Podcast appearances and mentions of Omar Khayyam

Ahead of her new book What's So Great About the Great Books? coming out in April, Naomi Kanakia and I talked about literature from Herodotus to Tony Tulathimutte. We touched on Chaucer, Anglo-Saxon poetry, Scott Alexander, Shakespeare, William James, Helen deWitt, Marx and Engels, Walter Scott, Les Miserables, Jhootha Sach, the Mahabharata, and more. Naomi also talked about some of her working habits and the history and future of the Great Books movement. Naomi, of course, writes Woman of Letters here on Substack.TranscriptHenry Oliver: Today, I am talking with Naomi Kanakia. Naomi is a novelist, a literary critic, and most importantly she writes a Substack called Woman of Letters, and she has a new book coming out, What's So Great About the Great Books? Naomi, welcome.Naomi Kanakia: Thanks for having me on.Oliver: How is the internet changing the way that literature gets discussed and criticized, and what is that going to mean for the future of the Great Books?Kanakia: How is the internet changing it? I can really speak to only how it has changed it for me. I started off as a writer of young adult novels and science fiction, and there's these very active online fan cultures for those two things.I was reading the Great Books all through that time. I started in 2010 through today. In the 2010s, it really felt like there was not a lot of online discussion of classic literature. Maybe that was just me and I wasn't finding it, but it didn't necessarily feel like there was that community.I think because there are so many strong, public-facing institutions that discuss classic literature, like the NYRB, London Review of Books, a lot of journals, and universities, too. But now on Substack, there are a number of blogs—yours, mine, a number of other ones—that are devoted to classic literature. All of those have these commenters, a community of commenters. I also follow bloggers who have relatively small followings who are reading Tolstoy, reading Middlemarch, reading even much more esoteric things.I know that for me, becoming involved in this online culture has given me much more of an awareness that there are many people who are reading the classics on their own. I think that was always true, but now it does feel like it's more of a community.Oliver: We are recording this the day after the Washington Post book section has been removed. You don't see some sort of relationship between the way these literary institutions are changing online and the way the Great Books are going to be conceived of in the future? Because the Great Books came out of a an old-fashioned, saving-the-institutions kind of radical approach to university education. We're now moving into a world where all those old things seem to be going.Kanakia: Yes. I agree. The Great Books began in the University of Chicago and Columbia University. If you look into the history of the movement, it really was about university education and the idea that you would have a common core and all undergraduates would read these books. The idea that the Great Books were for the ordinary person was really an afterthought, at least for Mortimer Adler and those original Great Books guys. Now, the Great Books in the university have had a resurgence that we can discuss, but I do think there's a lot more life and vitality in the kind of public-facing humanities than there has been.I talked to Irina Dumitrescu, who writes for TLS (The Times Literary Supplement), LRB (The London Review of Books), a lot of these places, and she also said the same thing—that a lot of these journals are going into podcasts, and they're noticing a huge interest in the humanities and in the classics even at the same time as big institutions are really scaling back on those things. Humanities majors are dropping, classics majors are getting cut, book coverage at major periodicals is going down. It does seem like there are signals that are conflicting. I don't really know totally what to make of it. I do think there is some relation between those two things.Ted Gioia on Substack is always talking about how culture is stagnant, basically, and one of the symptoms of that is that “back list” really outsells “front list” for books. Even in 2010, 50 percent of the books that were sold were front-list titles, books that had been released in the last 18 months. Now it's something like only 35 percent of books or something like that are front-list titles. These could be completely wrong, but there's been a trend.I think the decrease in interest in front-list books is really what drives the loss of these book-review pages because they mostly review front-list books. So, I think that does imply that there's a lot of interest in old books. That's what our stagnant culture means.Oliver: Why do you think your own blog is popular with the rationalists?Kanakia: I don't know for certain. There was a story I wrote that was a joke. There are all these pop nonfiction books that aim to prove something that seems counterintuitive, so I wrote a parody of one of those where I aim to prove that reading is bad for you. This book has many scientific studies that show the more you read, the worse it is because it makes you very rigid.Scott Alexander, who is the archrationalist, really liked that, and he added me to his blog roll. Because of that, I got a thousand rationalist subscribers. I have found that rationalists at least somewhat interested in the classics. I think they are definitely interested in enduring sources of value. I've observed a fair amount of interest.Oliver: How much of a lay reader are you really? Because you read scholarship and critics and you can just quote John Gilroy in the middle of a piece or something.Kanakia: Yeah. That is a good question. I have definitely gotten more interested in secondary literature. In my book, I really talk about being a lay reader and personally having a nonacademic approach to literature. I do think that, over 15 years of being a lay reader, I have developed a lot of knowledge.I've also learned the kind of secondary literature that is really important. I think having historical context adds a lot and is invaluable. Right now I'm rereading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. When I first read it in 2010, I hardly knew anything about French history. I was even talking online with someone about how most people who read Les Miserables think it's set in the French Revolution. That's basically because Americans don't really know anything about French history.Everything makes just a lot more sense the more you know about the time because it was written for people in it. For people in 1860s France, who knew everything about their own recent history, that really adds a lot to it. I still don't tend to go that much into interpretive literature, literature that tries to do readings of the stories or tell me the meaning of the stories. I feel like I haven't really gotten that much out of that.Oliver: How long have you been learning Anglo-Saxon?Kanakia: I went through a big Anglo-Saxon phase. That was in 2010. It started because I started reading The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. There is a great app online called General Prologue created by one of your countrymen, Terry Richardson [NB it is Terry Jones], who loved Middle English. In this app, he recites the Middle English of the General Prologue. I started listening to this app, and I thought, I just really love the rhythms and the sounds of Middle English. And it's quite easy to learn. So then, I got really into that.And then I thought, but what about Anglo-Saxon? I'm very bad at languages. I studied Latin for seven years in middle school and high school. I never really got very far, but I thought, Anglo-Saxon has to be the easiest foreign language you can learn, right? So, I got into it.I cannot sight read Anglo-Saxon, but I really got into Anglo-Saxon poetry. I really liked the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Most people probably would not like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle because it's very repetitive, but that makes it great if you're a language learner because every entry is in this very repetitive structure. I just felt such a connection. I get in trouble when I say this kind of stuff, because I'm never quiet sure if it's 100 percent true. But it's certainly one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Europe. It's just so much older than most of the other medieval literature I've read. And it just was such a window into a different part of history I never knew about.Oliver: And you particularly like “The Dream of the Rood”?Kanakia: Yeah, “The Dream of the Rood” is my favorite Anglo-Saxon poem. “The Dream of the Rood” is a poem that is told from the point of view of Christ's cross. A man is having a dream. In this dream he encounters Christ's cross, and Christ's cross starts reciting to him basically the story of the crucifixion. At the end, the cross is buried. I don't know, it was just so haunting and powerful. Yeah, it was one of my favorites.Oliver: Why do you think Byron is a better poet than Alexander Pope?Kanakia: This is an argument I cannot get into. I think this is coming up because T. S. Eliot felt that Alexander Pope was a great poet because he really exemplified the spirit of the age. I don't know. I've tried to read Pope. It just doesn't do it for me. Whereas with Byron, I read Don Juan and found it entertaining. I enjoyed it. Then, his lyric poetry is just more entertaining to read. With Alexander Pope, I'm learning a lot about what kind of poetry people wrote in the 18th century, but the joy is not there.Oliver: Okay. Can we do a quick fire round where I say the name of a book and you just say what you think of it, whatever you think of it?Kanakia: Sure.Oliver: Okay. The Odyssey.Kanakia: The Odyssey. Oh, I love The Odyssey. It has a very strange structure, where it starts with Telemachus and then there's this flashback in the middle of it. It is much more readable than The Iliad; I'll say that.Oliver: Herodotus.Kanakia: Herodotus is wild. Going into Herodotus, I really thought it was about the Persian war, which it is, but it's mostly a general overview of everything that Herodotus knew, about anything. It's been a long time since I read it. I really appreciate the voice of Herodotus, how human it is, and the accumulation of facts. It was great.Oliver: I love the first half actually. The bit about the Persian war I'm less interested in, but the first half I think is fantastic. I particularly love the Egypt book.Kanakia: Oh yeah, the Egypt book is really good.Oliver: All those like giant beetles that are made of fire or whatever; I can't remember the details, but it's completely…Kanakia: The Greeks are also so fascinated by Egypt. They go down there like what is going on out there? Then, most of what we know about Egypt comes from this Hellenistic period, when the Greeks went to Egypt. Our Egyptian kings list comes from the Hellenistic period where some scholar decided to sort out what everybody was up to and put it all into order. That's why we have such an orderly story about Egypt. That's the story that the Greeks tried to tell themselves.Oliver: Marcus Aurelius.Kanakia: Marcus Aurelius. When I first read The Meditations, which I loved, obviously, I thought, “being the Roman emperor cannot be this hard.” It really was a black pill moment because I thought, “if the emperor of Rome is so unhappy, maybe human power really doesn't do it.”Knowing more about Marcus Aurelius, he did have quite a difficult life. He was at war for most of his—just stuck in the region in Germany for ages. He had various troubles, but yeah, it really was very stoic. It was, oh, I just have to do my duty. Very “heavy is the head that wears the crown” kind of stuff. I thought, “okay, I guess being Roman emperor is not so great.”Oliver: Omar Khayyam.Kanakia: Omar Khayyam. Okay, I've only read The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam by Edward Fitzgerald, which I loved, but I cannot formulate a strong opinion right now.Oliver: As You Like It.Kanakia: No opinions.Oliver: Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson.Kanakia: Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson. I do have an opinion about this, which is that they should make a redacted version of Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson. I normally am not a big believer in abridgements because I feel like whatever is there is there. But, Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, first of all, has a long portion before Boswell even meets Johnson. That portion drags; it's not that great. Then it has all these like letters that Johnson wrote, which also are not that great. What's really good is when Boswell just reports everything Johnson ever said, which is about half the book. You get a sense of Johnson's conversation and his personality, and that is very gripping. I've definitely thought that with a different presentation, this could still be popular. People would still read this.Oliver: The Communist Manifesto.Kanakia: The Communist Manifesto. It's very stirring. I love The Communist Manifesto. It has very haunting, powerful lines. I won't try to quote from it because I'll misquote them.Oliver: But it is remarkably well written.Kanakia: Oh yeah, it is a great work of literature.Oliver: Yeah.Kanakia: I read Capital [Das Kapital], which is not a great work of literature, and I would venture to say that it is not necessarily worth reading. It really feels like Marx's reputation is built on other political writings like The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte and works like that, which really seem to have a lot more meat on the bone than Capital.Oliver: Pragmatism by William James.Kanakia: Pragmatism. I mean, I've mentioned that in my book. I love William James in general. I think William James was writing in this 19th-century environment where it seemed like some form of skepticism was the only rational solution. You couldn't have any source of value, and he really tried to cut through that with Pragmatism and was like, let's just believe the things that are good to believe. It is definitely at least useful to think, although someone else can always argue with you about what is useful to believe. But, as a personal guide for belief, I think it is still useful.Oliver: Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw.Kanakia: No strong opinions. It was a long time ago that I read Major Barbara.Oliver: Tell me what you like about James Fenimore Cooper.Kanakia: James Fenimore Cooper. Oh, this is great. I have basically a list of Great Books that I want to read, but four or five years ago, I thought, “what's in all the other books that I know the names of but that are not reputed, are not the kind of books you still read?”That was when I read Walter Scott, who I really love. And I just started reading all kinds of books that were kind of well known but have kind of fallen into literary disfavor. In almost every case, I felt like I got a lot out of these books. So, nowadays when I approach any realm of literature, I always look for those books.In 19th-century American literature, the biggest no-longer-read book is The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, which was America's first bestseller. He was the first American novelist that had a high reputation in Europe. The Last of the Mohicans is kind of a historical romance, à la Walter Scott, but much more tightly written and much more tightly plotted.Cooper has written five novels, the Leatherstocking Tales, that are all centered around this very virtuous, rough-hewn frontiersman, Natty Bumppo. He has his best friend, Chingachgook, who is the last of the Mohicans. He's the last of his tribe. And the two of these guys are basically very sad and stoic. Chingachgook is distanced from his tribe. Chingachgook has a tribe of Native Americans that he hates—I want to say it's the Huron. He's always like, “they're the bad ones,” and he's always fighting them. Then, Natty Bumppo doesn't really love settled civilization. He's not precisely at war with it, but he does not like the settlers. They're kind of stuck in the middle. They have various adventures, and I just thought it was so haunting and powerful.I've been reading a lot of other 19th-century American literature, and virtually none of it treats Native Americans with this kind of respect. There's a lot of diversity in the Native American characters; there's really an attempt to show how their society works and the various ways that leadership and chiefship works among them. There's this very haunting moment in The Last of the Mohicans, where this aged chief, Tamenund, comes out and starts speaking. This is a chief who, in American mythology, was famous for being a friend to the white people. But, James Fenimore Cooper writing in the 1820s has Tamenund come out at 80 years old and say, “we have to fight; we have to fight the white people. That's our only option.” It was just such a powerful moment and such a powerful book.I was really, really enthused. I read all of these Leatherstocking Tales. It was also a very strange experience to read these books that are generally supposed to be very turgid and boring, and then I read them and was like, “I understand. I'm so transported.” I understand exactly why readers in the 1820s loved this.Oliver: Which Walter Scott books do you like?Kanakia: I love all the Walter Scott books I've read, but the one I liked best was Kenilworth. Have you ever read Kenilworth?Oliver: I don't know that one.Kanakia: Yeah, it's about Elizabeth I, who had a romantic relationship with one of her courtiers.Oliver: The Earl of Essex?Kanakia: Yeah. She really thought they were going to get married, but then it turned out he was secretly married. Basically, I guess the implication is that he killed his wife in order to marry Queen Elizabeth I. It's a novel all about him and that situation, and it just felt very tightly plotted. I really enjoyed it.Oliver: What did you think of Rejection?Kanakia: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte? Initially when I read this book, I enjoyed it, but I was like, “life cannot possibly be this sad.” It's five or six stories about these people who just have nothing going on. Their lives are so miserable, they can't find anyone to sleep with, and they're just doomed to be alone forever. I was like, “life can't be this bad.” But now thinking back over it, it is one of the most memorable books I've read in the last year. It really sticks with you. I feel like my opinion of this book has gone up a lot in retrospect.Oliver: How antisemitic is the House of Mirth?Kanakia: That is a hotly debated question, which I mentioned in my book. I think there has been a good case made that Edith Wharton, the author of House of Mirth, who was from an old New York family, was herself fairly antisemitic and did not personally like Jewish people. What she portrays in this book is that this old New York society also was highly suspicious of Jewish people and was organized to keep Jewish people out.In this book there is a rich Jewish man, Simon Rosedale, and there's a poor woman, Lily Bart. Lily Bart's main thing is whether she's going