Olga Tokarczuk – Content Catnip

Comforting Thought: I am what I look at

The Sensual World of The Unseen By Photographer Duane Michaels

“In essence, one becomes what one participates in. In other words, I am what I look at.”― Olga Tokarczuk, Flights

Comforting Thought: Polish is a secret language

Polski jedzenie/ Polish food: My om nom nom nominations

“There are countries out there where people speak English. But not like us – we have our own languages hidden in our carry-on luggage, in our cosmetics bags, only ever using English when we travel, and then only in foreign countries, to foreign people. It’s hard to imagine, but English is the real language! OftentimesContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Polish is a secret language”

Comforting Thought: Be a restless shark

Maya Angelou: Leader of the Brave and Defiant

“Clearly I did not inherit whatever gene it is that makes it so that when you linger in a place you start to put down roots. I’ve tried, a number of times, but my roots have always been shallow; the littlest breeze could always blow me right over. I don’t know how to germinate, I’mContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Be a restless shark”

Comforting thought: Night is the original place where we all come from

Book Review: Flights by Olga Tokarczuk night

“Then you realize: night gives the world back its natural, original appearance, without suger-coating it; day is a flight of fancy, light a slight exception, an oversight, a disruption of the order. The world in fact is dark, almost black. Motionless and cold.”― Olga Tokarczuk, Flights

Comforting Thought: Describing versus experiencing places

Board game pieces from the Viking town of Birka, #Sweden. (8th-10th century)

“Describing something is like using it – it destroys; the colours wear off, the corners lose their definition, and in the end what’s been described begins to fade, to disappear. This applies most of all to places. Enormous damage has been done by travel literature – a veritable scourge, an epidemic. Guidebooks have conclusively ruinedContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Describing versus experiencing places”

Comforting Thought: The gods survive in the quiet nooks and crannies of our bodies

Every Picture Tells a Story: Roaring at the sublime

“We have seen, ladies and gentlemen, how self-hood has grown and gained a foothold, become increasingly distinct and affecting. Previously barely marked, prone to being blurred, subjugated to the collective. Imprisoned in the stays of roles, conventions, flattened in the press of traditions, subjugated to demands. Now it swells and annexes the world. “Once theContinue reading “Comforting Thought: The gods survive in the quiet nooks and crannies of our bodies”

Comforting Thought: What makes us human

Every Picture Tells A Story: Stanley Kubrik's mysterious showgirl series

“What makes us most human is the possession of a unique and irreproducible story, that takes place over time and leave behind our traces.”― Olga Tokarczuk, Flights

Book Review: Flights by Olga Tokarczuk

Genre: Fiction, essay, creative non-fiction, travel. Publisher: Text Publishing Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk won the Man Booker International Prize for this novel in 2018 along with a Nike Award, Poland’s highest literary honour. Tokarczuk is a thrilling and exhilarating writer who effortlessly criss-crosses genres and conventions, Flight is partContinue reading “Book Review: Flights by Olga Tokarczuk”