Renata Lis
is a writer and translator, whose works include “Lesbos” (a book about love and exile), and completely unique biographies of Flaubert and Bunin, for which she was nominated for awards (one of which she won). She can’t decide whether she’s a pine dreaming of being a palm, or the other way around, so she alternates her travels between Greece and Russia; she’s been as far as Kamchatka.
Czytaj
A Tart Beauty
A Tart Beauty
The Hidden Delights of the Honeyberry
Magazine / society
It grows on the honeysuckle shrub; it has a bluish-purple color and a jug-like shape. This diminutive berry is a joy to eat and good for one’s health.
Czytaj
The Patter of Raindrops
The Patter of Raindrops
The Symbolism of Rain
Magazine / society
The sounds of rain can feel comforting and relaxing. Yet in the face of changing weather, rain can also be harbinger of environmental disaster.
Czytaj
Hot Springs Eternal
Hot Springs Eternal
The Benefits of Thermal Baths
Magazine / culture
Hot springs and thermal baths have been enjoyed by humans (and animals) for thousands of years. They have health benefits, too.
Czytaj
Chasing the Cold
Chasing the Cold
A Psychoanalytic Reading of “The Snow Queen”
Magazine / society
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” is full of wintry metaphors. But do today’s younger generations still have the icy cold reference points to understand such symbolism?
Czytaj
Walking for Water
Walking for Water
The Source of Folk Legends
Magazine / society
According to some fairy-tales, wild springs can give us the water of life. Yet according to other folk legends, water sources can also take life away...
Czytaj
The Stalker’s Daughter
The Stalker’s Daughter
Tarkovsky’s Women
Magazine / society
The work of Soviet film-maker Andrei Tarkovsky is widely acclaimed – and with good reason. But what should we make of the role of women in his film “Stalker”?
Czytaj
Silence Is Within Us
healthy living
Silence Is Within Us
The Origins of “Desiderata”
Reading / society
“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence,” instructs Max Ehrmann in his “Desiderata”. But why is the poem so popular in Poland?
Czytaj
It Blows
It Blows
The Lyrical Power of the Wind
Magazine / society
The wind is physically powerful, yet – as a quick glance through both ancient and modern literature shows – it also holds a more existential power over how we perceive ourselves within the world.
Czytaj
A Royal Herb
A Royal Herb
The Mystic Allure of Basil
Magazine / society
Basil, with its aromatic scent and sweet taste, often finds its way onto our dinner plates. But this most regal of plants is also connected with good health, love and... death.
Czytaj
The Face of the Sphinx
The Face of the Sphinx
The Enigmatic Life of Axel Munthe
Magazine / society
The medical doctor Axel Munthe led a quiet yet fascinating life, during which he built a villa on the Isle of Capri and lived alongside the Swedish royal family. He was also an avowed animal lover.