Gertrude Stein has been on my mind a lot lately, ever since I finished reading her novel “The Making of Americans” for my modernist literature class. At first, I found it challenging to connect with – the repetition and simplicity of her writing style felt like a deliberate choice, one that was both mesmerizing and …
John Locke has been lingering in my mind for weeks, ever since I stumbled upon his name while researching the Enlightenment thinkers. At first, I thought it was just another dusty old philosopher from history class, but as I started reading his writings, I felt a strange connection to him. Maybe it’s because he’s often …
I’ve been thinking a lot about Marina Tsvetaeva lately, and I’m not entirely sure why she’s stuck with me. Maybe it’s because her life was like a never-ending storm – dark, turbulent, and full of contradictions. Or maybe it’s because, as I read through her letters and poems, I feel like I see bits of …
Blaise Pascal. I’ve always been fascinated by him, but not in the way you’d expect. It’s not his mathematical genius or his contributions to science that draw me in – although those are impressive, don’t get me wrong. What really resonates with me is the complexity of his personality. I think about how he was …
I’ve been thinking a lot about Rachel Cusk lately, specifically her essay “A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother”. I read it for the first time during my senior year of college, when everyone around me seemed to be figuring out their post-grad lives and I was… well, not quite. As someone who’s always been …
Goethe’s words have a way of lingering, like the scent of old books on a dusty shelf. I’ve always been fascinated by the way his thoughts seem to unfold, layer upon layer, each one sparking new questions and connections in my mind. As I sit here with my pen, trying to put into words why …
I’ll be honest, I stumbled upon Emil Cioran’s work by chance, browsing through a used bookstore’s philosophy section during my senior year of college. His book “The Trouble with Being Born” caught my eye, and I bought it on a whim, not really knowing what to expect. As I began reading his essays, I felt …
Willa Cather’s writing often felt like a mystery to me, even as I devoured her novels and short stories in college. Her style was so distinct, so precise – every word seemed weighed with significance. But the more I read, the more I realized that I couldn’t quite pinpoint what drew me to her work. …
I’ve been fascinated by Alexander von Humboldt for months now, ever since I stumbled upon a biography of his life while browsing through my college library’s shelves. His name kept popping up in conversation with friends and acquaintances who were studying environmental science or history, but it wasn’t until I started reading about him that …
Louise Glück has been on my mind a lot lately, probably because I’m trying to figure out what makes her poetry so compelling. At first glance, she seems like the epitome of quiet confidence – a Pulitzer Prize winner, National Book Award recipient, and renowned poet with a distinctive voice that’s both lyrical and precise. …
Claude Levi-Strauss. I stumbled upon his name while reading a book on anthropology, but it wasn’t until I began to dig deeper that I felt an odd sense of connection to him. At first, I was drawn to the complexity of his ideas – the way he wove together structuralism and cultural relativism, challenging traditional …
I’ve always been fascinated by Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s life, particularly her relationship with Robert Browning. It’s not just the romance – though that’s certainly a big part of it – but the way she navigated her own desires and ambitions within it. For me, the most compelling aspect is how Elizabeth, as a poet, struggled …
Niels Bohr – the man who dared to challenge the universe’s secrets, and in doing so, left me questioning my own place within it. I first encountered his name in a college physics class, where we spent hours pouring over his theories on atomic structure and quantum mechanics. But as I delved deeper into his …
I’ve always been fascinated by Flannery O’Connor’s writing, but it wasn’t until I read her short stories that I started to feel a real connection to her. There was something about the way she wrote about people – their flaws and contradictions, their cruelty and kindness – that resonated with me. As I read through …
I’ve always been drawn to the quiet, methodical nature of Gregor Mendel’s work. As a writer, I appreciate how he approached his research with precision and patience, like a gardener tending to the intricate patterns of a plant’s growth. What fascinates me is how Mendel’s experiments on pea plants led him to discover the fundamental …
Paul Celan’s poetry has been a constant presence in my life since I first stumbled upon it in a literature class during my junior year of college. His words have haunted me, lingered with me, and sometimes even felt like they were speaking directly to me. But as much as his poetry resonates, there are …
