5 Bites Friday #97: Shafak's most acclaimed novel; the sublimity of unreturned love; and on busyness and onself
Welcome to 5BF
1 – what I’m reading and reread
The Hazaras by Fida Gulzari – a history of the Hazara tribe,
to which I belong, by Gulzari who writes about the early ancestors of the
Hazara people through different ages and empires, as well as their political
and economical situations throughout the centuries. A rather dry book with lots
of information which makes for a boring read, despite my enthusiasm for reading
it.
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak – probably the most
acclaimed novel from Shafak, rereading this brave and compassionate novel was a
total treat for me. Not only did I understand the novel’s political and
historical context better than the first time, but I also enjoyed it more fullt
as a result of it. And unlike last time, the ending didn’t spoil the whole book
for me, but rather justified the whole story.
2 – this week’s article
Why it’s sublime to love someone who doesn’t love you back @psyche
– because love is arational, and thereby transcends reason to become a
transcendental portal, it's therefore sublime and worth it to love, even those
who don't return our love. Besides, the heart wants what it wants.
3 – what I watched
The Power of the Dog (2021) – a moody western movie, with 12
Oscar noms, about two brothers, one of whom marries a widow with an uncommonly
shy and ghostly son of which the other brother disapproves. Slow, a confusing
ending, with the nuances of the novel its based on.
Anna Karenina (2012) – Kiera Knightley as Anna looks superb
in this stage-like movie based on Tolstoy’s masterpiece. Although quick paced
and light-toned, I enjoyed the movie for its cinematography and acting
4 – On being busy
To reach up to one’s own requirements never asks for intense
engagements, it’s often reaching out to others and their demanding requirements
that makes us ‘busy’. I’ve never liked this word: busy. It sounds crowded,
suffocating, pretentious, messy, avoidful, and so on and so forth. For the past
two weeks, I have been but a victim of such outwardly engaged busyness myself.
It’s quite taxing for an introverted, reserved, and quiet person to be at once
inundated so continuously with people and trips. And while such peoplely days
leaves one overwhelmed and drained, the quiet that follows is as equally
bothering with its pinching isolation. But what am I really trying to say here?
What is this piece about? Maybe it’s only a filler, an excuse for being absent
from this task in which I’m the writer and I’m the reader. The quiet shall
ensue from tomorrow but my first official internship begins coming week too, so
maybe it’ll cancel each other out. So long till the next week.
5 – this week’s quote
‘The trouble with our times is that the future is not what
it used to be.’
Paul Valery