, Portuguese is the language of Camões. More than thousand verses compose what literary critics call “the Portuguese Iliad”. What makes this epic poem so special? … Continue reading Portuguese literature: #1 The Lusiads by Camoes
João Guimarães Rosa – who on earth is this guy and how do you even pronounce his name? Well, this is the author you cannot miss if you want to discover Brazilian literature. Novelist, poet, diplomat and polyglot, Rosa’s work is one of the best literary achievements in the world. His story The Devil to Pay in the Backlands was named among the best 100 … Continue reading Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Art of Saudade 