The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads by Maria Popova

Nick Cave on Creative Work as an Instrument of Self-Forgiveness and the Necessity of Hope in a Fragile World
Nick Cave on Creative Work as an Instrument of Self-Forgiveness and the Necessity of Hope in a Fragile World

In praise of “the necessary and urgent need to love life and one another, despite the casual cruelty of the world.”

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First Kiss: An Animated Ode to One of Life’s Great Felicities
First Kiss: An Animated Ode to One of Life’s Great Felicities

“…if the Great Mother rushed open the moon like a gift and you were there to feel your shadow finally unhooked from your wrist…”

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Artist Nina Katchadourian’s Otherworldly Plants Made of Trash and Tenderness
Artist Nina Katchadourian’s Otherworldly Plants Made of Trash and Tenderness

A haunting invitation to reckon with the relationship between nature and human nature, consumption and creativity, and the mind’s indomitable capacity for playful wonderment.

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Mushrooms: Cellist Zoë Keating Brings to Life Sylvia Plath’s Poem About the Tenacity of the Creative Spirit
Mushrooms: Cellist Zoë Keating Brings to Life Sylvia Plath’s Poem About the Tenacity of the Creative Spirit

“Our foot’s in the door.”

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Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: Arthur Rackham’s Haunting Illustrations for the Barrie Classic
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: Arthur Rackham’s Haunting Illustrations for the Barrie Classic

“There is almost nothing that has such a keen sense of fun as a fallen leaf.”

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Music and the Body: Richard Powers on the Power of Song
Music and the Body: Richard Powers on the Power of Song

“The use of music is to remind us how short a time we have a body.”

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Sing, Don’t Scream: D.H. Lawrence on the Strength of Sensitivity
Sing, Don’t Scream: D.H. Lawrence on the Strength of Sensitivity

“Brute force crushes many plants. Yet the plants rise again. The Pyramids will not last a moment compared with the daisy.”

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Henry Miller on Friendship and the Relationship Between Creativity and Community
Henry Miller on Friendship and the Relationship Between Creativity and Community

“To have a friend who understands and appreciates your work, one who never lets you down but who becomes more devoted, more reverent, as the years go by, that is a rare experience.”

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M.C. Escher on Loneliness, Creativity, and How Rachel Carson Inspired His Art, with a Side of Bach
M.C. Escher on Loneliness, Creativity, and How Rachel Carson Inspired His Art, with a Side of Bach

“A person who is lucidly aware of the miracles that surround him, who has learned to bear up under the loneliness, has made quite a bit of progress on the road to wisdom.”

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The Dark Wood of the Golden Birds: “Goodnight Moon” Author Margaret Wise Brown’s Little-Known Philosophical Children’s Book About Love and Loss
The Dark Wood of the Golden Birds: “Goodnight Moon” Author Margaret Wise Brown’s Little-Known Philosophical Children’s Book About Love and Loss

“There had never been such a quiet day before. It was the quietest day in the world.”

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