to marry the poor guy, Lawrence Selden, or the rich guy, Percy Gryce. She can't choose. She doesn't want to be poor, but she also is always bored by the rich guys. Meanwhile, through the whole book, there's Simon Rosedale, who's always like, “you should marry me.” He's the rich Jewish guy. He's like, “you should marry me. I will give you lots of money. You can do whatever you want.”Everybody else kind of just sees her as a woman and as a wife; he really sees her as an ally in his social climbing. That's his main motivation. The book is relatively clear that he has a kind of respect for her that nobody else does. Then, over the course of the book, she also gains a lot more respect for him. Basically, late in the book, she decides to marry him, but she has fallen a lot in the world. He's like, “that particular deal is not available anymore,” but he does offer her another deal that—although she finds it not to her taste—is still pretty good.He basically is like, “I'll give you some money, you'll figure out how to rehabilitate your reputation, and later down the line, we can figure something out.” So, I think with a great author like Edith Wharton, there's power in these portrayals. I felt it hard to come away from it feeling like the book is like a really antisemitic book.Oliver: Now, you note that the Great Books movement started out as something quite socially aspirational. Do you think it's still like that?Kanakia: I do think so. Yeah. For me, that's 100 percent what it was because I majored in econ. I always felt kind of inadequate as a writer against people who had majored in English. Then I started off as a science fiction writer, young adult writer, and I was like, “I'm going to read all these Great Books and then I'll have read the books that everybody else has read.” In my mind, that's also what it was—that there was some upper crust or literary society that was reading all these Great Books.That's really what did it. I do think there's still an element of aspiration to it because it's a club that you can join, that anyone can join. It's very straightforward to be a Great Books reader, and so I think there's still something there. I think because the Great Books movement has such a democratic quality to it, it actually doesn't get you to the top socially, which has always been the true, always been the case. But, that's okay. As long as you end up higher than where you started, that's fine.Oliver: What makes a book great?Kanakia: I talk about it this in the book, and I go through many different authors' conceptions of what makes a book great or what constitutes a classic. I don't know that anyone has come up with a really satisfying answer. The Horatian formulation from Horace—that a book is great or an author is great if it has lasted for a hundred years—is the one that seems to be the most accurate. Like, any book that's still being read a hundred years after it was written has a greatness.I do think that T. S. Eliott's formulation—that a civilization at its height produces certain literature and that literature partakes of the greatness of the civilization and summarizes the greatness of the civilization—does seem to have some kind of truth to it.But it's hard, right? Because the greatest French novel is In Search of Lost Time, but I don't know that anyone would say that the France in the 1920s was at its height. It's not a prescriptive thing, but it does seem like the way we read many of these Great Books, like Moby Dick, it feels like you're like communing with the entire society that produced it. So, maybe there's something there.Oliver: Now, you've used a list from Clifton Fadiman.Kanakia: Yes.Oliver: Rather than from Mortimer Adler or Harold Bloom or several others. Why this list?Kanakia: Well, the best reason is that it's actually the list I've just been using for the last 15 years. I went to a science fiction convention in 2009, Readercon, and at this science fiction convention was Michael Dirda, who was a Washington Post book critic. He had recently come out with his book, Classics for Pleasure, which I also bought and liked. But he said that the list he had always used was this Clifton Fadiman book. And so when I decided to start reading the Great Books, I went and got that book. I have perused many other lists over time, but that was always the list that seemed best to me.It seemed to have like the best mix. There's considerable variation amongst these lists, but there's also a lot of overlap. So any of these lists is going to have Dickens on it, and Tolstoy, and stuff like that. So really, you're just thinking about, “aside from Dickens and Tolstoy and George Eliot and Walt Whitman and all these people, who are the other 50 authors that you're going be reading?”The Mortimer Adler list is very heavy on philosophy. It has Plotinus on it. It has all these scientific works. I don't know, it didn't speak to me as much. Whereas, this Clifton Fadiman and John Major list has all these Eastern works on it. It has The Tale of Genji, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Story of the Stone, and that just spoke to me a little bit more.Oliver: What modern books will be on a future Great Books list, whether it's from someone alive or someone since the war.Kanakia: Have you ever heard of Robert Caro?Oliver: Sure.Kanakia: Yeah. I think his Lyndon Johnson books are great books. They have changed the field of biography. They're so complete, they seem to summarize an entire era, epoch. They're highly rated, but I feel like they're underrated as literature.What else? I was actually a little bit surprised in this Clifton Fadiman-John Major book, which came out in 1999, that there are not more African Americans in their list. Like, Invisible Man definitely seemed like a huge missed work. You know, it's hard. You would definitely want a book that has undergone enough critical evaluation that people are pretty certain that it is great. A lot of things that are more recent have not undergone that evaluation yet, but Invisible Man has, as have some works by Martin Luther King.Oliver: What about The Autobiography of Malcolm X?Kanakia: I would have to reread. I feel like it hasn't been evaluated much as a literary document.Oliver: Helen DeWitt?Kanakia: It's hard to say. It's so idiosyncratic, The Last Samurai, but it is certainly one of the best novels of the last 25 years.Oliver: Yeah.Kanakia: It is hard to say, because there's nothing else quite like it. But I would love if The Last Samurai was on a list like this; that would be amazing.Oliver: If someone wants to try the Great Books, but they think that those sort of classic 19th-century novels are too difficult—because they're long and the sentences are weird or whatever—what else should they do? Where else should they start?Kanakia: Well, it depends on what they're into, or it depends on their personality type. I think like there are people who like very, very difficult literature. There are people who are very into James Joyce and Proust. I think for some people the cost-benefit is better. If they're going to be pouring over some book for a long time, they would prefer if it was overtly difficult.If they're not like that, then I would say, there are many Great Books that are more accessible. Hemingway is a good one and Grapes of Wrath is wonderful. The 19th-century American books tend to be written in a very different register than the English books. If you read Moby Dick, it feels like it's written in a completely different language than Charles Dickens, even though they're writing essentially at the same time.Oliver: Is there too much Freud on the list that you've used?Kanakia: Maybe. I know that Interpretation of Dreams is on that list, which I've tried to read and have decided life is too short. I didn't really buy it, but I have read a fair amount of Freud. My impression of Freud was always that I would read Freud and somehow it would just seem completely fanciful or far out, like wouldn't ring true. But then when I started reading Freud, it was more the opposite. I was like, oh yeah, this seems very, very true.Like this battle between like the id and the ego and the super ego, and this feeling that like the psyche is at war with itself. Human beings really desire to be singular and exceptional, but then you're constantly under assault by the reality principle, which is that you're insignificant. That all seemed completely true. But then he tries to cure this somehow, which does not seem a curable problem. And he also situates the problem in some early sexual development, which also did not necessarily ring true. But no, I wouldn't say there's too much. Freud is a lot of fun. People should read Freud.Oliver: Which of the Great Books have you really not liked?Kanakia: I do get asked this quite a bit. I would say the Great Book that I really felt like—at least in translation—was not that rewarding in an unabridged version was Don Quixote. Because at least half the length of Don Quixote is these like interpolated novellas that are really long and tedious. I felt Don Quixote was a big slog. But maybe someday I'll go back and reread it and love it. Who knows?Oliver: Now you wrote that the question of biography is totally divorced from the question of what art is and how it operates. What do you think of George Orwell's supposition that if Shakespeare came back tomorrow, and we found out he used to rape children that we should—we would not say, you know, it's fine to carry on to doing that because he might write another King Lear.Kanakia: Well, if we discovered that Shakespeare was raping children, he should go to prison for that. No. It's totally divorced in both senses. You don't get any credit in the court of law because you are the writer of King Lear. If I murdered someone and then I was hauled in front of a judge and they were like, oh, Naomi's a genius, I wouldn't get off for murder. Nor should I get off for murder.So in terms of like whether we would punish Shakespeare for his crime of raping children, I don't think King Lear should count at all, but it's never used that way. It's never should someone go to prison or not for their crimes, because they're a genius. It's always used the other way, which is should we read King Lear knowing that the author raped children, but I also feel like that is immaterial. If you read King Lear, you're not enabling someone to rape children.Oliver: There's an almost endless amount of discussion these days about the Great Books and education and the value of the humanities, and what's the future of it all. What is your short opinion on that?Kanakia: My short opinion is that the Great Books at least are going to be fine. The Great Books will continue to be read, and they would even survive the university. All these books predate the university and they will survive the university. I feel like the university has stewarded literature in its own way for a while now and has made certain choices in that stewardship. I think if that stewardship was given up to more voluntary associations that had less financial support, then I think the choices would probably be very different. But I still think the greatest works would survive.Oliver: Now this is a quote from the book: “I am glad that reactionaries love the Great Books. They've invited a Trojan horse into their own camp.” Tell us what you mean by that.Kanakia: Let's say you believed in Christian theocracy, that you thought America should be organized on explicitly Christian principles. And because you believe in Christian theocracy, you organize a school that teaches the Great Books. Many of these schools that are Christian schools that have Great Books programs will also teach Nietzsche. They definitely put some kind of spin on Nietzsche. But they will teach anti-Christ, and that is a counterpoint to Christian morality and Christian theology. There are many things that you'll read in the Great Books that are corrosive to various kinds of certainties.If someone who I think is bad starts educating themselves in the Great Books, I don't think that the Great Books are going to make them worse from my perspective. So it's good.Oliver: How did reading the Mahabharata change you?Kanakia: Oh yeah, so the Mahabharata is a Hindu epic from, let's say, the first century AD. I'm Indian and most Indians are familiar with the basic outline of the Mahabharata story because it's told in various retellings, and there's a TV serial that my parents would rent from the Indian store growing up and we would watch it tape by tape. So I'm very familiar with it. Like there's never been a time I have not known this story.But I was also familiar with the idea that there is a written version in Sanskrit that's extremely long. It is 10 times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey combined. This Mahabharata story is not that long. I've read a version of it that's about 800 pages long. So how could something that's 10 times this long be the same? A new unabridged translation came out 10 years ago. So I started reading it, and it basically contains the entire Sanskrit Vedic worldview in it.I had never been exposed to this very coherently laid-out version of what I would call Hindu cosmology and ethics. Hindus don't really get taught those things in a very organized way. The book is basically about dharma, the principle of rightness and how this principle of rightness orders the universe and how it basically results in everybody getting their just deserts in various ways. As I was reading the book, I was like, this seems very true that there is some cosmic rebalancing here, and that everything does turn out more or less the way it should, which is not something that I can defend on a rational level.But just reading the book, it just made me feel like, yes, that is true. There is justice, the universe is organized by justice. It took me about a year to read the whole thing. I started waking up at 5:00 a.m. and reading for an hour each morning, and it just was a really magical, profound experience that brought me a lot closer to my grandmother's religious beliefs.Oliver: Is it ever possible to persuade someone with arguments that they should read literature, or is it just something that they have to have an inclination toward and then follow someone's example? Because I feel like we have so many columns and op-eds and “books are good because of X reason, and it's very important because of Y reason.” And like, who cares? No one cares. If you are persuaded, you take all that very seriously and you argue about what exactly are the precise reasons we should say. And if you're not persuaded, you don't even know this is happening.And what really persuades you is like, oh, Naomi sounds pretty compelling about the Mahabharata. That sounds cool. I'll try that. It's much more of a temperamental, feelingsy kind of thing. Is it possible to argue people into thinking about this differently? Or should we just be doing what we do and setting an example and hoping that people will follow.Kanakia: As to whether it's possible or not, I do not know. But I do think these columns are too ambitious. A thousand-word column and the imagined audience for this column is somebody who doesn't read books at all, who doesn't care about literature at all. And then in a thousand-word column, you're going to persuade them to care about literature. This is no good. It's so unnecessary.Whereas there's a much broader range of people who love to read books, but have never picked up Moby Dick or have never picked up Middlemarch, or who like maybe loved Middlemarch, but never thought maybe I should then go on and read Jane Austen and George Eliot.I think trying to shift people from “I don't read books at all; reading books is not something I do,” to being a Great Books card-carrying lover of literature is a lot. I really aim for a much lower result than that, which is to whatever extent people are interested in literature, they should pursue that interest. And as the rationalists would say, there's a lot of alpha in that; there's a lot to be gained from converting people who are somewhat interested into people who are very interested.Oliver: If there was a more widespread practice of humanism in education and the general culture, would that make America into a more liberal country in any way?Kanakia: What do you mean by humanism?Oliver: You know, the old-fashioned liberal arts approach, the revival of the literary journal culture, the sort of depolitical approach to literature, the way things used to be, as it were.Kanakia: It couldn't hurt. It couldn't hurt is my answer to that question.Oliver: Okay.Kanakia: What you're describing is basically the way I was educated. I went to Catholic school in DC at St. Anselm's Abbey School, in Northeast, DC, grade school. Highly recommend sending your little boys there. No complaints about the school. They talked about humanism all the time and all these civic virtues. I thought it was great. I don't know what people in other schools learn, but I really feel like it was a superior way of teaching.Now, you know, it was Catholic school, so a lot of people who graduated from my school are conservatives and don't really have the beliefs that I have, but that's okay.Oliver: Tell us about your reading habits.Kanakia: I read mostly ebooks. I really love ebooks because you can make the type bigger. I just read all the time. They vary. I don't wake up at 5:00 a.m. to read anymore. Sometimes if I feel like I'm not reading enough—because I write this blog, and the blog doesn't get written unless I'm reading. That's the engine, and so sometimes I set aside a day each week to read. But generally, the reading mostly takes care of itself.What I tend to get is very into a particular thing, and then I'll start reading more and more in that area. Recently, I was reading a lot of New Yorker stories. So I started reading more and more of these storywriters that have been published in the New Yorker and old anthologies of New Yorker stories. And then eventually I am done. I'm tired. It's time to move on.Oliver: But do you read several books at once? Do you make notes? Do you abandon books? How many hours a day do you read?Kanakia: Hours a day: Because my e-reader keeps these stats, I'd say 15 or 20 hours a week of reading. Nowadays because I write for the blog, I often think as I'm reading how I would frame a post about this. So I look for quotes, like what quote I would look at. I take different kinds of notes. I'll make more notes if I'm more confused by what is going on. Especially with nonfiction books, I'll try sometimes to make notes just to iron out what exactly I think is happening or what I think the argument is. But no, not much of a note taker.Oliver: What will you read next?Kanakia: What will I read next? Well, I've been thinking about getting back into Indian literature. Right now I'm reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. But there's an Indian novel called Jhootha Sach, which is a partition novel that is originally in Hindi. And it's also a thousand pages long, and is frequently compared to Les Miserables and War and Peace. So I'm thinking about tackling that finally.Oliver: Naomi Kanakia, thank you very much.Kanakia: Thanks for having me. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk

Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Esprit Libre du jeudi, revient sur les récentes violences attribuées à l'ultragauche qui ont donné lieu à la mort de Quentin Deranque et sur le rôle controversé de Jean-Luc Mélenchon dans ce contexte.D'emblée, Franz-Olivier Giesbert dresse un parallèle saisissant entre les agissements de la jeune garde de l'extrême gauche et les méthodes des ligues fascistes d'avant-guerre, allant jusqu'à évoquer un retour du nazisme sous couvert d'antifascisme. Il pointe du doigt l'inaction de Mélenchon face à l'antisémitisme de certains de ses élus, l'accusant de vouloir changer le narratif en rejetant la faute sur les autres.L'éditorialiste s'interroge ensuite sur l'éventuelle interdiction de La France Insoumise, un débat lancé suite aux récents événements. Il met en garde contre les risques d'une telle mesure, craignant qu'elle ne ravive la jeune garde plutôt que de l'éteindre. Il souligne également les liens étroits entre LFI et le Parti Socialiste, prédisant des accords aux prochaines élections municipales.Franz-Olivier Giesbert revient également sur la situation en Iran, où la contestation semble reprendre malgré la répression sanglante des manifestations. Il salue le courage de ces jeunes Iraniens qui bravent la violence des autorités, tout en rendant hommage à la richesse culturelle de ce pays, à travers des figures emblématiques comme le poète Omar Khayyam ou la chanteuse Gougoush.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

