Tag: culture

Literary visits: Oxford and the Bodleian Library

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Hi!

Hope everyone is well 🙂

I spent a lovely few days in Oxford soaking up the history and architecture. Having never been, it’s always been on my UK bucket list of cities to visit and I am so glad I was able to finally make it, but actually spend a relaxing few days there.

I spent my days wandering and meandering through the streets just soaking up all of the architecture…and going into as many bookshops as I could obviously😅 Oxford is gorgeous!  Beautiful architecture, and it definitely gave me the Harry Potter vibes! Obviously, they filed a few scenes here and took inspiration from the buildings which is so clear to see when you walk around.

Going to the Bodleian Libraries has been on my bucket list for YEARS. So obviously I had to do this whilst I was there. If you sre interested in going, there are a few options you can choose from:

  • 30 minute tour (£10pp) – this will grant you access to the Divinity School and Duke Humfrey’s Library
  • 60 minute tour (£15pp) – this will grant you access to the Divinity School, Convocation House, Chancellor’s Court, and Duke Humfrey’s Library.
  • 90 minute tour (£20pp) – this will grant you access to the Divinity School, Convocation House, Chancellor’s Court, Duke Humfrey’s Library, Gladstone Link and the iconic Radcliffe Camera.

A word of warning – even through the website says some tickets are available online this is really not the case! Tickets must be brought on the day – you cannot buy tickets in advance. Also, tickets sell out fast and are limited, it’s on a first come first served basis and there are about 20 places per tour! I would recommend getting to Weston Library for 8:30/9am to start lining up as the library opens at 10am as during peak times it can get very busy. Bring a book with you whilst you wait!

Sadly, the 90 minute tour sold out, but I was able to get tickets for the 60 minute tour and for Duke Humfrey’s Library alone, this was so worth it. Ornate, splendour and opulent – it is what you imagine a

Breathtaking. I was so taken aback by the splendour and beauty of this library – and it’s an actual working library! Students can work here and read the books – incredible. Founded in 1488 and opened in 1602, Duke Humfrey donated 300 books to the University of Oxford. Did you know that before this, there were only 20 books on record?! In order to store the 300 books he donated, a library needed to be built, and thus, this gorgeous room was borne. I could have spent hours in here.

I also went to the Divinity School which was used in the Harry Potter films as the Infirmiry In Philosophers Stone and the Yule ball dance scenes in Goblet of Fire. How stunning!

The Divinity School

I then spent the afternoon meandering through different book shops – including the BIGGEST Blackwell’s I have been in, and will ever be in again. The reading room on the bottom floor was INSANE! I walked down the stairs and was completely taken aback by the sheer size and depth, and no matter how far in I went, there was always more to see and find.

But my favourite bookstore was this gorgoeus independent bookshop called Last Bookshop Jehrico. All the books were £5 and under, and there were so many amazing titles – I lost myself in there and even went back a second time because I regretted not buying something. 😅

It was a lovely few days away, filled woth history, books and gorgeous architecture. Definitely worth a trip.

xo

Geopolitics: India and Pakistan

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…

I don’t even know where to begin with this.

If you’re unaware, over the last few days, India sent missiles into Pakistan in retaliation to a horrific attack that killed 22 people in April.

The history of India and Pakistan is a complex one that can be pinpointed to partition, but in all honestly, that was the culmination of cultural and religious fighting that started before then.

Many 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians whose ancestry hail from India (pre 1947) carry the weight and pain of partition with them, and when the violence between these 2 nations escalates we all hurt.

Tha narrative that says ‘all Indians hate Pakistanis’ and vice versa is hateful and pushes the discord further. It is damaging. It is misinformation. But it is dangerous. It allows specific groups and sects to weaponise it and utilise for their own advantage.

These are lines drawn on a map by people who did not know the land or its people.

