“Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation.” – Noam Chomsky Have you heard of constructed languages? If you’re a movie …
“Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance.” – Mahmoud Darwish He was a poet of unparalleled love, resistance, and solidarity. He considered himself, in his own words, a Trojan Poet recollecting and reconstructing the voices of the defeated: “The …
Mahmoud Darwish: The Odyssey of Palestine’s Most Beloved Poet Read More »
“Not under foreign skies protection Or saving wings of alien birth – I was then there — with whole my nation – There, where my nation, alas! was.” These are the starting lines of Anna Akhmatova’s widely famous poem “Requiem”. The Soviet-Era poet Anna started writing this poem in the 1930s, which was not published …
Anna Akhmatova and Her Audacious Poetry of Resistance Read More »
Sappho, an Archaic Greek poet, was considered one of the greatest poets of her time. She lived on the island of Lesbos at the end of the seventh and beginning of the sixth centuries BC. In ancient times, Sappho was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets and was referred to as the …
“The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner …
‘A Pale Blue Dot’ and the Irreplaceable Genius of Carl Sagan Read More »
The Mesopotamian poet, priestess, and princess Enheduanna is considered as the first author and poet in all recorded history. Enheduanna was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad (Sargon the Great, r. 2334–2279 BCE), the king who built the first empire in history. Enheduanna lived 1700 years before Sappho, 1500 years before Homer, and about 500 …
Life and Legacy of Enheduanna: History’s First Author and Poet Read More »