Franz Kafka’s horror stories
On this day in 1924 the Czech author Franz Kafka died. Anyone who reads his work is likely to be horrified and strangely, amused. Here is the opening of his famous story The Metamorphosis: “As... Read More
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On This Day
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Thomas Hardy’s ‘Jude the Obscure’ sold in brown paper bags
On this day in 1840 the English author and poet Thomas Hardy was born. Hardy qualified as an architect but practiced this profession very little. He is known for his romantic yet realistic portrayals of... Read More
Reinhold Niebuhr composes the Serenity Prayer
On this day in 1971 American pastor, academic and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr died. Born into a devout German immigrant family, Niebuhr worked in Detroit for many years and was outspoken in his support of workers’... Read More
Poetry Blog
Poetry Therapy for the Inner Child
When Paul Gauguin painted his famous masterpiece ‘D’où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous’ (Where Do We Come From, What... Read More
William Dalrymple, Historian, Presenter and Chronicler of Djinns, Jains and Jesus (and so much more)
The genial yet commanding figure of William Dalrymple has been a regular feature of the wonderfully unique Beyond Borders International Festival at Traquair House, Innerleithen... Read More
The Rapid Growth of Addiction
When did addiction start and is it a problem that is still increasing? To answer that fully, we need to look back four hundred years... Read More