Lines that turned into borders that ripped apart families, communities and friends. Forced displacement of millions of people who had no choice but to watch loved ones die. From Amritsar to Lahore, the land has never really healed, it’s people and the diaspora have carried it with them since.

I always find it SO interesting about how geography and politics are so intrinsically linked. How a line on a map can make or break a nation and it’s people. How borders shape identities. How they include and can exclude, who has rights and who does not. The notion of power and control all comes down to lines drawn on a map. History is built on nations going to war all for that extra slice and slither of land to add under their territory.

Why do people fight, kill and maim over lines in the dirt? Why does it matter? Turning swathes of people with shared blood and lineage against one another, what does that get you? Where does it get anyone? And I don’t think it’s the majority of people, but the rhetoric that is coming out of India right now is so hateful.

In a world where it’s so easy to hate, empathy is much harder to have and hold onto.

This all felt like a bit of a rant with no real point, but my heart is heavy.

xo

Waiting for my Heathcliffe

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Hello!

I hope you’re all having a lovely day!

I have had the best day today😁 I travelled along to Haworth in West Yorkshire to visit the Brontë Parsonage to have a wander and a gander.

It’s so beautiful😍❤

I am a Jane Austen girl at heart, but the depth of characters and raw emotion you feel when reading Brontë novels is inspiring. It’s no wonder that Austen and the Brontë sisters are constantly compared – on the surface they’re similar, women writers talking about love and romance – but once you get into the stories they differ wildly.

It’s no secret that that Brontë sisters, especially Charlotte, disliked Austen and her literature. They felt she didn’t write about real women, real passion, or anything of real, solid substance. I disagree, but when you read them side by side it’s not hard to see the differences. The Brontë sisters romantic plots are darker and their men wilder – Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are perfect examples, while Austen focuses more on satire, social realism and class through romance. Could you imagine Mr Darcy roaming Derbyshire stricken with grief like Heathcliffe does on the Yorkshire moors?

Jane Eyre takes a lot from Charlotte Brontë’s own life – the death of her sisters, her schooling and her anguish at these. They say write what you know, and Charlotte certainly does this. The theme of wanting to belong runs throughout the novel and we see Jane try and find her place and her worth from the classes of Lowood to the halls of Thornfield. She must find herself without jeopardising who she is and what she stands for. Rochester is not her happy ending nor the man who saves her. He is the man she chooses, and who is her equal.

I hate that people say you’re either a Brontë fan or an Austen fan, they offer very different things through their literature. So just because you favour one over the other doesn’t mean you can’t still love and enjoy the other. I know I’m still waiting on my version of Heathcliffe/Darcy😊

xo

HAM-IL-TON

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Hello everyone😊

I went to see the child birthed and concocted from Lin Manuel’s amazing and genius brain and it was UH-MAZING!

Hamilton!

For those who don’t know the story about Alexander Hamilton or the musical (where have you been?!) you can check out Ron Chernow’s book that inspired Lin Manuel to write a play about one of America’s founding fathers, turning it into a cultural phenomenon. If that’s not your thing, Hamilton follows the dramatic life of America’s first Treasury Secretary from the his childood, the American Civil War, to his marriage, his rise to political power, all leading to his untimely death, all set to the rhythm and beat of hip-hop.

Hamilton was everything that I knew it would be and so much more. From the staging to the casting to the lyrics and music, everything about the show was sublime. For a musical set in 1700’s and early 1800’s, the themes that run throughout – from immigrants to politics to family – still resonate deeply within the society that we live in especially in the current political climate.

Having the play set against the backdrop of vibrant and relatable music provides an originality that is spawning hundreds of imitations. It is not just a story about one man’s rise and fall, it’s more than that. It represents that this man, Alexander Hamilton, and everyone in his story can and could be anyone, which is seen through the casting choices. Born a bastard and being an immigrant, Hamilton refused to let this hinder the route he was adamant to taking in life. His ambition was ultimately his downfall, but his passion and hunger is something we should all embody.

