“I’ve always loved to read, especially poetry. When I was a teenager, I became fascinated by spirituality and religion: all these works shaped my curiosity. Today, I read a lot of haiku, the traditional Japanese three-line poems. I’ve always been drawn to these kinds of texts. Because of this, at some point, my friend Valentina recommended that I delve into Polish poetry. In particular, the work of author Wisława Szymborska. So, I read the English translation (ed. note: by Clare Cavanagh) of Distraction, from the collection Map: Collected and Last Poems. |
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Map: Collected and Last Poems, WISŁAWA SZYMBORSKA, 2016, 464 pages. |
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I liked it immediately, right off the bat. I thought it was so beautiful. It’s short, accessible, yet very powerful. At first glance, it’s a simple poem. But there’s a certain complexity in the verses. |
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« This took a good 24 hours.
1,440 minutes of opportunity. 86,400 seconds for inspection. » |
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Excerpt from Distraction, a poem written by Wisława Szymborska. |
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To be honest, I didn’t understand everything right away – and all the better. It was a relief to see that there was more to grasp than the message on the surface. |
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I liked to read between the lines. This struck a chord with me. |
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At first, you might think this poem is about hiding or escaping something. But it’s really about exposing yourself, baring yourself. The text explains that you can’t spend one second, one minute, one hour, one day, without being aware of the person you are – and therefore the environment you live in. Poems, and writing in general, are incredibly enriching. They allow you to express things that you would have said in a different way. So, when you find a text that does it for you, it’s … wow. |
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« The cosmic savoir vivre may keep silent on our subject, still it makes a few demands. » |
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Excerpt from Distraction, a poem written by Wisława Szymborska. |
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There’s a passage in this poem that especially moves me. It’s when she talks about ‘cosmic savoir vivre.’ I see this as a life mission. The act of being aware of who you are, on a cosmic level. Of knowing that you live on a planet, which itself is in orbit in the universe, which – when it comes down to it – we don’t know that much about. Perhaps this is the only rule that is truly universal.” |
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Lately, at PLUME ACCOR • We regularly draw up press releases for brands of the Accor Group (Sofitel and MGallery) — from the structure to the last comma! American Vintage • Announcing AMV city guides. The first one? Barcelona! A great way to discover the best spots in the city. Biltoki • We started a collaboration with the benchmark of food markets. A large-scale initiative between Paris and the Southwest. Le Bon Marché • For La Gazette, the department store’s vertical editorial, we continue to develop our exclusive formats: interview-café, confessions créatives, and more. RORI • For the newest restaurant in town, PLUME cooked up the storytelling and communication. Yum! Picard • For the 50th anniversary of the frozen food specialist, we put together a press kit and magazine articles. |
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