Tag: Writing

Life lessons, Literature, Philosophy, Quotes

Perfect Imperfection: George Orwell’s Thoughts On Searching For The Impossible

“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection, that one is sometimes willing to commit sins for the sake of loyalty, that one does not push asceticism to the point where it makes friendly intercourse impossible, and that one is prepared in the end to be defeated and broken up by life, which is the inevitable price of fastening one’s love … Continue reading Perfect Imperfection: George Orwell’s Thoughts On Searching For The Impossible

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Life lessons, Literature, Philosophy, Poetry, Quotes

Emily Dickinson’s Lesson On The Real Value Of Things | Art of Saudade

“Water, is taught by thirst. Land — by the Oceans passed. Transport — by throe — Peace — by its battles told — Love, by Memorial Mold — Birds, by the Snow.“ – Emily Dickinson We only learn the real value of things when we lose them. Only when we are thirsty can we truly appreciate Water. People who survive a shipwreck get to know … Continue reading Emily Dickinson’s Lesson On The Real Value Of Things | Art of Saudade

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Learning, Life lessons, Philosophy, Quotes

Beckett’s Art of Failure: Fail again. Fail better | Art of Saudade

You know that frustrating feeling when you try your best but you don’t succeed? When you get what you want, but not what you need? Alright, I’ll stop quoting Chris Martin. But we’ve all been through this, right? There are high chances that you’re going through it right now. Social pressure, expectations versus reality, dreams taking time to manifest… These are hard times for dreamers. … Continue reading Beckett’s Art of Failure: Fail again. Fail better | Art of Saudade

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Creative writing, Culture, Life lessons, Literature, Philosophy, Quotes

Dragons and Princesses: Rilke’s ideas of beauty and courage

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet (1929) In his Letters to a Young Poet, the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke transforms our traditional idea … Continue reading Dragons and Princesses: Rilke’s ideas of beauty and courage

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Creative writing, History

Carcassonne – A Medieval Tale | Art of Saudade

When we read history, we usually perceive the historical events as something that happened a long time ago which doesn’t concern us. We rarely empathize with the people who went through difficult times, forgetting that it was the destiny of our ancestors and neglecting their real stories. Moreover, we tend to forget that history repeats itself, sometimes in different forms, but it never ceases to … Continue reading Carcassonne – A Medieval Tale | Art of Saudade

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Travel

Bordeaux, the City of Wine and Love | Bordeaux, France | Art of Saudade

“One open way of speaking introduces another open way of speaking and draws out discoveries, like wine and love.” – Michel de Montaigne What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of France?  Paris, the Eiffel Tower, croissants, and all the clichés…?Never-ending protests and strikes? You got that right too! Check out my posts on my Erasmus experience in France … Continue reading Bordeaux, the City of Wine and Love | Bordeaux, France | Art of Saudade

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Languages, Literature, Poetry, Quotes, Translation

Rumi: Lost in translation

I believe in love at first read. Rumi’s poems always felt like a healing balm to my soul. I remember the day I realized I couldn’t rely on English translations of Rumi’s works. I was like Rumi in this picture. We know that no translation can ever replace the original and we are unfortunately unable to learn all the languages in the world. Many literary … Continue reading Rumi: Lost in translation

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Literature, Philosophy, Poetry, Quotes

T.S. Eliot and Sufism

Have you spotted any mystical elements in T.S. Eliot’s poetry?  Four Quartets, a set of four poems published in 1943, is one of Eliot’s biggest masterpieces and poetic meditations. Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future, And time future contained in time past. If all time is eternally present All time is unredeemable. What might have been is an abstraction … Continue reading T.S. Eliot and Sufism

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Culture, Life lessons, Literature, Philosophy, Poetry, Quotes

Rumi’s Dance

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

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Culture, Happiness, Life lessons, Literature, Philosophy, Quotes

Imagine Sisyphus happy!

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!

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