Memories and the City - Istanbul - Orhan Pamuk

Between Khalil Gibran's "Prohet" and Philip Freeman's "St. Patric of Ireland" I ... landed for a few days in Istanbul... It's magic city, and I must admit, did not realize before how important it is for all europeans...

Meanwhile, before and after, I read (now in physical sense of the word, i.e. the real book, no its audio version - what matters because of old black & white photographs of Istanbul)
Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul - Memories and the City".

It's fantastic book. Imagine - last weekend I read it ... in sauna - I did not want to loose any single minute without this amazing book.

My dream is to meet Orhan. I feel that we, Poles, have some common thoughts with Turkey's.
When I read "Istanbul - Memories and the City" I can not stop thinking of Lodz, the city of Polish, Jewish, Russian & German roots. Lodz is also very melancholic. It was also a clash of cultures. I was not born here, but it (Lodz) has put a seal on me... like Istanbul on Pamuk.

And when I listened to Pamuk talking to Charlie Rose, I think Poland and Turkey have a lot to exchange - particularly about its past. Poles, did reconcile with Urainians, partialy with Jews (well, only partially). But we did not with reconcile with Lithuanians (for Zeligowsky Mutiny), nor with Czechs over Zaolzie . Turks still did not reconcile with Kurds and with Armenians...

So we have so much in common ....

I will write more soon ...

We are responsible ....

Another truth, that I just could not not to bring to your attention:

"And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree,
So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all."

I dedicate it to all those that are so easy to condemn others ....

They come through you but not from you ....

I did not expect that reading the second (after Bible) poetry book of US, would give so much spiritual pleasure and deep thoughts....

"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran

Well, instead of my comments, please read the excerpt:

"They [children] come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams."

The another moving chapter was about Talking:
"You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts"

and more ....