By Lisa Pasold Winter nights, one of my greatest pleasures is looking forward to summer travels—and my favourite companions on these cold nights are poets who have voyaged before me. One of my most enduring affairs is with the work of Japanese 17th-century poet-monk Bashō. My motto is his line: […]
Convivium
GUEST BLOG—The Sound of Memory in Orwell, Nabokov, and Styron with Melanie Blake
When Ann and I first discussed a seminar on literary memoir, featuring works by George Orwell, Vladimir Nabokov, and William Styron, I was intrigued by the opportunity to group such three different writers and books together in one week. I had read various novels by each author, and had read […]
GUEST BLOG—The Meaning of (My) Life: Shadows on Augustine’s Cave with David Schmitt
The path towards sainthood was an indirect one for our hero, Augustine. He ended up spiritually rather far from where he began, but just where his mother wanted him: “Never mind being a doctor or lawyer, my son is a saint!” And he got there by always looking for meaning […]
CLASSICAL TRIVIA! Not Your Usual New Year’s Resolutions
Make your life wide rather than long. Think rather than know. These are just two of the New Year’s resolutions Jo-Ann Minden sent us from the site Brain Pickings. In its January newsletter, the site offers a list of “higher-order” ideas on how to change your life. See thinkers and […]
GUEST BLOG—Discovering the Art of Schubert’s Lieder
I’m Rick Phillips and I’ve been leading music seminars at Toronto Pursuits for ten years. I can’t imagine a summer without Toronto Pursuits—it is always a stimulating experience. For July 2015, I’ll be leading the seminar Follow the Lieder: The Songs of Franz Schubert on German lieder and, in particular, […]
CLASSICAL TRIVIA! Will the Real Anna K. Please Stand Up?
How impoverished we would be with no access to literature written in languages unknown to us. Let us give thanks to literary translators. But their challenges are colossal. How do you translate wordplay or a metaphor? What about culturally-specific landmarks or expressions that may be unknown to a foreign audience? […]
Colombia: Márquez & More — Much More!
Dear Friends: One of the most wonderful features of the modern era is that travel and the Internet have made the best the world has to offer accessible to vast numbers of people. In a few months, I will be leading my second trip for Classical Pursuits — this time […]
GUEST BLOG—Eureka! The Stratford Excursion
Eureka! The Stratford Festival Excursion (July 17–19, 2015) You are invited to join us for the Stratford Excursion. We have limited seating available and hope you will not procrastinate. There has been an unexpected early rush and we are over 50 percent booked already. We have announced the plays on […]
GUEST BLOG—A Ulysses Adventure with Michael Groden
Dear registrants in the “You Can Do It! James Joyce’s Ulysses” seminar – and also those who are considering registering for it: I want to welcome you in advance to the seminar and encourage you to sign up if you are considering it. We titled the seminar “You Can Do […]
GUEST BLOG—Othello/Otello: An Honourable Murderer
By Üstün Bilgen-Reinart I kiss’d thee ere I kill’d thee. No way but this— Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. (V.ii.258–59) For insights into the great mysteries of life such as the workings of love and death, many of us turn to the masterpieces of music and literature. The […]