Welcome off the lines!

Here, you will find shorter pieces, book recommendations, commentaries on paintings and more!

Post #4: Why should you read (1)?

To answer this question, I shall have a look at a series of texts that discuss the importance of reading. And today, we will start of A Defence of Poetry by P.B. Shelley. First of all, a bit of context. This text was written in 1821 by the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and it is an attempt at defending poetry. But “poetry” isn’t limited to poems. Because as he writes: the parts of a composition may be poetical, without the composition as a whole being a poem.

Now let’s have a look at the first reason. So, Shelley states that reading allows us to rediscover our surroundings. Our perception tends to be corrupted by our routines, blinding us from everyday wonders. But reading defeats this curse. It makes familiar objects feel as if they were not familiar. Or in other words, it lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world. Allowing us to rediscover our world, and to rediscover the wonder of our everyday lives.

The second reason is a bit more straightforward. It is that reading allows us to develop empathy. Reading allows you to put yourself in the place of another, a writer, and experience his or her pains and pleasures. To link it to one of my articles, reading Christina Rossetti's poetry does not leave one indifferent from her sufferings, allowing you to better understand her as a Victorian woman.

A third reason is that literature widens your understanding of "humanity". Literary works, or any artistic work in general, are the personal expression of one's perspective of the world. What distinguishes novels, apart from their plot, is the world view they offer. Reading a book challenges your opinion on a series of subjects. For example, when you read a book written by an author from another part of the world, you are introduced to a different "world", a distinct culture. Reading Murakami as a Belgian forces you to reflect upon, perhaps by comparing, your own ways of living.

Finally, literary works are all unique. They cannot be recreated and we are fortunate to have them. Had there been no Shakespeare, there would not have been anything like Othello because again, these works are personal expressions. The final product is a life long process that is shaped by every event that writers ever expereinced. Literary works are all historic.

So in conclusion, Keep reading. Keep reading to rediscover your own world. Keep reading to develop empathy. Keep reading to widen your world understanding. Keep reading because it is precious.

POST #3: Review: "Old Babes in the Woods" by Margaret Atwood

Old Babes in the Woods is Margaret Atwood’s latest fiction work. It was released in 2023 and is a collection of 15 short stories that range from auto fiction to pure fiction.

They are divided into 3 parts: 1) Tig and Nell, 2) My evil Mother and 3) Nell and Tig.

1. The first batch of stories that cast Nell and Tig form a unity and are linked with one another, although they can be read in any order. In them, you find very Atwoodian themes such as power and gender dynamics, coming to terms with one’s past (especially in “Two Scorched Men”), death, and the passing of time. Interestingly, the stories also invite readers to reflect upon the purpose/role of fiction in our world, which is very topical given that some of her novels like The Handmaid’s Tale are prohibited in certain states of the U.S.

2. The second part is made up of stories that are unrelated to each other but once again share common themes. In “Impatient Griselda” or “Freeforall”, Atwood invents dystopian futures described with a dark humour in the first one, and a more serious tone in the second. In “My Evil Mother”, which is not dystopian, the narrator of the story starts to bit by bit understand her mother whom she discovers to be a witch. As you will see, the importance of storytelling is again explored by the Canadian author in this narrative. And talking about meta fiction, “The Dead Interview” is certainly a must read. In it, Atwood imagines herself having a conversation with George Orwell, and their conversation yields an interesting result.

3. While the first section introduces Tig and Nell as a couple, the third revisits Nell alone, after that Tig passed away. If the stories build upon the themes of part 1, they tend to focus more intensely on loss and grief. This is the case for example in “Dusty Lunch” where Nell discovers letters and papers Tig had inherited from his late father. In “Old Babes in the Woods”, the past resurfaces as Nell and her sister Lizzie remember their youth, surrounded by the woods in which they spent parts of it.

Overall, this is a great collection of short stories and if you like Margaret Atwood’s novels, you will not be disappointed. The second part resembles her famous dystopian works like The Handmaid’s Tale whilst the first and third are very reminiscent of her early works like in their exploration of intimacy, grief and memory.

Final note: 9/10

Surfacing

(Español) Post #2: Reseña Oposición (Sara Mesa):

“Ella estaba a favor de la lucha contra los excesos burocráti-cos, pero tenía que ser una lucha colectiva, consensuada, aprobada por todas las partes implicadas, segura y bien diseñada. Una lucha burocrática, pensé yo”

¿Cómo luchar contra una máquina de la que tú mismo eres una pieza? Es lo que plantea Oposición, la última novela de Sara Mesa. La protagonista y narradora de Oposición es una mujer joven que se enfrenta al proceso de opositar (presentarse a un concurso oficial para obtener un empleo público fijo tras superar una serie de exámenes y pruebas) para obtener un puesto fijo en la administración pública. Rápidamente, empieza a aburrirse porque carece de tareas. Cuando por fin empieza a tener más trabajo, se da cuenta de que sus tareas carecen de sentido, lo que la deja con un vacío existencial.

En varias ocasiones, Sara Mesa ha mencionado al autor Kafka diciendo que tuvo una influencia en su obra. En Oposición, se nota especialmente. Como en La Metamorfosis, el relato muestra cómo la burocracia puede deshumanizar a las personas: “se calla una y santas pascuas” dice la madre de la narradora. Si Kafka lleva el absurdo al extremo (su protagonista Gregor se transforma en una cucaracha), la escritora española también sabe cómo hablar de un tema serio con un toque de humor. La protagonista pasa por situaciones absurdas y divertidas que conllevan críticas y reflexiones interesantes.

La novela logra abordar la deshumanización y burocracia sin ser ridícula, o sin caer en la trampa de parecer un cliché. A mí me pareció una versión menos oscura de lo que se encuentra en la literatura neerlandesa.

Léetela si te gusta Kafka, el absurdo, reír y (quién sabe) la burocracia.

Nota final: 8/10

Post #1: Commentary on "Office in a Small City":

Edward Hopper 1953

In this painting, there is a man looking out the window. It’s possible that he’s thinking about his work because the room looks like an office. He probably has a lot of work to do. If he weren’t busy, he would be outside, enjoying the sun like many others.

However, I don’t think it bothers him to be here because he seems very happy or, to put it another way, calm. This can also be inferred from the overall atmosphere of the painting. Perhaps it’s a representation of his mind, where there is nothing but himself, his room, the sun, and the city. Also, if I had painted this picture, I would have used these colors too. They are very calming colors.