In this blog post, we look back at how George Orwell’s life and ideas were reflected in his major works. The short life of Eric Arthur Blair (1903–1950), known by the pen name George Orwell, is just as worth examining as his works. Although he was born in Bengal, India, because his father served as a low-ranking official in British colonial India, he soon returned to England and grew up as...
In this blog post, focusing on Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘A Young Doctor’s Notebook’ and ‘Morphine’, I examined how the profession of medicine and the portrayal of illness in these works reflect human life and the fate of the era. Modern Literature and the Tradition of the “Doctor-Writer” One of the most significant changes in modern literature was the emergence of the...
In this blog post, I will reflect on the meaning and meaninglessness of life, the essence of absurdity, and the significance of rebellion, freedom, and passion—the responses humans can adopt in the face of absurdity—through the lens of “The Myth of Sisyphus.” Meaning, Meaninglessness, and Absurdity While reading ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, the first thing that catches one’s...
In this blog post, I will summarize Beaumarchais’s life and major plays, focusing in particular on the plots and meanings of ‘The Barber of Seville’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. Beaumarchais’s Life Beaumarchais (1732–1799) was born in Paris as the son of a watchmaker; his real name was Pierre Caron. In his youth, he frequented the royal court, working as a harp...
In this blog post, we’ll explore Vercors’ life, his major works, and the message of conscience and resistance he left behind. The Life of Vercors Vercors was born in Paris in 1902. His real name was Jean Bruller. He originally worked as a literary critic and sketch artist, but when Paris came under Nazi occupation during World War II, he left the city to live in seclusion in the...
In this blog post, we’ll explore the inner lives of the characters in Virginia Woolf’s ‘To the Lighthouse’, the insights into their lives, and the beauty of living a life filled with love. Virginia Woolf’s Life and Literary World Virginia Woolf was a feminist and modernist, as well as a great novelist and essayist, recognized in literary history as one of the major writers of...
In this blog post, I explored Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’, focusing on the disintegration of the family, human despair, and the way people are compelled to look at one another until the very end. Eugene O’Neill: The Voice That Shaped Modern American Theater Eugene O’Neill is often introduced as the “foremost American playwright,” a title that signifies...
In this blog post, we’ll examine—through ‘Zweig’s Biography of Balzac’—the blend of folly and greatness in the life of the great writer Balzac, as well as the literary perspective through which Stefan Zweig viewed him. Balzac: A Man Who Lived Through a Turbulent Era Balzac’s life was more colorful and fascinating than most novels. The early 19th century in France, during which...
In this blog post, we’ll explore the life of Barlam Shalamov—who survived 17 years in a Stalin-era Kolyma forced-labor camp—and the literary significance of ‘The Kolyma Tales’. What was Kolyma like? ‘The Kolyma Tales’ is a vivid account of the experiences of writer Barlam Shalamov, who spent 17 years in the forced-labor camps of the Kolyma region during the Stalin...
In this blog post, we’ll explore the deep understanding of faith and humanity that Ayako Miura conveys through ‘Living and Thinking’, as well as the warm vitality that shines through in everyday life. Anyone who sees a person with strong convictions feels a peculiar sense of affinity toward them. Not only those who hold convictions themselves, but even—strangely enough—those...