“Huma Bhabha / Alberto Giacometti”Dénoue, boucle à boucle, les cheveux d'une idole – avant que tes articulations se détachent…à l'Institut Giacometti, Parisdu 6 février au 24 mai 2026Entretien avec Emilie Bouvard, directrice scientifique et des collections – Fondation Giacometti, et commissaire de l'exposition,par Anne-Frédérique Fer, à Paris, le 3 février 2026, durée 24'03,© FranceFineArt.https://francefineart.com/2026/02/08/3686_bhabha-giacometti_institut-giacometti/Communiqué de presseCommissaire : Émilie Bouvard, directrice scientifique et des collections, Fondation GiacomettiL'Institut Giacometti présente une exposition inédite mettant l'oeuvre de l'artiste pakistano-américaine, Huma Bhabha (née à Karachi, 1962, vit et travaille à Poughkeepsie, États-Unis), en résonance avec l'oeuvre d'Alberto Giacometti.Conçue spécifiquement pour l'Institut Giacometti, l'exposition présente de nouvelles créations réalisées par Bhabha pour l'occasion, ainsi qu'un ensemble de pièces majeures de son travail : deux figures debout, des têtes sculptées, des fragments de corps, ainsi que des dessins et des photographies. Toutes ces oeuvres dialoguent, non sans humour, avec des oeuvres emblématiques de Giacometti, parmi lesquelles l'Homme qui marche (1960), la Jambe (1958), les Femmes de Venise (1956) ou encore la Grande Tête (1960).Cette exposition fait suite à un premier dialogue entre les deux artistes au Barbican Centre en 2025, «Nothing is behind Us».Inviter Huma Bhabha à créer face à Giacometti fut une évidence, celle-ci manifestant depuis longtemps un profond intérêt pour son travail. Se revendiquant « expressionniste », Bhabha construit des assemblages, travaille l'argile, le liège et le bronze pour faire émerger des formes humaines qui expriment des émotions. La rencontre entre les deux artistes se joue dans un face à face autour de la figure, à la fois fragile et forte, féminine et masculine, drôle et mélancolique, résistante. Singulière parmi ses contemporains, Bhabha rejoint Giacometti dans la conviction que « tout se résout autour du corps humain ».Obsédées par le mouvement de la vie à la mort et de la mort à la vie, leurs oeuvres témoignent à la fois de la force et du caractère périssable des êtres humains, de leur violence et de leur tendresse. L'humour, caustique, noir, grinçant, traverse l'exposition. On en trouve un écho dans le titre de l'exposition, « Dénoue, boucle à boucle, les cheveux d'une idole – avant que tes articulations se détachent… », extrait d'un quatrain du poète persan Omar Khayyam* (1048-1131).Enfin, tous deux puisent dans l'art de toutes les époques et de toutes les civilisations – de l'art de la Grèce antique à la Renaissance, en passant par les arts africains ou encore par le cinéma -, pour créer de nouvelles formes et de nouveaux modes de perception, d'autres visions de l'humanité. Passionnée de science-fiction, Bhabha prolonge ici le dialogue avec Giacometti, familier des milieux de cinéma étrange et surréaliste.*Poème d'Omar Khayyam, Quatrain 71. Traduction de Claude Anet et Myrza Muhammad (1920)Catalogue sous la direction d'Emilie Bouvard Co-édité par la Fondation Giacometti, Paris / Fage éditions, Lyon Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

What happens to “us” when we're no longer the smartest beings on the planet?In our brand new episode, technologist and global innovation leader Akshay Chopra discusses his debut novel After Us, exploring a world transformed by SUI, a self-aware, benevolent superintelligence that questions the very definition of life and humanity.Tara and Akshay dive deep into the fascinating (and often terrifying) intersections of science and fiction, from the "Longevity Escape Velocity" that could grant us 400-year lifespans to why humans may never truly understand an AI's motives, and how Akshay conceived SUI not as an invention, but as a fallible, evolving being.The conversation goes on to explore why science fiction remains largely untapped in India, despite its wealth of technologists and storytellers, and how our fear of AI may stem from humanity's own history of driving other species to extinction. Akshay also shares his journey of publishing his novel through Jaico and his shift from a "pretentious" writing style to a simplified narrative. By stripping away the jargon, he makes the looming reality of our future impossible to ignore.If the AI takeover keeps you up at night, this episode is just for you!Books, Movies, and TV shows mentioned in the episode:Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyBlack Mirror (2011)Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah HarariHer (2013)Star Trek (2009)Children of Time by Adrian TchaikovskyThe Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin SharmaAutobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa YoganandaRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam by Omar KhayyamA Sound of Thunder by Ray BradburyChildhood's End by Arthur C. ClarkeRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. ClarkeInterstellar (2014)2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 12 writers, 5 daysA transformative writing experience nestled in a serene century old Indo-Portuguese villa.Learn more: https://boundindia.com/retreats/annual-writers-retreatApply now: https://tinyurl.com/46rhn7hz‘Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India's finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Hur undviker man att bli en icke-människa? Simon Sorgenfrei tar en tysk teolog, en persisk poet och en svensk baron till hjälp. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radios app. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna.På 1920-talet satt baronen Eric Hermelin i Lund och översatte Omar Khayyams dikter till svenska. I decennier hade han då levt ett kringflackande liv, som äventyrare och rumlare, i USA och England, i Indien och i Australien. Nu hade han blivit omyndigförklarad av sin familj och var därför inspärrad på Sankt Lars hospital där han fördrev tiden med att översätta persisk poesi och muslimsk mystik.Under åren på drift hade Hermelin utvecklat en aversion mot moralväktare och att han nu fått sin bror, nykterhetsivraren Josef, som förmyndare bidrog inte till att ändra hans inställning. Att översätta Omar Khayyam fungerade däremot som ett balsam. I den persiske fritänkarens verser fann han en åskådning som på ett kanske paradoxalt sätt var samtidigt förlåtande och uppbygglig.”Vet du vad helvetet sannerligen är?” frågade Khayyam retoriskt i en av dikterna. ”Helvetet på jorden är umgänge med icke-människor.” De muslimska mystikernas texter skyddade Eric Hermelin från helvetet. De fungerade som manualer i människoblivandets konst.Drygt ett hundra år tidigare, runt sekelskiftet 1800, slog den tyske romantikern Friedrich Schleiermacher igenom som radikal teolog med boken Om religionen. Den var menad som ett försvarstal riktat mot såväl de filosofer som ville låsa religionen vid tron på mirakulösa myter, som mot de teologer som reducerade mysteriet till stränga moralismer. Religion, menade Schleiermacher, är varken metafysik eller moral, utan i stället en ”känsla och smak för det oändliga”. Och denna känsla, menade han, har sin rot i ett direkt åskådande av universum. Känslan väcks i den omedelbara upplevelsen av att vara en del av, och att stå i absolut beroende till denna oändlighet.Kanske är det aldrig enklare att uppleva sig som en obetydligt liten men ändå intensivt levande del av det oändliga än under midvinternatten. Då är mörkret som djupast och då gnistrar stjärnorna över oss i sin outgrundliga förutsägbarhet. Det är den mest ursprungliga och universella av utsikter. ”Tänk att samma måne som lyser över mig här, kan blicka ner över Illinois och hitta dig där”, som Tom Waits sjunger i Shore Leave, sången om sjömannen som under en permission i Singapore trånar efter sin älskade hemma i USA. Samma måne blickade också ner över Omar Khayyam och Eric Hermelin, över dig och mig.Att samtidigt känna sig levande och obetydlig under stjärnhimlen är en ödmjukande och sublim känsla. Ödmjukande eftersom upplevelsen blottlägger vår litenhet; sublim eftersom den låter oss känna evighetens svindel i bröstet. Kanske är det vad Schleiermacher menade med ”känsla och smak för det oändliga”. Det är ett erfarande – mer än en åskådning i intellektuell bemärkelse – ett erfarande av våra livsbetingelser.Att vara människa är sannerligen inte alltid lätt. Grannkatten Ruth påminner mig om det då hon i vintermörkret kommer tassande över det smutsiga snötäcket för att stryka sig mot mina ben. Vad en katt känner när hon tittar upp mot Orions jagande hundar vet jag förstås inte, men hon tycks vara i världen med en annan självklarhet än mig. En katt föds till katt med instinkterna på plats. Vi människor måste arbeta på att bli mänskliga.Några år efter genomslaget med boken Om religionen, publicerade Schleiermacher en novell med titeln Julfirandet. I denna ville han undersöka vad som utgör kärnan i de då framväxande borgerliga traditioner som vi idag förknippar med julen. Att Jesus inte föddes vid juletid det visste man redan då. Först på trehundratalet bestämdes hans födelsedag till vintersolståndet. Då var solen som ett nyfött barn menade romarna, ett efterlängtat barn av ljus och växande värme som firades under högtiden saturnalia.Schleiermacher ansåg heller inte att det var några historiska fakta som firades i den vänliga salong där hans novell utspelar sig. I stället såg han julen som själva människoblivandets högtid.I den kristna mytologin låter Gud sig födas som ett litet ofärdigt barn, som en människa med allt vad det innebär av oro, grubbel, sorg och smärta. Det är en myt om hur den kosmiska ordningen, logos, blir till kött – och om hur människan sedan måste utveckla logos inom sig för att förverkliga sin mänsklighet. Vi känner igen motivet från olika kultursfärer.Platon menade att själen slits mellan två hästar. En som drar nedåt, mot begärens mörker och kaos – och en annan som strävar uppåt, mot ordning och ljus. Senare skulle Jalaluddin Rumi, en annan av de muslimska mystiker som Eric Hermelin satt på Sankt Lars och översatte, likna oss människor vid åsnor försedda med änglavingar. Han anspelade då på berättelsen om att Jesus, det köttvordna ordet, red in i Jerusalem på just en åsna. ”Den som kysser åsnans arsle, får aldrig känna Jesus milda andedräkt”, menade Rumi.I den romerska filosofin betecknade termen humanus inte bara någon som tillhörde den biologiska arten ”människa”, utan även någon som tillgodogjort sig vissa dygdeideal, som arbetat på sin mänsklighet. Detta lever vidare i vår förståelse av begreppen humanism och humanitet. Mänsklig är den, enligt Svenska Akademiens Ordbok, som tillhör det mänskliga släktet, och med detta följer att vi är ofullständiga. ”Gudarna gav oss brister, för att göra oss till människor”, säger Shakespeare i Antonius och Kleopatra. Men vi har också potential att bättra oss. Att vara mänsklig innebär också att vara ”hygglig”, att ha ”medkänsla” med våra medmänniskor och överseende med deras brister. Att vara omänsklig däremot, att vara en icke-människa i Omar Khayyams vokabulär, innebär enligt ordboken att sakna barmhärtighet, att vara grym, bestialisk och känslolös.”Att fela är mänskligt, att förlåta är gudomligt” lyder ett ordspråk som försöker fånga denna människoblivandets utvecklingsbana. Att vara mänsklig innebär att göra sig medveten om sina egna tillkortakommanden, samtidigt som man har överseende med andras.I midvinternatten omsluter det stora mörkret oss envar, som en påminnelse om den litenhet vi alla delar. Det erbjuder både känsla och smak för det oändliga perspektiv inför vilket både egna och andras brister och förtjänster bleknar bort. Just erfarenheten av att samma måne som ser ner på dig, ser ner på var och en av oss är kanske själva impulsen till människoblivande. ”Var inte en icke-människa” viskar den högt däruppifrån. ”Bidra inte till helvetet på jorden.”Simon Sorgenfreiprofessor i religionsvetenskapLitteraturFriedrich Schleiermacher: Julfirandet – ett samtal. Översättning: Ola Sigurdson. Bokförlaget Korpen, 2025.Friedrich Schleiermacher: Om religionen – fem tal. Översättning: Ola Sigurdson. Bokförlaget Korpen, 2025.Eric Hermelins tolkningar av Omar Khayyam finns i flera utgåvor från 1928 och framåt.MusikLåt: Shore LeaveKompositör & textförfattare: Tom WaitsÅr: 1982Skivbolag: IslandAlbum: Swordfishtrombones

