Europe writes itself. Again. And we are thrilled to have you here to read it.
Dan Costinas

Dan Costinas

When Life Gives You Books

by
September 16, 2026
·
That evening, sitting amidst tower blocks of Victorian drainage history, Phineas realised Mrs Brown was right. Lemons were versatile. Books were heavy, flammable and stubbornly dry. But as the rain began to drizzle over the hill, he decided that if life refused to give him citrus, he would simply have to improvise…
···

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The book remains one of the most influential works in modern philosophy. It challenges readers to step away from mindless conformity, take responsibility for their own lives and constantly strive towards personal transformation and creative self-expression…

Two Rococo Couplets

September 15, 2026
···
Queen Marie Antoinette, who regularly sat for Vigée Le Brun, popularised the kind of simple, white muslin dress so beautifully painted in this portrait of the Comtesse de la Châtre, daughter of a high-ranking member of Louis XV’s immediate court.…
Read More

The Lazy Club

September 14, 2026
·
The afternoon sun hit the vinyl couch at precisely the angle required to make getting up feel like a crime against physics. In the living room of Maisonette 4B, the founding members of the Lazy Club were in peak operational form. This meant they were doing absolutely nothing. Leo was…
Read More

One Last Weather Chant

September 13, 2026
·
Ninety-year-old Þorvaldur sat on his weathered wooden bench, watching the tide pull the grey foam away from the basalt cliffs. In his lap lay a small notebook, its leather cover worn smooth by decades of calloused thumbs. He uncapped his silver fountain pen and wrote three words: báru / ljós…
Read More

The Haunt Hunters

September 13, 2026
·
The damp autumn air hung heavy over Sick-a-Moor Castle, a crumbling Victorian pile that smelled entirely of wet spaniel and damp wallpaper. Philomena adjusted her tweed flat cap, checked the readings on her EMF scanner, and cleared her throat. ‘Right then, Sean,’ Philomena said, tapping the plastic casing of her…
Read More

Keep the Grammar Sane, for Word’s Sake!

September 12, 2026
····
Scholars say that language is a living entity, constantly shifting to reflect the society that speaks it. Yet, there is a fine line between dynamic evolution and unnecessary unravelling. In recent years, major style guides and lexicographers have approved sweeping changes to traditional English grammar rules. While proponents argue that…
Read More

The Jungle Dominoes

September 11, 2026
·
It all started with a hiccup. Ppopo, an unusually pristine hippopotamus, was wallowing peacefully in the Upper Mud Bogs when an unexpected bubble of swallowed air lodged in his chest. The resulting hiccup was so violently muffled that it sent a shockwave through the lily pads, startling a tiny poison…
Read More

Bitter Honey

September 11, 2026
·
Early in the morning of their wedding day, James and Catherine went for a walk, directly ignoring their solicitor. The advice had been to sit quietly in the office and discuss financial arrangements ‘like two sensible adults.’…
Read More
1 2 3 … 14

About Me

Former diplomat and globetrotter, Dan Costinas is a versatile contemporary writer, translator, and editor. A true polyglot, he has authored and contributed to several dozen books spanning mainly fiction, essays, aphorisms, reviews and criticism, journalism, and poetry.

Follow Me

Banner

Subscribe

Popular

2

Books of Our Continent

From the quiet shelves of forty-four national archives and ancient university libraries to the cosy corners of independent bookstores and modest home…

Authors

Go toTop