A literal translation of the title would be something like this: Shadow Chasing Shadow. It is a story of what you may call a lyrical investigation. Mikołajewski throughout his life was fascinated by Zuzanna Ginczanka. Ginczanka was a Polish-Jewish poet, born in 1917, she was executed during the Second World War, at the age of …
Continue reading Cień w Cień. Za Cieniem Zuzanny Ginczanki – Jarosław Mikołajewski
Wow! We're six months into the year! Halfway...and four months at home. I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. Life certainly has changed in the last months, moods vary, some days are ok, others not so much. Travelling feels like a distant dream, but I don't give up and keep hoping to …
Another book I brought from my trip to Dubai in July 2019. It seems so far away now, that the whole world has locked down and after three months is only hesitantly relaxing the measures. Other books I bought there were more focused on Arabic literature. But somehow Murmur caught my eye. It is based on the …
Our final moments in this life aren't generally an appropriate time for clear-eyed reflection; indeed, they always find us at our most sentimental. A silent funeral is a funeral stripped of all its awe, Bolbol thought. Rites and rituals meant nothing now. For the first time, everyone was truly equal in death. [...]it allowed him …
Continue reading Death is Hard Work – Khaled Khalifa – Quotes
I bought this book in July 2019, when I was in Dubai. While visiting the impressive shopping malls, I spent 40 minutes in the biggest bookshop in Dubai (it's Dubai, so everything has to be the biggest). I decided to use this opportunity to expand my horizons and bought several books that originally were published …
The first books of my 20 Books of Summer in 2020! I started it just before the kick off. It's one of the random buys I choose when bulk shopping at AbeBooks, for used bargain books. A habit I missed for months now thanks to lockdown. Our narrator is Marsha, she recalls the summer of …
Continue reading A Crime in the Neighborhood – Suzanne Berne
'It's not easy writing about nothing' That's how Patti Smith starts her book. The words uttered by a cowpoke in her dream. A kind of challenge that she accepts. Before I proceed with the review bit, I need to make a small disclaimer. I have seen Patti Smith live on All Points East in 2018, …
Another one of the accidental BookPeople buys. Sometimes I like a book that seems to be about nothing in particular. And this one looked like a good match. A book to stretch your mind and have some fun. Randall Munroe is a cartoonist and an engineer. The book combines both of his gifts seamlessly. With …
Continue reading How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems – Randall Munroe
I must admit I am a typical product of Western education, completely oblivious to almost all of Asia's history, but for the most momentous events. So when my Taiwanese-Canadian friend asked me what I would like to get for a 'not-so-secret' Santa I asked for a book about Taiwan. When she talks about the island's …
Continue reading Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan – Jonathan Manthorpe
I remember the morning, long ago, hen the landlord called. [...]he said that of course we were aware that our lease was up? I said well, no, we hadn't really known that our lease was up. So he said well, he supposed that we hadn't looked at the lease recently and I (wondering if that …
Continue reading Life Among the Savages – Shirley Jackson – Quotes
