Prolific Living

English literature

Best 18 Quotes From Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”

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Reading on the iPad in Berlin

You want to write well and never run out of ideas? You want to be inspired, entertained, left in awe and wonder of beauty and learn something at the same time? You want to improve your vocabulary and enhance the use of your English (or other) language? You want to keep your mind sharp and active?

Read a timeless classic!

There is a reason that a classic endures beyond the life of the author and past the turn of century after century. There is a reason that a classic will never go “out of style” and every generation will still be able to pick it up, and appreciate it to some level, whatever their education level may be. [Read more…] about Best 18 Quotes From Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”

Musings on London, The Tempest and A Regret-Free Life

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TheTempest_RalphFiennes

Two hours ago, I was in a small jam-packed London theater, joining in on a much-deserved standing ovation to the cast of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Some of the finest Shakespearean actors, most notably Ralph Fiennes, indulged us tonight with an unforgettably moving performance.

Pleasure, sadness, delight and joy, smiles and tears, deep reflection and thrilling sensations, these are only some of the emotions that come alive as you bask in the awe of a fine actor bringing to life a character from a 400-year old play. [Read more…] about Musings on London, The Tempest and A Regret-Free Life

Baroness Emmuska Orczy: “The Scarlet Pimpernel”

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Reading A Scarlet Pimpernel at breakfast in Argentina's Park Hyatt

If I had to do it all over again, I would….?

When you ask yourself that question casually, what is the answer? In some situations, we cannot change the past and the opportunity has passed. In others however, we may be able to set a new course. A few years ago I realized one of my many answers. That I would have loved to read far more classics over the years. Heaps of engineering textbooks, technical jargon and business buzzwords prepared and educated me well for my career but left me with a strong desire for voraciously consuming the classics, literature, poetry, art and history – hence my reading mania since 2006! There is usually a very good reason a book is considered a classic and besides, exploring the genre has hardly resulted in a regret for anyone that I have ever met. [Read more…] about Baroness Emmuska Orczy: “The Scarlet Pimpernel”

Charlotte Brontë: “Jane Eyre”

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Reading Jane Eyre marks one of my most bittersweet journeys into a novel and into a character’s life and psyche.

Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte at the pool

I read Charlotte Brontë‘s masterpiece of accomplishment for an unusual reason. I wanted to find a way to get closer to her sister, Emily Brontë. I devoured Emily’s singular publication of “Wuthering Heights“, a story that is at the same time gripping, disturbing, addictive, tragic and sublimely written. Emily Brontë sadly lived her own version of tragedy by departing the world far too soon at the hands of a cruel disease. The excerpt at the beginning of Wuthering Heights explains the close relationship of the sisters, and implies the lonely life that must have followed for Charlotte Brontë after losing Emily and her other siblings. After learning that Charlotte Brontë particularly disliked one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen [Read more…] about Charlotte Brontë: “Jane Eyre”