Welcome readers,
I’m pleased to see you here !
This website has evolved from the literary salon that I ran for some years in Amsterdam. Recently relocated to the UK, although I’m quite happy in my new homeland, I do rather miss my literary/philosophical activities and have therefore created this little corner on the internet, intended as a place where you and I may talk about themes that arise from our reading.
I have always been an avid reader and maybe you’re an avid reader too. Luckily for us, there’s a lot to read. Sometimes it’s hard to make a choice. After reading a great story or an interesting article or a meaningful essay we want to talk about it, don’t we…
Anyway, I’ve studied philosophy and literary studies at the University of Amsterdam.
I’ve been supervising some reading circles in the past and am still doing this. Besides that I’m part of some other ad hoc groups, one studying philosophy and another reading Proust’s ‘Time Regained’ – a time-consuming project in itself…
Inspiring people to read, that’s what I like most.
My specialisation is the work of one of the greatest thinkers of the French Enlightenment of the eighteenth-century, Denis Diderot; I’m also familiar with Hungarian literature (authors like Sandór Marái, Magda Szabo, Imre Kertesz and many others); I have studied the work of J.M. Coetzee, his prose and his essays; additionally, I have become interested in Japanese writers and I’m reviving my knowledge of Hegel and Foucault plus trying to master the thoughts of the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. And there’s poetry of course…
So, reader, maybe you are thinking now: “This is all very interesting but what’s in for me?” “Why should I join, spend my time here, why should I subscribe to this site?”
I’ve been thinking about these questions too.
To begin with, maybe we could exchange our views on literary and philosophical issues in general… Secondly, this is a platform where you may discuss fiction, for instance the latest novel of Ian McEwan, Haruki Murakami, or Alice Munroe’s short stories… Are the novels by Orhan Pamuk or James Joyce or Thomas Pinchon really that difficult to read? What’s so fascinating about Alain de Botton?
If you’re interested in reading, than we can talk about good books, books that matter.
Literature has the ability to make someone happy or uneasy, reconciled with life, or disturbed. That goes for philosophy too, asking yourself philosophical questions, about ourselves, the world around us, is like feeding your brain… and keeping yourself healthy…
So why don’t you give yourself a chance, join the discussion, subscribe today by sending an email to
cora.stam@btconnect.com saying ’send me a password’.
Add your comments and tell us about your experiences as a reader, I’d love to hear them – and I bet that I’m not the only one!