"The original soundtrack I used from Cities & Memory's archive was recorded on a street in Cairo at sunset, outside the Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam casino, on Saray El Gezira Street. The famous Gezirah Palace was completed in 1869 by Khedive Ismail, to host dignitaries for the opening of the Suez Canal that year. When I first listened to this piece I heard, among the sounds of car horns and the evening prayer call, the sound of footsteps running down the street and away, and a sharp gasp of breath. The whipping wind in the microphone sounded like a jinn or an Afreet, plural Afareet. It reminded me of my favourite song El Shawarea Hawadeet (the streets are tales) by El Masreyeen from 1977. Lonely streets echoing with memories, stories and Afareet.  "In the final piece, you can hear layers of sounds from different eras. The song Al Bulbul Gani (the nightingale came to me) recorded in Cairo in 1906, written by Abd al-hayy Hilmi; the sounds of drumming used in the Cairo Zar women's ritual by the group Mazaher – a ritual to try to find accommodation with demons that have taken over a woman's body. You can hear too, strange sounds of a furious female jinn screaming, shouting and banging at each outrageous sentence from British prime minister Anthony Eden, in his public address in 1956 during the Suez Crisis, where he attempts to justify Britain's bombing of Egypt. Oil is the justification for everything.  "As this Cairo tale unfolds, the Arabian riff, or “Melodia Arabe”, sinuously weaves between the Zar drumming. Composed in the 1800's, the Arabian riff, also known as The Streets of Cairo, was a little Orientalist ditty that supposedly evoked the exotic Arab. The quote I am reading is from the 1899 gothic novel, Pharos The Egyptian, by Guy Boothby. It was one of many gothic horror stories of revenge by an angry Egyptian mummy or demon, a fear that haunted the Victorians during this era." Credits:  The fragments of the Arabian riff in different versions are from here, with a Creative Commons licence:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabian_melody.ogg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabian_song.ogg |  Cairo street sounds reimagined by Salma Ahmad Caller.

Hailing from a family of calligraphers, Sadequain rose to become one of Pakistan's most celebrated artists, known for his mastery in calligraphy and bold, expressive painting. His work redefined modern Islamic art and brought Urdu calligraphy into the contemporary spotlight.But that's not all — he was also a poet, penning hundreds of rubā‘iyāt in the spirit of Omar Khayyam and Sarmad Kashani, blending visual art and verse into a singular, unforgettable legacy.#78years78heroes

Ever wondered how a Persian mathematician became one of the world's most celebrated poets? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating life of Omar Khayyam—a brilliant astronomer, mathematician, and perhaps a poet—whose discoveries shaped calendars, algebra, and even geometry centuries ahead of their time. From surviving nomadic invasions to impressing kings and leaving a mark on both science and literature, Khayyam's story is full of adventure, intellect, and a touch of mystery. Join us as we unravel the man behind the Rubáiyát and explore the legacy that still echoes today.   This episode was prepared with the help of AI, and the content is written by OYLA authors. For subscription, please visit: oyla.us, oyla.uk, oyla.au, oyla.eu, oyla.co.in to check it out!

Hector Hugh Munro (1870–1916), que firmaba sus obras bajo el seudónimo Saki, fue un escritor británico reconocido por sus cuentos cortos satíricos, ingeniosos y frecuentemente macabros. Sus relatos critican con agudeza la hipocresía y las convenciones de la sociedad eduardiana británica. Nació en Akyab, Birmania (actual Myanmar), donde su padre trabajaba como alto funcionario del Imperio Británico. Tras la muerte de su madre cuando él tenía solo dos años, fue enviado a Inglaterra y criado por sus tías, mujeres estrictas que luego inspiraron personajes autoritarios en sus cuentos. Comenzó escribiendo para periódicos como The Morning Post y The Westminster Gazette. Publicó inicialmente un libro de historia, The Rise of the Russian Empire (1900), antes de dedicarse al cuento satírico. Tomó el nombre "Saki" probablemente del copero de El Rubaiyat de Omar Khayyam, símbolo de irreverencia y agudeza. Algunas de sus colecciones y cuentos más conocidos incluyen: Reginald (1904). The Chronicles of Clovis (1911). Beasts and Super-Beasts (1914). La ventana abierta (The Open Window). Tobermory (sobre un gato que habla). Sredni Vashtar (niño enfermo con una mascota "divina"). Laura (reencarnaciones inesperadas). Sus historias combinan humor negro, ironía y giros inesperados, y suelen mostrar a niños o animales como agentes de subversión contra figuras adultas opresivas. A pesar de tener 43 años, se alistó voluntariamente en el ejército británico durante la Primera Guerra Mundial. Murió en combate en Francia en 1916, abatido por un francotirador alemán. Según se dice, sus últimas palabras fueron: "¡Apaga ese maldito cigarrillo!" Saki es considerado un maestro del cuento corto. Su estilo influyó en autores como P. G. Wodehouse, A. A. Milne y Roald Dahl. Sus relatos siguen siendo leídos y estudiados por su brillantez narrativa y crítica social sutil.

One of the many objects that went down with the ship during the sinking of the Titanic was a beautiful, jewel-encrusted edition of a poetry book called the “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.” The Rubaiyat was probably the most famous work of poetry in the English-speaking world at that time…which was somewhat unusual, as the book was written by a Persian mathematician 800 years before.For more information about Omar Khayyam and the Rubaiyat, check out the books “Persian Presence in Victorian Poetry” by Taher-Kermani Reza, “The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam” by Mehdi Aminrazavi, and the BBC documentary “The Genius of Omar Khayyam.” 

In this episode, we're joined by Arash Ghajarjazi, a scholar of Iranian Studies at Utrecht University and author of the new book, Remembering Khayyam: Episodes of Unbelief in the Reception Histories of Persian Quatrains. We delve into the history of Iran to discuss the long legacy of secular culture by way of the figure of Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet and polymath from the 11th century. There are plenty of surprises along the way as we learn how religious elites leveraged modern technology to monopolize power, the role Victorian love of poetry had on Iranian culture, and how secular monuments continue to inspire and allow protest in a theocratic country. We also learn whether a true atheist can hide their atheism and if it may prove to be an absolute necessity.For more on Arash: www.linkedin.com/in/arash-ghajarjazi-036621176On X: @arashghajarjaziArash's new book, Remembering Khayyam: Episodes of Unbelief in the Reception Histories of Persian Quatrains: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111626017/htmlAnd the video trailer of the book: https://youtu.be/A7Z4ZtUQlnU?si=NO8nX3eZjBNNqzJdBeyond Sharia project: https://beyondsharia.nl/Register for Nathan Alexander's upcoming webinar (July 8): https://freethinker.co.uk/2025/05/freethought-history-webinar-4-atheism-and-vegetarianism-in-the-19th-and-20th-centuries-a-match-made-in-heaven-with-nathan-alexander-8-july-2025/ Follow Nathan on BlueSky: @nathgalexander.bsky.socialNathan's website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/ Beyond Atheism is produced and distributed by Atheists United Studios: https://www.atheistsunited.org/au-studios 

Writing to his brother from prison in 1949, a young African American man opens his letter citing these lines from a medieval Persian poet: Indeed the Idols I have loved so long,  Have done my credit in this World much Wrong: Have dropped my Glory in a shallow Cup, And sold my Reputation for a song The writer would later achieve acclaim as the civil rights activist Malcolm X, and the lines he was citing were by Omar Khayyam, the subject of today's episode. Q1. Omar Khayyam was born in 1048CE in Nishapur, Iran. The Abbasid caliph in Baghdad was al-Qāʾim which was witnessing a so-called Sunni Revival with the ousting of the Caspian Zaydi Shia Buyid de facto control of the caliphate by the Turkic Sunni Seljuks in 1055CE. The Cold War with the rival Ismaili ShiaFatimid caliphate of Cairo was still at its height. Tell us more about the world of Omar Khayyam. Q2. He had an exemplary education becoming an authority in mathematics. He was employed as a head astronomer by the Seljuk regime and after the death of Sultan Malik-Shah, Omar Khayyam made hajj seemingly to allay suspicions about his own religious alignment. What else do we know about his life? Q3. Omar Khayyam is known in English through the popular Victorian translation by Edward Fitzgerald. But is it misleading to limit our knowledge of him to these series of translated quatrains. Q4. Omar Khayyam dies in 1131 aged 83 in his hometown. What has been his legacy, influence and genealogy? Q5. And finally before we end, please share with us a sample of Omar Khayyam's work in the original Persian with the translation. Further reading: The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam — Mehdi Aminrazavi (original translations with an appendix dedicated to the Fitzgerald translations) Ali Hammoud: https://x.com/AliHammoud7777 https://alihammoud7.substack.com/  We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details. 

