Europe writes itself. Again. And we are thrilled to have you here to read it.
Monthly archive

August 2026- Page 2

Look Up: The World Beyond the Screen

August 28, 2026
··
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…
Read More

In the Sky with Diamonds

August 27, 2026
··
Working for Diamond Airways sounded glamorous right up until my inaugural transatlantic flight from Heathrow to JFK. The luxury branding meant our dress code consisted of an unnecessarily stiff-collared midnight-blue uniform and a pair of glittering silver wings sharp enough to slice bread. Lord Feckington pressed the call attendant button…
Read More

The Strange Little Hatchling

August 26, 2026
··
A devoted mother duck sits patiently on her nest day and night, keeping the precious eggs warm through the long weeks of waiting. Yellow, fluffy ducklings soon begin to hatch. One large, heavier egg takes longer and, when it finally hatches, a big, white, strange-looking bird emerges.…
Read More

The Coleridgean Moral of the Ancient Mariner

August 26, 2026
····
Today, two hundred and thirty-five years after the ratification of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and two hundred and twenty-seven years since the publication of Mrs Anna Lætitia Barbauld’s poem ‘To Mr S.T. Coleridge’, when she reproached him that the Ancient Mariner had no moral, I am going…
Read More

The Big Book of Great Books

August 25, 2026
·
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.…
Read More

Nowhere to Belong

August 24, 2026
·
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.…
Read More

Critique of Pure Reason

August 23, 2026
···
If you have ever tried reading the German philosopher’s 1781 work, you probably felt like your brain was trying to digest a brick. It is infamous for being one of the most difficult books in history. This breakdown cuts through the dense jargon and explains what Kant was actually trying…
Read More

Behind Open Doors

August 23, 2026
·
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…
Read More
1 2 3 4 … 6

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