Our stories and routes in life are not limited to race and creed. This can be any person’s story if we’re willing to put in the hard work and go the extra mile we can achieve the world.

If you can manage to grab tickets make sure you go and watch it. If not, download the soundtrack. I promise you, it will change you.

“My name is Alexander Hamilton and there’s a million things I havent done, but just you wait.”

xo

Paris = amazing pastries + books!

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Hello 😊

I recently had a lovely mini break in Paris which was amazing – full of gorgeous architecture, yummy pastries and patisseries and divine food.

But one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me was going to Shakespeare and Company. Urgh. It was so beautiful and stacked floor to ceiling with books😍

Shakespeare and Company bookshop – Paris (taken from Google images)

Anyone who loves books, will love this bookshop! It has such a rich and diverse history having had some of the greatest literary minds wander the shelves, from James Joyce to Ernest Hemmingway to Ezra Pound, becoming a cultural hubbub of inspiration and passion. Fun fact! The shop actually houses aspiring writers and artists in exchange for helping out around the store, and the shop’s motto is actually “be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be Angels in disguise.”

I made sure to treat myself to a book (obv) which you can get stamped whilst you’re there, and a lovely tote bag. Who doesn’t love a good tote? I aptly picked Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner purely because I was in Paris and thought why not pick a book based here? Also, I don’t read enough murder mysteries and thought it’d be a nice switch up from my usual reads.

Murder mysteries are always so conflicting for me as a reader. I’ve never been completely shocked or thrown off the scent – I’ve read some really bad mystery books (both in terms of plot and writing style) which could be why that genre is not my go to. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

If you’re thinking of paying a trip while you’re there, be prepared for a wait. It can get very busy and they only allow a certain number of people in at a time. But once you’re in you’re in to spend as long as you like perusing the shelve and all the hidden nooks and crannies. There’s an upstairs as well so make sure you don’t miss that! Its right in front of the Notre Dame so you’ll be able to admire the beauty of the cathedral. Also, its not too far of a walk from the Jardine de Luxemburg if you fancy a stroll around the gardens.

I’d highly recommend Paris and I can’t wait to head back some day.

xo

Where are all the non-white, non-male authors?

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Hello 🙂

With an undergraduate degree and an (almost) masters in English, it’s safe to say I’ve read a looot of literature. But the funny, and ridiculously laughable thing is, it wasn’t until I was in my 3rd year of doing my BA that I was hit with the sudden startlingly clear realisation of oh shit, the literary world isn’t just restricted to straight white male western European authors. 

My day of enlightenment happened when I had to find an author and one of their plays, for one of my modules, and argue why they should be included in the syllabus. While I was researching that’s when I noticed it. A crippling lack of novelists, poets, playwrights that weren’t white or straight or male or European (or American for that fact). My happy little literature bubble had burst 😦

I mean, I was obviously aware of the fact that the literary world didn’t become wispy vapours disappearing into the night once you left Europe, but in my mind it diminished severely in quantity, and if there was other literature out there, it was *gulp* primitive in quality. As a British born Pakistani you’d have thought I would’ve been more aware of my literary heritage right? Nope. Right from primary school up until university I had been kept in this strict sphere of straight white, British, Irish, American male authors (with the odd female or coloured writer thrown in to ‘keep the balance’). I remember this intense rage of you lied to me! sitting there in the library surrounded by said authors.    

The removal of so many types of authors, playwrights, poets, novelists from women, to people of colour, to transgender, those of different cultures, to LGBTQ, (the list goes on and on), is a failure and tragedy of the literary world. We are better with them than we are without, and we need to make a conscious effort not to exclude but to include. As a society we will be richer for it. It’s a reason why I seriously believe so many people are disillusioned with literature. If you only provide one style of writing or model of what an author ‘should be,’ how can you expect to appeal to those who don’t conform to those so-called norms?

So please get out there and discover different authors and literature, or write your own! I promise you, you will find something to fall in love with.

xo