Tonight, for our Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we'll read from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" translated poetically into English by Edward Fitzgerald. This first edition, inspired by Persian rhymed quatrains, together known as a “rubaiyat”, were rooted in the 11th to 12th century. They reflect the philosophical musings of the original author Khayyam who was not only a poet, but an accomplished mathematician and astronomer. As a seminal piece of Persian literature, the collection delves into themes related to the transience of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness amidst the inevitability of death. The content of the "Rubaiyat" encapsulates a dialogue between the speaker and the cosmos, often expressed through the metaphor of wine and revelry. The Rubáiyát also made its way into American pop culture, perhaps most charmingly in the classic 1957 musical The Music Man. In one scene, it's cited as one of the books the mayor's wife wants banned from the town library. The book's verses are condemned for their supposed licentiousness—proof, perhaps, of just how intoxicating these quatrains have always been. Though in truth, the work is more meditative than scandalous, filled with musings on time, nature, and the fleeting sweetness of life. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ Deluxe to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once Upon a Prime by Sarah Hart connects mathematics and fiction, encouraging readers to dig deeper into why they like to read what they like to read, using math as a guide. Hart joins us to talk about her path to writing, the unexpected parallels between seemingly different disciplines, some of her favorite mathematical literature facts and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app.           Featured Books (Episode): Once Upon a Prime by Sarah Hart Moby Dick by Herman Melville The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyam The Eight by Katherine Neville When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton Ulysses by James Joyce The Life of Pi by Yann Martel In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 1156, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: That Old Time Television 1: This 1950s Nelson family sitcom ran for 14 years. Ozzie and Harriet. 2: 2 of the 3 full-time "Tonight Show" hosts before Jay Leno. (2 of 3) Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. 3: This actress' TV character Alexis Carrington was once described as "starts with B, rhymes with rich". Joan Collins. 4: With boxing as her category, Dr. Joyce Brothers won the top prize on this TV quiz show. The $64,000 Question. 5: Jeepers, Dr. Smith! On TV's "Lost in Space", this actor played the youngest Robinson. Billy Mumy. Round 2. Category: Soccer 1: At the beginning of a game, the choice of goal and kickoff is decided by this. a toss of a coin. 2: =. =. 3: Like a castle, a soccer field in Rio is surrounded by this to keep out overzealous fans. a moat. 4: First held in Uruguay in 1930, it's the largest single-sport tournament in the world. the World Cup. 5: International competition for this trophy began in 1930. World Cup. Round 3. Category: African-American Biography 1: "The Road to Freedom" is the subtitle of Catherine Clinton's bio of this 19th century woman. Harriet Tubman. 2: Jonathan Eig's bio of this champ who passed away in 2016 is one of the "Greatest" sports biographies. Ali. 3: "The New Negro" is "The Life of Alain Locke", the first African American to earn this honor that sent him to Oxford. a Rhodes Scholarship. 4: "Talking at the Gates" is "A Life of" this "If Beale Street Could Talk" novelist. James Baldwin. 5: Published in 2007, "Supreme Discomfort" is a portrait of this jurist. Clarence Thomas. Round 4. Category: Country Groups 1: The "Lady" in this group that won 5 2010 ACM Awards is Hillary Scott, daughter of country singer Linda Davis. Lady Antebellum. 2: Randy Owen fronted this "stately" group whose hits include "Christmas in Dixie" and "Born Country". Alabama. 3: This organization was formed in April 1949 to counter the Soviet Union. NATO. 4: This country group stays in motion with hits like "I'm Movin' On" and "Life Is A Highway". Rascal Flatts. 5: In 1981 they burned up the pop and country charts singing, "My heart's on fire, Elvira". The Oak Ridge Boys. Round 5. Category: Where It'S At. With At in quotation marks 1: Goldthwait's moniker. Bobcat. 2: It's his political party. Democrat. 3: Omar Khayyam's handiwork. "The Rubaiyat". 4: This neck scarf is named for its resemblance to one worn by Croatian soldiers. Cravat. 5: The Captain and Tennille sang of this kind of beastly love. "Muskrat Love". Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/ AI Voices used

Episode 309: In Mike's first book, Murder, Madness and Mayhem, he wrote about an unknown man whose body was found on Somerton Park beach near Adelaide, Australia, by two trainee jockeys who'd been out with their horses on the morning of December 1, 1948. Lying in peaceful repose, the man wore a suit, overdressed for the warm Australian summer, and had no wallet or identification. He was unknown to anyone locally. The labels of his clothing had been ripped out.  Some enigmatic leads proved fruitless, including the discovery of a book, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, believed to have belonged to the stranger. In that book, what appeared to be coded writing was found. Experts have yet to decrypt the supposed message. Some believe the man was a spy, possibly murdered for what he knew. Called by many Somerton Man, the stranger's identity has remained unknown for decades until recently, when two separate groups came forward claiming they had information about who he was, leading to further speculation and even more questions. Sources: Murder Madness and Mayhem by Mike Browne The Unknown Man by Gerald Feltus Archived Newspaper Articles | Trove Final Report/Thesis 2015 - Derek Abbott Code Cracking: Who Murdered the Somerton Man | Prof. Derek Abbott How to Solve Ciphers Cryptography Hints 2602UMSAU — The Doe Network ‘Truth to come out': Fresh claims emerge on Somerton Man Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Mitch Jeserich reads excerpts from Stephen Mitchell's Gilgamesh: A New Version.  Gilgamesh is considered the oldest epic in the world and a masterpiece of literature.  Gilgamesh is the story of a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia and his journey of self-discovery.  Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned. Get the Ancient Tales Library  $550.  Includes: – Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell $100  – The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson)  $200 – The Odyssey by Homer: Translated by Emily Wilson $100  – The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam translated by Juan Cole $160 – The Way of Chuang Tzu $100 – Letters & Politics Ancient History Collection$100  The post KPFA Special: Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh (Part IV) appeared first on KPFA.

Host Mitch Jeserich reads excerpts from Stephen Mitchell's Gilgamesh: A New Version.  Gilgamesh is considered the oldest epic in the world and a masterpiece of literature.  Gilgamesh is the story of a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia and his journey of self-discovery.  Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned. Get the Ancient Tales Library  $550.  Includes: – Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell $100  – The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson)  $200 – The Odyssey by Homer: Translated by Emily Wilson $100  – The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam translated by Juan Cole $160 – The Way of Chuang Tzu $100  – Letters & Politics Ancient History Collection $100    The post KPFA Special: Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh (Part III) appeared first on KPFA.

Host Mitch Jeserich reads excerpts from Stephen Mitchell's Gilgamesh: A New Version.  Gilgamesh is considered the oldest epic in the world and a masterpiece of literature.  Gilgamesh is the story of a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, and his journey of self-discovery.  Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned. Get the Ancient Tales Library  $550.  Includes: – Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell $100  – The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson)  $200 – The Odyssey by Homer: Translated by Emily Wilson $100  – The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam translated by Juan Cole $160 – The Way of Chuang Tzu $100  – Letters & Politics Ancient History Collection $100    The post KPFA Special: Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh (Part II) appeared first on KPFA.

Host Mitch Jeserich reads excerpts from Stephen Mitchell's Gilgamesh: A New Version. Gilgamesh is considered the oldest epic in the world and and a masterpieces of literature. It is the story of a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, and his journey of self-discovery.  Along the way, Gilgamesh discovers that friendship can bring peace to a whole city and that wisdom can be found only when the quest for it is abandoned. Get the Ancient Tales Library  $550.  Includes: – Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell $100  – The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson)  $200 – The Odyssey by Homer: Translated by Emily Wilson $100  – The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam translated by Juan Cole $160 – The Way of Chuang Tzu $100  – Letters & Politics Ancient History Collection $100    The post KPFA Special: Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh (Part I) appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Emily Wilson who is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania and translator of both The Iliad and The Odyssey. Mitch Jeserich reads from Emily Wilson's translation of the Iliad.   Book Combo: Epic Verses 3-Pack  $400  Contains: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Translated by Juan Cole. The Iliad by Homer, Translated by Emily Wilson. The Odyssey by Homer, Translated by Emily Wilson. The post KPFA Special – Grief Turns to Rage: A Reading from The Iliad by Mitch Jeserich appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome in Renaissance and early modern scholarship, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. In addition to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, she has also published translations of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca. Epic Verses Pack $320 Contains: The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson) and The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation from the Persian by Juan Cole. – The Iliad (new translation by Emily Wilson) The Iliad is an epic poem that recounts the ten-year Trojan War and explores themes of pride, honor, and the human condition. Wilson's Iliad gives us a complete Homer for our generation and the first ever English translation by a woman. – The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation from the Persian by Juan Cole  The Rubaiyat is a manuscript of Persian verses attributed to Omar Khayyam, a 12th-century Persian mathematician and philosopher. The book contains pithy observations on complex subjects such as love, death, and the existence of God and an afterlife. The post KPFA Special – The Odyssey and The Iliad, Why these Epic Verses Still Matter Today appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Juan Cole is a public intellectual, prominent blogger and essayist, and the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is the translator of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam: A New Translation from the Persian. Omar Khayyam (1048 – 1131) was a Persian astronomer and mathematician born in Nishapur in northeastern Iran who lived and worked at the courts of the Seljuk dynasty. Modern scholars agree that there is very little (if any) of the collected work of poetry know as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam that can be certainly attributed to the historical figure. A tradition of attribution grew up in the centuries after Khayyam's death which culminated in Edward Fitzgerald's translation in the 19th Century. The post KPFA Special – The History Behind The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam appeared first on KPFA.

Enjoy a set featuring jazz inspired by a Persian mathematician, Omar Khayyam; jazz which blends with Hindustani and Carnatic music; jazz that meets a chamber string quartet; jazz that pays tribute to Joni Mitchell; and a whole bunch of other jazz permutations. The playlist features Dhafer Youssef [pictured]; Shakti; Miguel Atwood-Ferguson; Imogen Ryall; Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell, Carmen Castaldi; Per "Texas" Johansson; James Brandon Lewis, Lutosławski Quartet. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/18395861/Mondo-Jazz (up to "These Are Soulful Days - Movement II"). Happy listening!

Artist and educator Preston Drum of Burnsville recommends a visit to the Rochester Art Center.  He highlights two solo shows by Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduates, Roshan Ganu and Ivonne Yáñez. Roshan Ganu's show “जत्रा (Ja-tra) : A Feeling At The Beginning Of Time” is one large artwork in a space that is made up of various mirrors, projections and animation. It's a multi-sensory installation, with sounds of vendor calls and sung prayers. जत्रा' (“ja-tra”) is a Marathi word for a town or village fair. The installation feels carnivalesque, with thousands of tiny interactions that you can choose to focus on specifically or let wash over you. Drum says it feels “as though you were walking into a time-traveling / space-traveling device. And when you walk inside, it's kind of like you're being teleported to India, but also in India in different times.” Ganu, who is the 2022-23 MCAD-Jerome Foundation Fellow, will participate in an artist spotlight tour Saturday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. The show runs until Nov. 5. Ivonne Yáñez's show “Like a Little Tlaquepaque Vase or Como Jarrito de Tlaquepaque” is an intimate show that Drum says is “full of little hidden treasures to discover.” The title of the show refers to a phrase in Spanish that describes an overly sensitive person. Here, brightly colored vases are made of bright, shimmery fabric. The ceiling and walls of the room are hung with sculptures, which feature detailed embroidery work, images of tarot cards and Mexican lottery games. Drum appreciates the juxtaposition of real human-made plants and the way all the elements work together. This show runs through Jan. 21.Lisa Hartwig of Hudson, Wis., loves to attend the Sogn Valley Art Fair (pronounced “so-gun”), which holds its 51st annual event this weekend in Cannon Falls. She appreciates the high level of quality of the art, ranging from pottery to jewelry, from painting to printmaking. More than 50 artists' work is on view. Hudson describes it as a park-and-walk event that feels like a street festival and is anchored by the printmaking nonprofit ArtOrg.  “I think it's such a nice community and it's such lovely work that you can't beat it,” Hartwig says.  The art fair is Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alexander Jabbari, assistant professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota, is looking forward to the Mehtegan Fall Iranian Culture Festival this Saturday in St. Paul. The event, which is open to all, features Iranian music, dance and food. He's particularly excited to see Twin Cities-based singer-songwriter Marjan Farsad, who sings in Persian in a style he describes as “dreamy indie pop.” Farsad will perform at 1:30 p.m., ahead of a national tour. She will also perform at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis on Nov. 5. Other musical performances include piano, the poetry of Omar Khayyam set to setar, and a DJ playing Persian pop in the evening. There will also be tea and Iranian food for sale.   Marjan Farsad

Der Perser Omar Khayyam war ein Universalgelehrter des Mittelalters. Als Muslim trat er vor fast tausend Jahren für Toleranz, Vernunft und Sinnengenuss ein. Seine Weltanschauung richtete sich gegen Aberglauben und Fanatismus.

