Elegy of Fortinbras, Zbigniew Herbert
Years ago, I read Zbigniew Herbert’s wonderful “Elegy of Fortinbras.” I studied “Hamlet” for the Leaving Cert. Brendan McWilliams somewhere wrote that he had a pet theory that the Shakespearean…
#OceanOptimism & the psychology of powerlessness and hope from current BBC Wildlife Magazine
The current issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine has a fascinating cover story by Elin Kelsey on hope and optimism versus despair in how we think and act about the environment. Essentially, much…
Soviet Timelessness – from “Le Testament Francais”, Andrei Makhine.
From the novel also known as Dreams of My Russian Summers: I almost leaped up from my stool beside the television. For I understood so perfectly Charlotte’s reasons for being…
“become adept at letting things go” First Known When Lost: Milosz, Derek Mahon and Taigi on the passing time
From here at the wonderful blog First Known When Lost. As well as bringing to our attention much outstanding poetry that has the great merit of being unfashionable or forgotten, Stephen Pentz…
World Labyrinth Day 2017 – May 6th, 1 pm
From the Blog My Maze site: Again you are invited from The Labyrinth Society to celebrate the World Labyrinth Day: Celebrate the eighth annual World Labyrinth Day (WLD) on Saturday,…
From RSPB Nature’s Home – 5 ways to help hedgehogs right now
The official first day of summer, and in my part of the world it is living up to its billing. The year shuffles smoothly on, and growth and greenness reign.…
“a world that seeks only varieties of comfort and metaphysical appeasement.”
From the April 21 TLS, a review by Cynthia Haven of Andrezj Franaszek’s Czeslaw Miłosz biography and Miłosz’s own previously unpublished science fiction novel “The Mountains of Parnassus”: At one shattering…
Adam Kirsch on Emmanuel Carrère, faith, and Christianity’s ability to scandalise
From the April 21st TLS: The decline in churchgoing across Europe over the past two centuries has had the paradoxical result of restoring one of Christianity’s most notable features –…
Séamus Sweeney 