Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. André Gide, a French author. x...
The sentimental tourist sole quarrely with his Venice is that he has too many competitors there. He likes to be alone; to be original; to have (to himself, at least) the air of making discoveries. The...
Those who say I paint too quickly watch me too quickly. Vincent Van Gogh...
A well-known poem by Alexander Blok was chosen to represent Russian poetry in the Leiden-centred project, Poems and Walls....
I dreamt of Amsterdam last night; I’ve never been there, and I don’t even know which part of the city I’d seen, but my inner voice told me in the dream that I came to Amsterdam, and ...
To be born a writer, one must learn to like privation, suffering, humiliation. Above all, one must learn to live apart. Like the sloth, the writer clings to his limb while beneath him life surges by s...
Several years ago I wrote a poem in which I commemorated my studio. I’ve never had a special room, hence I had to use what was available. Available was the kitchen, especially late at night. The...
If you are travelling to Wales this year, make sure to visit Valle Crucis abbey. It is a fascinating place, and the ruins against the sky and clouds leave the most indelible impression....
In the first year of this blog I happened to be anticipating the release of Quiet Flows the Don (2006) whereby I was researching the subject and came across Sholokhov’s 1926 manuscript. It was a...
The poem is a lullaby; the Poet tells the story of a secret room where, under the lock, are stored all the wonders of the world. Medieval landscape and feel of Czech and Slovak cities and towns are vi...