José Saramago – Travel Readings

Java, Indonesia: “Beauty is a Wound” by Eka Kurniawan : Can a square become a circle? It’s the inverse of the classic geometric problem of squaring a circle. A visit to Borobudur on the Indonesian island of Java gave me Continue Reading →

Montevideo: “The Truce” by Mario Benedetti : One of the reasons I write this blog is that I like to read novels that describe the place I’m traveling to. For my recent stay in Montevideo, I chose Continue Reading →

Kanchanaburi, Thailand: « The Bridge over the River Kwai» by Pierre Boulle and « Kwaï » by Vincent Hein : Probably the most famous cadence whistles in cinema history. As I was spending a day exploring the Bangkok area, my Lonely Planet reminded me that the famous “Bridge over the Continue Reading →

Rwanda: “Jacaranda” by Gaël Faye : I just missed Gaël Faye’s visit to “La Page d’Après”, the bookshop my sister-in-law Floriane opened in Louvain-la-Neuve just over a year ago. Interest was so great that they had Continue Reading →

Lisbon: Around Fernando Pessoa

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Damien

Lisbon is a maritime city perched on several hills. You never stop going up or down, like the old yellow tramway which became one of the Portuguese capital’s symbols. It cannot Continue Reading →

Books, Movies and Beyond…: Lisbon

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Damien

My parents recently made a short trip to Lisbon and asked me for book suggestions. I first suggested “Night Train to Lisbon” by the Swiss author, Pascal Mercier. I just Continue Reading →