I’ve been thinking a lot about Susan B. Anthony lately, and what draws me to her is the sense of contradictions that surround her legacy. On one hand, she’s often celebrated as a pioneering figure in the fight for women’s suffrage – and rightfully so. Her tireless efforts to secure voting rights for women are …
Herman Melville’s words have been lingering in my mind for years, even before I dove into his novels as a college student. There’s something about the way he tackles complex themes like identity, morality, and the human condition that resonates with me on a deep level. I think it’s because his writing often feels like …
Italo Calvino’s words have a way of slipping into my thoughts like whispers from an old friend. I remember stumbling upon his essays and stories while researching for a paper on Italian literature in college. At first, they felt foreign – the language was poetic, the ideas were complex, and the tone was detached yet …
Margaret Mead. I’ve always been fascinated by her, but not for the reasons you’d expect. It’s not her groundbreaking research on adolescence, though that does get a nod of respect from me. As someone who’s still figuring out this whole “adulting” thing, I appreciate that she didn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of growing …
Alan Turing’s face haunts me. I’ve seen it on a worn-out T-shirt my friend wore to class, and again on the Wikipedia page that I must have stumbled upon during a late-night research session for a paper. The first time I saw him was probably in an image of his later years, gaunt and bespectacled, …
Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry has been a constant companion to me during my college years, and yet I’ve only recently started to grapple with what it is about her writing that resonates so deeply. It’s not just the precision of her language or the vividness of her imagery – although those things are certainly part of …
Johannes Kepler – the man who cracked the code of our solar system’s rhythm. I’ve always been fascinated by his story, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a biography of his life that I started to grasp the depth of my fascination. It’s not just about his groundbreaking discoveries; it’s about the way he …
I’ll admit it: Octavia Butler fascinates me, but not just because she’s a trailblazer or a genius writer (although those things are definitely true). I’m drawn to the complexities that make her story feel both deeply personal and universally relatable. One of the things that’s always struck me about Butler is how her experiences with …
I’ve always felt a pang of fascination when I think about Rosalind Franklin’s story. Her life is like a puzzle with too many missing pieces, and yet it’s the gaps that intrigue me. What I know is that she was a brilliant British biophysicist who made significant contributions to our understanding of DNA structure, but …
Leo Tolstoy’s face keeps popping up in my mind, a constant presence in the crowded landscape of writers I’ve read and admired. At first glance, he seems an imposing figure – tall, brooding, with a philosophical intensity that makes me feel like I’m staring into the depths of the Russian soul. But as I delve …
I’ve been reading Hannah Arendt’s work for a while now, and I keep coming back to her concept of “the banality of evil.” It’s not just the idea that ordinary people can commit atrocities, but also the way she suggests that this is often due to a lack of imagination. For me, it’s both fascinating …
Carl Sagan has been a constant presence in my life, lurking in the background of my thoughts like a wise and enigmatic friend. I’ve devoured his books, watched Cosmos with wide eyes, and felt my mind expand with each new idea he presented. But as much as I admire him, there’s something that always makes …
Emily Brontë has been lingering in the back of my mind for months, ever since I finished reading Wuthering Heights and couldn’t shake off its haunting presence. At first, it was just a vague sense of fascination with her reclusive life at Haworth Parsonage, where she lived with her sisters Charlotte and Anne, but as …
Michel Foucault’s name keeps popping up in my sociology readings, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon his essay “What is an Author?” that I felt compelled to take a closer look. His ideas on power dynamics and knowledge production resonated deeply with me, perhaps because they mirrored some of the discomforts I’ve experienced as …
Florence Nightingale’s name has been etched in my mind for as long as I can remember. As a student of history, I’ve read about her pioneering work during the Crimean War, but it wasn’t until recently that I started to see her beyond the surface level. I began to wonder why she, of all people, …
