“language is given to man so that he mightcreate, destroy, and perish, andreturn to the immortal, to the mistressand mother, that he might bear witness to what hehas inherited, learned from her, her the mostdivine, the all-sustaining love.” — An excerpt from “Im Walde” by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843) In the essay On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. …
If I had to describe the concert review in one word, I would choose: Volltreffer (a bullseye). Every song that evening was among my top favourites. The duo baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist Simon Lepper were like a pair of experienced dance partners: completely in sync, with perfect pacing and elegant movement. I especially enjoyed …
Can you remember the fairy tales you’ve read? The story usually goes like this: if you do good, somehow you’ll be rewarded at the end. However, King Matt the First and its sequel, King Matt on the Desert Island by Janusz Korczak, tell a more realistic fairy tale. With that, they challenge the reader to …
“One Line a Day” is a diary I received as a gift, and I have been using it for a year now. Honestly, I did not fill in every page last year. This year, I want to be more consistent. Having five years recorded on the same page for the same date helps me reflect …
In September 1710, ten-year-old Agata buried her mother. She was left with her frail grandmother and her incompetent father. Wanting Agata to be protected and educated, her grandmother entrusted her to the care of the Ospedale della Pietà — a convent, orphanage, and music school for girls. The second and third parts of the book …
This historical fiction is set during the Second World War, amid the London Blitz, told through the eyes of children and teenagers. The teenage budding love, the romance between a soldier and a war officer, and the friendships formed around the music club were all heartwarming to read. Some parts felt a little too good …
Will and Lu travel to Seville for their second honeymoon, exactly during Semana Santa (Holy Week). It’s a wonderful mix of magical realism, time travel, and doppelgängers, with vivid imagery that reminded me of the film The Grand Budapest Hotel. I could imagine myself in Seville, capturing a picture of a café painted bright yellow, …
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson is a mind-blowing, unputdownable Polynesian epic. While the book is about a specific group of people in the ancient Tongan Kingdom, exploring their beautiful culture and sometimes difficult practices, it is highly relatable to today’s world and to each individual. It is a vast book that has the universe and …
A beautifully illustrated collection of six stories by Oscar Wilde, perfect for children aged 4–11 and beyond. The six stories included are: The Selfish Giant, The Happy Prince, The Devoted Friend, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Remarkable Rocket, and The Young King. I especially enjoyed the descriptive language. It vividly brings each image to …
“We all encounter Austen differently and from the position of where and when we read her. How we read her changes as the world changes around us. And it is perhaps above all this relentless change that keeps us going back to Jane Austen. She knew that every life was a series of events – …