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Trails- Page 8

Once upon a time... Six book lovers, united by their disappointment in what they read, vowed to rewrite the literary landscape. Armed with pure willpower, they put pen to paper, fingers on keyboard, and crafted their own stories. Yet, authorship wasn't enough; they now faced the daunting task of selling their creations.

PSYCHIC EYE

November 3, 2026
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I read the sign and climb a stair. The office door is smoky glass. Inside, a radio plays jazz. I go in. He points to a chair. He’s shabby, but he don’t look dumb. His voice is booze and cigarettes: a weary voice, full of regrets. A gumshoe, laid back, chewing gum. I tell him: “You’re a Psychic Eye. I…

Beyond Blank

Literature lightens the inborn loneliness of existence, reminding us that our deepest…

The Three Mid-Lives of Giuseppe Parpanuel

August 28, 2026
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In a quiet village nestled between rolling green hills, a boy named Giuseppe Parpanuel was born with a constitution so delicate he seemed made of tissue paper. His know-it-all Aunt Filomena looked at the pale infant and declared, he would last twelve months, twenty-four at most. Consequently, the family delayed…
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Look Up: The World Beyond the Screen

August 28, 2026
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I am looking forward to the day when governments finally decide to print blunt health warnings on mobile phones, much like they do on packs of cigarettes. Imagine opening a sleek new device only to be greeted by a stark warning that excessive use damages your brain, disrupts your sleep…
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The Big Book of Great Books

August 25, 2026
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Just as a sculptor looks at a block of marble and sees the statue hidden within, waiting to be freed by the chisel, the writer looks at the complete dictionary and sees the novel hidden within the alphabetical lists.…
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Nowhere to Belong

August 24, 2026
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Mr Mbebe checked his wristwatch, but the hour hand and the minute hand had melted into tiny fleshy middle fingers that were currently busy tying a miniature knot. A skyward coach whined overhead, falling up towards a violet sun that smelled strongly of burnt toast.…
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Behind Open Doors

August 23, 2026
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Who the dickens is Alice? She kept every door in her small flat wide open. To her, a closed door meant a secret and secrets were heavy. She hated locks, latches and wooden barriers. Yet, at the end of the long hallway, one white door remained firmly shut. It had…
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Literary Van Goghisation in the Third Millennium

August 21, 2026
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The phenomenon of Van Goghisation, named after the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh whose artistic genius was famously recognised only after his tragic death, describes the structural delay between creative production and critical validation. In the twenty-first century, this mechanism has undergone a profound transformation. Rather than operating as a…
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The Fox One Digit Short

August 20, 2026
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While his eighteen-toed peers spent their evenings perfecting stealthy trots and menacing glares, Seventeentoes harboured a secret passion for Welsh ballroom dancing. Every Saturday evening, he would sneak up to the window of the local village hall, watching the humans glide across the parquet floor to the lively rhythm of…
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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.

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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…

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