“Inside every human being, there is a loneliness greater than any storm. Some try to fill it with people, others with dreams. And a few, poor souls, only ever find the silence inside growing louder.” Sabahattin Ali, Kürk Mantolu Madonna (Madonna in a Fur Coat) Above: Turkish writer Sabahattin Ali Spring arrived this week, with… Continue reading The cheese transporter
Category: education
Floréal 1, Year 233
UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL – DAYGeneva, Switzerland He walked resolutely from his dusty, book-lined office. Faint rays of afternoon sun sliced through motes in the air. PROFESSOR LINTON MARCH stood at the front of the lecture hall, the chalk in his hand a small but heavy weapon. He wrote “FRENCH REVOLUTION” across the blackboard, the squeak… Continue reading Floréal 1, Year 233
Next stop upon request (Runaway train)
Above: The logo of Swiss Federal Railways – the national railway company of Switzerland The train lurches with a sudden screeech, the hum of forward motion swallowed by the high eee of braking and the collective gasp of surprised passengers clutching at poles and seats. The train halts between Egnach and Arbon, a silent pause in motion.… Continue reading Next stop upon request (Runaway train)
The winds of change
(Part 2 of “Peace of Mind” / Part 1 of “The road to Rorschach“) Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Sunday 23 March 2025 We can’t go on any more with this notionJust saving up to buy a ball and chainSeems it’s all arranged.You can’t buy time and you can’t buy emotion What have you and I… Continue reading The winds of change
Invention of self
“Life is other than what we write.“ André Breton, Nadja (1928) Friday 7 March 2025 Landschlacht, Schweiz Above: Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Literature is both a mirror and a chisel: One reflecting the world as it is. The other carving out the world as it could be. This blog may not be literature, but the… Continue reading Invention of self
To lay the keel
Tuesday 3 March 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye “Nikos Kazantzakis asked his God for ten additional years. Ten additional years in which to complete his work – to say what he had to say and “empty himself“. He wanted Death to come and take only a sackful of bones. Ten years were enough. Or so he thought.… Continue reading To lay the keel
Enemy at the gates
Above: The Scream, Edvard Munch (1893) Saturday 15 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye My friends have a new hobby: Adam baiting. They know that I don’t follow the news, except as an afterthought for my calendar day blog posting. So, they will ask my opinions about world events. Above: The Thinker, August Rodin (1904) And what,… Continue reading Enemy at the gates
What’s love got to do with it?
Thursday 14 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye Where does one find love? Perhaps Rome? Above: Roma (Rome), Italia The Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a minor basilican church in Rome, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Located in the rione (neighborhood) of Ripa and constructed first in the 6th century as a diaconia (deaconry) in an area of the city populated by Greek immigrants,… Continue reading What’s love got to do with it?
The fog of battle: Town vs. gown
Monday 10 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The streets of Oxford ran red on 10 February 1355, in what became known as the St. Scholastica Day riot. A quarrel over ale — at least, that is how the story begins. Two university students, unsatisfied with their drinks, threw words like daggers at a tavern keeper. Words… Continue reading The fog of battle: Town vs. gown
The Academy of Joy
Thursday 6 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The former head teacher, dismissed and disillusioned, lay in his restless bed, his limbs heavy with exhaustion, his thoughts a storm of injustice and regret. Losing your job can be a hideous blow, both to the pocket and to the ego. The best way to deal with it is… Continue reading The Academy of Joy