Very recently, I was asked by Vima tis Kyriakis (The Sunday Tribune) to write a short article about books published since 2000, that is, the first quarter of the 21st century. Yes, that much time has passed since 2000, don’t be alarmed. In that article, I chose to discuss only two books that I genuinely enjoyed, and one of them combines music and history as its themes through a captivating narrative. This is Confiteor by Jaume Cabré, published by Polis Editions, which always delivers exceptional books. If you haven’t had the chance to read it, I urge you to do so.
When I submitted the text, I paused for a moment and thought about how important our readings and listenings are. How significant are the moments we dedicate to reading great literature and listening to divine music. Even if someone is a pessimist in life and wonders about the afterlife with questions like “Okay, we’ve heard and read beautiful things, and then what? Since everything will turn to ashes and be lost,” it might be worth considering the pleasure derived from the aforementioned activities.
Reading and music make the world a better place for us, right here where we are. At the same time, they make us individually better, enabling us to push life forward and contribute a small piece of culture to our collective social reality that we might not otherwise be able to add. And every such mosaic piece we can add is significant because it simply makes the world better for those who come after us. So, listening and reading are not a lost cause, even for those of us who don’t believe in an afterlife but believe in the continuous progress of human intellect and life. Do we want to be useful to society? Then let’s read and listen more. We can do even better: watch a good film that makes us think, visit an art exhibition, or see a play. In other words, let’s become a part of the collective subconscious striving for the best and most beautiful, which will help other artists emerge and move the world forward.
I do not disregard scientists who invent new vaccines or discover new worlds 11 million light-years away from ours. On the contrary. I try to understand their contribution by opening new horizons in our thinking and simultaneously blocking out the bigotry and fanaticism that pervade our days. Art helps us resist the swarm of populism and apathy in the face of things that make us less human. It helps us see the world through the eyes of others, those who are tested and tormented by life’s circumstances. Thus, we will be able to say that we tried to oppose what disfigures life and makes us less human. Ultimately, it will give us the courage to move a little further.