Mit beißender Ironie gegen religiöse Engstirnigkeit: Omar Khayyam war nicht nur ein genialer Mathematiker - er trat vor tausend Jahren als Muslim für freie Wissenschaft, Vernunft und Sinnengenuss ein. Seine spöttischen Gedichte provozieren islamistische Politiker noch heute ... Autorin: Marfa Heimbach Von Marfa Heimbach.

The most valuable words in the world are found in the Bible.Matthew 4:4Jesus said, "It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 

Il matematico Piergiorgio Odifreddi – martedì 13 settembre, a Palazzo Tursi – ci spiega perché "C'è un tempo per ogni cosa e un tempo per ogni calendario". Dagli egizi ai romani. Dal calendario gregoriano a quello del poeta persiano Omar Khayyam, passando per le piene del Nilo e per il ragionamento che ha portato alla convenzione dell'anno bisestile. La storia dell'umanità ha visto il susseguirsi di modi diversi di calcolare la durata dell'anno, tutti esatti dal punto di vista della matematica. Ed è forse questo l'intervento che potrebbe interessare maggiormente gli appassionati di orologeria, per i quali le lancette, probabilmente, si fermeranno. Perché i Dialoghi sulla rappresentazione sono in grado di “rapire” la nostra mente. ***************************************************** – Registrazione del 13 settembre 2022 , Palazzo Tursi – Genova. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vito-rodolfo-albano7/message

#sufism  in #india  is associated with mysticism - from #kashmir  to #kanyakumari  our land is abound with legends of great fakirs, magical amulets, and sacred dargahs. Far away from the strict tenets of Orthodox Islam, Sufism spread and prospered in India for centuries, operating in a largely spiritual domain. Millions of Indians, regardless of their religious affiliations, still flock to shrines of venerated Sufi saints scattered across the subcontinent. They make earnest wishes and sacred vows in the hope of divine intervention. Yet most of them know little to nothing about the philosophies of those saints. Sufism has exerted such prolonged and profound influence on Indian thought and culture, that its ideas are no longer distinguishable. Over the centuries they have blended into our collective wisdom just like Sufi poetry and music are now integral to India. In this session we aim to discuss Sufism's history in India that spans over a millenia. We hope to understand its powerful appeal to all kinds of Indians - from poor Dalits to mighty Sultans, the role it played in India's religious and political developments, how it shaped Indian society and culture, and how it in turn got shaped by them, and finally its place and relevance in today's India. SPEAKER:Moin Mir is a London-based writer of Indian origin. He began writing under the influence of his grandfather, a scholar of Sufism, Omar Khayyam, and Mirza Ghalib. He is the author of critically acclaimed book Surat: Fall of a Port, Rise of a Prince. His second book The Lost Fragrance of Infinity has been commended for beautifully blending history with philosophy in a story that spans continents. Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.comDISCLAIMER:We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

La banda de improvisación y búsqueda sonora de los referentes orientales en su realidad occidental celebra 14 años de vida con un espectáculo en el que recopila buena parte de sus mejores creaciones. El productor y músico Raül Costafreda junto al percusionista iraní Massud Naderi recopilan textos de poetas como Rumi y Omar Khayyam para unirlos a Joan Salvat Papasseit y sus versos. El espectáculo que presentan en el Tradicionàrius lleva el nombre de "L'Orient Espèss" y en él participan también voces como Neyla Benbey, Mariona Segarra o el virtuosismo de Shahab Azinemehr. Mientras hablamos escuchamos la música de: BURRUEZO & NUR CAMERATA -Qurtuba S XXI; SUK ENSEMBLE- Baladi-Caravasar-Nit d’Isfahan- Sant Joan/ Bidad-L’Orient Espèss;AL ANDALUZ PROJECT- Nassam Alaina Lhawa; AS DARBUKAS DACOLÁ- Bent el Xalabilla; CALIFATO ¾ - Buleria del aire acondicionao.Escuchar audio

We talk about George Meredith for a while -- "Lucifer in Starlight" (and the 1882 transit of Venus) and his relation to his wife, Mary Ellen Nicolls, and the relationship of both of them to Henry Wallis who'd painted Meredith as Chatterton.  We plan to return to Modern Love, but first we begin reading through Fitzgerald's Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, after quoting him on its form and its moral: "Drink--for the Moon will often come round to look for us in this Garden and find us not."

Edição de 24 Janeiro 2023

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. - Matthew 5.8 / what does the heart need to be purified of? / "In monasteries, seminaries, retreats and synagogues, they fear hell and seek paradise. Those who know the mysteries of God never let that seed be planted in their souls.” - Omar Khayyam / a moment of interfaith harmony / destitution is a prodding for Krishna / the yogis ask for their benediction - to be around those who speak of Vishnu, birth after birth / Find people who lift you higher and keep them close / hearing about Krishna relieves anxiety

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. - Matthew 5.8 / what does the heart need to be purified of? / "In monasteries, seminaries, retreats and synagogues, they fear hell and seek paradise. Those who know the mysteries of God never let that seed be planted in their souls.” - Omar Khayyam / a moment of interfaith harmony / destitution is a prodding for Krishna / the yogis ask for their benediction - to be around those who speak of Vishnu, birth after birth / Find people who lift you higher and keep them close / hearing about Krishna relieves anxiety

EPISODE 78: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: 12 Republicans join the Democrats to give the codification of Marriage Equality a filibuster-proof majority. The Respect for Marriage Act will be law by Christmas (2:37) It seems so obvious; it is in fact breathtaking. 14 years ago a Democratic candidate could be elected POTUS without endorsing same-sex marriage. 26 years ago a Democratic president could sign legislation defining marriage as only between a man and a woman (4:02) And 14 years and exactly one week ago, I could startle viewers, my bosses, and some liberals by decrying the passage of Prop 8 in California - which TOOK AWAY Marriage Equality awarded by the courts - in a Special Comment called "A Question of Love" (12:15) This is how far we have come: Two months later I was approached by Sir Ian McKellan who said that the fact that I was able to incorporate those opinions into an American cable newscast meant "some of my hope for the future is restored." Today, with the path to codified Marriage Equality assured, some of MY hope for the future is restored. B-Block (17:48) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: Penny, in Missouri (18:50) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Mike Pence defies Congress (and logic), now it's Stu Varney trashing Trump (to Trump's daughter-in-law), and a Democrat beats a Faux Democrat in LA (20:22) IN SPORTS: Two unanimous Cy Young Winners for the first time since Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA and Denny McLain's 31 wins, Virginia cancels its football game, Kyrie coming back - but why? (23:11) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Laura Ingraham continuing to try to make the fabricated Pelosi Conspiracy Theory happen and Chris Licht drowning at CNN, compete with the executives of MSNBC, NBC News, and NBC. After getting fricasseed for firing Tiffany Cross to appease fascists like Tucker Carlson, they knew what to do: Trash her anonymously in The New York Post. C-Block (32:21) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: 30 years ago today, the Colorado Rockies and then-Florida Marlins were born in the baseball expansion draft which I anchored on ESPN. The draft followed one of the weirdest you're-gonna-die-on-THAT-hill things I ever witnessed in sports broadcasting. But most importantly: I can now confess that to get the scoop as to who would be the first pick, I did a terrible, terrible thing ;-)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halloween special + season finale! Guest host Gerard Coletta tells Josie and Taylor about one of Australia's most infamous and enduring mysteries: the Somerton man, a.k.a. the tamám shud case. Plus: an unconventional public health intervention starring the pocong, the Javanese shrouded ghost.

Caroline Hosts Sam Henry; the creator and curator of Daily Wisdom Texts (https://www.dailywisdomtexts.com). Daily Wisdom Texts is a subscription service that sends you text messages from wisdom literature each day to provide a daily moment of meditative reflection. Announcing a partnership with great ally-guest Egyptian aphorism artist, Yahia Lababidi, whom we will quote with abandon this Fund Drive hour. Aspiring to Click & Clack, Statler & Waldorf, Caroline and Sam shall to and fro: aphorism poker (Much Yahia), sprinkled with snappy come-backs, Dorothy Parker, and liberating Zen…       Sam Henry is the creator and curator of Daily Wisdom Texts (https://www.dailywisdomtexts.com). Daily Wisdom Texts is a subscription service that sends you text messages from wisdom literature each day to provide a daily moment of meditative reflection.   Available options include sayings of Gautama Buddha, Epicurus, Pierkei Avot (rabbinic maxims), Rumi, Omar Khayyam, Evagrius Ponticus, Heraclitus, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rabindranath Tagore, Ecclesiastes, the Tao Te Ching and many more!   Today we are excited to announce the launch of a partnership to bring you the aphorisms of Yahia Lababidi. Yahia is a friend and frequent guest of The Visionary Activist. He is the author of Desert Songs and Learning to Pray as well as 9 other books of poems, aphorisms, essays & conversations. You can sign up for a free 14-day trial at https://dailywisdomtexts.com/yahia_lababidi.       Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Words to Live By appeared first on KPFA.

