A podcast: love advice from literature
White Nights
Perhaps you know the story of White Nights by the famous Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The short text follows an unnamed narrator who loves a woman called Nastenka. Whilst the story was published in 1848, it remains relevant today due to its devotion and depth regarding the phenomenon of love. It is particularly striking to see a woman’s name mentioned 138 times whilst the narrator himself is not even mentioned once. A famous line from the book is,
“May you be forever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart. Isn’t such a moment sufficient for the whole of one’s life?”
The unconditional love the dreamer has for his loved one is explained through a wholehearted devotion. He later on goes further to state the following,
“Oh, Nastenka! You know, we thank some people for merely living at the same time as we do. I thank you for the fact that I met you, that I will remember you for all my life!”
This intensifies one’s devotion, yet at the same time the “dreamer”, as the narrator calls himself, is aware of his own flaws. Whether these two individuals come together is something that you can learn only if you read the book.
Serendipity
All content aside, this novel was the beginning of what has now become Love & Literature. The complexities that love brings forth were analysed and formulated in the first episode of my podcast, titled “Love Advice from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s White Nights”.
The podcast is a platform in which I get to explore what love means more extensively and diversely. With individuals from all fields, I am able to discuss its meaning. I attempt to find a definition for it, yet I fail to adhere to merely one.
Perhaps this failure leads to beautiful results and calling it a “failure” is not correct. It is more like serendipity, which is one of my favourite words in the English language, besides love, obviously. Serendipity means a fortunate accident. In other words, something that seems like it is not supposed to happen turns out to be fitting perfectly and even better. This is exactly what I would like to call this project that I developed and still am developing today.
Stay tuned for more episodes and if you ever would want to contribute or have a discussion, feel free to reach out!
With love, Melinda
Why this theme song?
The song used for the introduction and ending of each podcast episode is an absolute piece of art interpreted and performed by violinist Cihat Aşkın. He blends traditional Viennese waltz structure with Turkish musical elements on the album called “Türk Valsleri” (Turkish Waltzes). The album is highly regarded in Turkish classical and romantic music circles for its beautiful violin arrangements, with 17 tracks in total.
As for the selected song, “Hatırla, ey peri”, is literally translated as “Remember, oh fairy”. It stems from an original song of classic Turkish folk music called “Hatırla Sevgili”, meaning “remember, my love”. The song is a nostalgic ode to remembrance of both romantic elegance and a sense of “hüzün” (a Turkish concept of melancholy or poignant sadness).
Exactly for this remembrance, I chose this particular song since it reminds me of our “roots” as human beings. The roots, which Aimé Césaire, a French-Martinican poet, says are only understood through the notion of love. Thus, even if love seems to be distant or lost, we can always remember that it is deeply rooted in us.
Love, read closely
- Episode 27, Love in political science, with Liza Mugge
- Episode 26, To die or to sleep? with Mads Rosendahl Thomsen
- Episode 25, Self-love and harm, with Lisa van Hove
- Episode 24, Love literature in the Indian subcontinent, with Namrata B. Kanchan
- Episode 23, Is the law love? with Frans-Willem Korsten
- Episode 22, Body image online, with Rachel Rodgers