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!
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
João Guimarães Rosa is one of the names of Brazilian literature you absolutely need to know. Most known for his best-seller The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, he also published short stories and poetry. I decided to discover this author through his verses, a collection of poems called Magma, published posthumously in 1997. In his lifetime, João Guimarães Rosa never thought his work was … Continue reading Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – Magma
The wind carries beautiful weather. It raves within us, then resounds. It carries beautiful weather. All that’s lovely is bright but changes, and grief remains. Sometimes grief stretches inside us, lies down in our eyes and thickens the layers that dim the lights we watch. Then an aching of awe blows cold and lost, unknown inside us, haunting us deep. But then again grief plays … Continue reading Discover Macedonian poetry: #3 Aco Sopov – The Wind Carries Beautiful Weather
Latin American literature is best known for its magical realism, its beautiful poems and tales. I recently read a collection named “América Latina cuenta”, a series of Latin American short stories called “Leer es fiesta” (Reading is fun). Since everything is fiesta in Latin America, I thought why reading (and writing) wouldn’t be, so I thought of discovering how true it is. The result? I … Continue reading Latin American authors you absolutely need to discover
Art of Saudade 