On December 1, 1948, an unknown man was found lying dead on the sand on Somerton Beach next to the neighborhood of Glenelg, about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Adelaide, South Australia. He had no money or identification on him, the labels in his clothing were cut off, and his minimal possessions yielded no clues. Further adding to the mystery, a rolled-up scrap of paper with the Persian phrase "tamám shud," translating to "is over" or "is finished," was found in the man's watch pocket around the time of his autopsy. The scrap was later discovered torn from a copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a circa 11th-century collection of poems by Khayyam, known as "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia." The book found tossed into a car after a public appeal by the police appeared to have previous writing indentations on a page adjacent to the torn-out one, revealing a local phone number and text speculated to be a coded message. With no further clues as to the Somerton Man's identity other than an abandoned suitcase left at the Adelaide railway station, a plaster cast was made of the man's bust following the coroner's inquest, and the body was embalmed nine days after its discovery and buried. For almost 74 years, the mystery of the Somerton has intrigued authorities, amateur sleuths, and the general public, including physicist, Electrical and Electronic Engineering professor Dr. Derek Abbott. For over a decade, Dr. Abbott and his team of grad students at the University of Adelaide worked on cracking the code found in the Rubaiyat and attempting to arrange a genetic DNA analysis. In partnership with internationally recognized forensic genealogist Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, Abbott and Fitzpatrick announced on July 26, 2022, that they have finally uncovered the identity of Australia's most famous "John Doe." Extracting DNA from chest hairs found in the Somerton Man's plaster cast has led them to a name and an occupation. But will this name lead to solving the remaining puzzle pieces? Pathologists at the time believed he was likely poisoned, but why, and by whom? Was there a Cold War connection, and why did he spend his last day in Adelaide? Circling back to the alternate name for this case, tamám shud, is this mystery really over, is it finished? Visit our webpage on this episode for a lot more information.

DECADES-OLD MYSTERY OF SOMERTON MAN SOLVED - A TRUE CRIME AND COKE QUICKIE The Tamám Shud case, also known as the Mystery of the Somerton Man, is a partially solved case of an unidentified man found dead on 1 December 1948 on The Somerton Park beach, just south of Adelaide South Australia. The case is named after the Persian  phrase tamám shud, meaning "is over" or "is finished", which was printed on a scrap of paper found months later in the fob pocket of the man's trousers. The scrap had been torn from the final page of a copy of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, authored by 12th century poet Omar Khayyam Tamám was misspelt as Tamán in many early reports, and this error has often been repeated, leading to confusion about the name in the media. Following a public appeal by police, the book from which the page had been torn was located. On the inside back cover, detectives read through indentations left from previous handwriting – a local telephone number, another unidentified number, and text that resembled a coded message. The text has not been deciphered or interpreted in a way that satisfies authorities on the case. The case has been considered, since the early stages of the police investigation, "one of Australia's most profound mysteries". There has been intense speculation ever since regarding the identity of the victim, the cause of his death, and the events leading up to it. Public interest in the case remains significant for several reasons: the death occurred at a time of heightened international tensions following the beginning of the Cold War; the apparent involvement of a secret code; the possible use of an undetectable poison; and the inability of authorities to identify the dead man. In addition to intense public interest in Australia during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the case also attracted international attention. South Australia Police consulted their counterparts overseas and distributed information about the dead man internationally, in an effort to identify him. International circulation of a photograph of the man and details of his fingerprints yielded no positive identification. For example, in the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was unable to match the dead man's fingerprint with prints taken from files of domestic criminals. Scotland Yard was also asked to assist with the case, but could not offer any insights. In recent years, additional evidence has emerged, including an old identification card possibly identifying the Somerton Man as one H. C. Reynolds and an ongoing DNA analysis of hair roots found on the plaster bust. On 19 May 2021, after a series of requests, the body was exhumed for analysis. Police stated that the remains were in "reasonable" condition and were optimistic about the prospect of DNA recovery. On 26 July 2022, Adelaide University professor Derek Abbott claimed that DNA evidence from hair samples removed from his death mask had proven the man to be Carl "Charles" Webb, born on November 16, 1905, in Footscray, in Melbourne, to Richard August Webb and Eliza Amelia Morris Grace; however, SA Police have not yet verified this claim. SOURCES USED: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/26/australia/australia-somerton-man-mystery-solved-claim-intl-hnk-dst/index.html https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-27/decades-old-mystery-of-somerton-man-solved,/13990830 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamam_Shud_case

El último peldaño (08/07/2022) LOS OVNIS DE LOS PANTANOS El fenómeno de los objetos voladores no identificados presenta diversas caras y facetas. Una de las mas interesantes son los denominados “OSNIs” (Objetos Submarinos No Identificados), luces y extraños artefactos que entran y salen de mar, y que han sido detectados por navegantes de todo el mundo. Sin embargo no solo en los mares se ven estos objetos, también en lagos, e incluso en embalses. El periodista, director adjunto de la revista AÑO/CERO, escritor, investigador y miembro de los equipos de programas de radio míticos (La Rosa de los Vientos y El Colegio Invisible), Miguel Pedrero, nos habló de los casos de “OVNIs en los pantanos” y muy especialmente de los sucesos ocurridos en el embalse de “El Atazar” en Madrid. EL CÓDIGO DEL HOMBRE DE SOMERTON El 1 de diciembre de 1948, apreció en una playa de la ciudad de Adelaida, en Australia, el cuerpo sin vida de un hombre correctamente vestido. Casi 74 años después, la identidad de aquel hombre sigue siendo un misterio, como el hecho de que en su ropa no había ninguna etiqueta, ni tampoco portaba identificación alguna. Lo que si llevaba era algo enigmático, un pedazo de papel oculto en uno de los bolsillos del pantalón, arrancado de la última página de una rara edición neozelandesa del libro “The Rubaiyat” de Omar Khayyam, con las palabras Taman Shud. Hace unos meses hablamos de este caso con Enrique Lucas, que desde entonces inició una investigación sobre el misterio del hombre de Somerton, hoy nos visita para contarnos sus avances. CUENTO: CRUCE DE CAMINOS En el concurso de cuentos de misterio “El fantasma de la Princesa” que lanzamos el año pasado, recibimos mas de medio centenar de obras de gran calidad la mayoría de ellas. Esta noche vamos a escuchar la dramatización del cuento que quedó finalista, titulado “Cruce de caminos”, de Fran Rubio, narrado por el actor Juan Vicente P. Garrigós. http://elultimopeldano.blogspot.com/2021/11/concurso-de-cuentos-cortos-historias.html Y además Maria Chicano, nos trajo la información más insólita en las “noticias especiales” y también informamos sobre los siguientes temas: Presentación en Mazarrón, el próximo 9 de julio, del libro “50 Lugares Mágicos de la Región de Murcia”, de Joaquín Abenza, en el Hotel Playasol, en Bolnuevo-Puerto de Mazarrón, a las 22:00h. https://50lugaresmagicosregionmurcia.blogspot.com/2022/06/presentacion-en-mazarron-el-dia-9-de.html ; La XXXII Gran Noche de los OVNIs, que tendrá lugar en próximo 29 de julio, en la que volveremos a vivir la aventura de la radio, a la búsqueda de objetos voladores no identificados en los cielos del mundo. http://elultimopeldano.blogspot.com/2022/07/la-gran-noche-de-los-ovnis-2022-xxxii.html Con la colaboración de María José Garnández y María Chicano. Dirección y presentación: Joaquín Abenza. Blog del programa: http://www.elultimopeldano.blogspot.com.es/ WhatsApp: 644823513 Programa emitido en Onda Regional de Murcia.

Are you feeling old or young? That's the BIG question when your birthday comes around.   I'm 45 years young and today I'm sharing how! Modalities Skin care routines Other secrets from this esthetician   The complete list is here in our FREE anti-aging skincare membership! Yay! Lindsey and Ashley   “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” ~Omar Khayyam  

Episode: 2222 Jeremiah Horrocks, the 23-year-old "Father of English Astronomy."  Today, a planetary prodigy.

This week, Steve interviews actress Debra Paget who offers a fascinating window into 1950s filmmaking, focusing on her amazing career and many of her films, including "Broken Arrow," "The Ten Commandments," "Omar Khayyam" and "Love Me Tender." 

We take a quick break from Hafez to sneak a peek into the perplexing perspectives and existential wisdom of Omar Khayyam's rubaiyats.

Omar Khayyam laughed and enjoyed the good things of life. His "Rubaiyat," the most popular philosophic poem, is the best of all books to dip into for an alluring thought. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics) "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" first published Jan. 15, 1859.

And oh what a gift he is! This interview had so much going on, I had to break it down in two parts.  My next guest, is a podcaster's dream, he is a great talker and not afraid of being honest and candid about his life. In the first part, we were just chatting, when he started telling me about his family history and healing so I hit the record button. In the following 20 minutes or so you are going to really understand this man and why he is so passionate about spiritual healing. Then you will hear me officially start the interview. In part two, he chimes in about working with entities, partnering with a demonologist, being clairvoyant and his love for the Bible—these are just some of the topics we talked about. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this is being released during the week of All hallow's eve, Dia de Los Muertos which all originates from the Pagan festival Samhain, it's Divine timing, right!!!   So join me with the ever so enlightening Omar Khayyam Yeldell,  this week's confident healer.  I also wanted to mention that Omar gladly takes donations for some of his clients that have financial struggles. You can find the donation button on his website (see below for the link). Thank you so much for listening! Omar mentioned the book by William Bramley, called "Gods of Eden." Omar's contact info: Website: desatespiritualconsultations.yolasite.com/ Phone: 727-244-0650, Email: DesateConsultations@gmail.com Music: New Day by Tokyo Music Walker Stream & Download : https://fanlink.to/tmw_new_day​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0, Tokyo Music Walker: https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060  About the Hostess: Sharmila Mali is a Self-Love Expert, intuitive healer, Reiki Master Teacher, Akashic Records Reader (in addition to being a podcaster) and for the past 19 years or so, most of her clients have been women, who want to get over their ex. She also teaches intuitive energy healing and Reiki. FB: @SharmilaTheSelfLoveExpert IG: @sharmilatheselfloveexpert  TIKTOK: @confidenthealer Support the Confident Healer: -DONATE, become a patron and donate one time or monthly, it's easy, www.theconfidenthealer.net/support -Share the podcast with someone that needs it. Produced and Edited by Sharmila Mali

 In this lesson, we go over the following lines of the poem:   chon āghebaté kāré jahān neestee hastچون عاقِبَتِ کارِ جَهان نیستی اَستSince the end of the affairs of the world is nothingness engār ké neestee, chō hastee, khosh bāshاِنگار کِه نیستی، چو هَستی خوش ب...

In this second part of the Persian language/Farsi lesson on Khayām's Khosh Bash we go over the following section of the poem, along with all the vocabulary and phrases associated with the words learned: خیام اگر ز باده مستی خوش باشبا ماهرخی اگر نشستی خوش باش khayām, agar zé bādé mastee, k...

In this lesson, we introduce one of the greats of Persian Sufi poetry, Omar Khayyam. Khayyam was a 12th century poet and a true renaissance man- in addition to being one of the most well known Iranian poets, he was also a famed mathematician and astronomer. This shouldn't be surprising, however, ...