My essentials: Charlene Farrugia’s cultural picks

1. Book

Recently I read The Bronze Horseman, a book that everyone seems to have read. The setting of this novel is, the Second World War in St. Petersburg, a city that gradually becomes robbed of all its wealth and emptied of its people, giving way to misery and pain. The descriptions of the landscapes are accurate and rich, a sign of an excellent research work by the author. It had been a long time since I had discovered such an intense book. Highly recommended, to everyone!

2. Film

Michael Radford’s Il Postino, based on the novel Il postino di Neruda by Chilean author Antonio Skármeta is a movie that I have recently watched again. This film moves me deeply for many reasons. The soundtrack, which had won the Oscar in the “Best Score” category, is a mix of accordion, clarinet, string quartet and piano, which takes the listeners to another world.

5. Internet/TV

Rupi Kaur is a social phenomenon for me. She is a poetess and illustrator, a contemporary woman, who nevertheless does not forget her origins. It is this mix of modern and old that makes her so special. Her femininity is so distinct and so well mixed with extraordinary strength and determination that I find her truly captivating.

4. Music

For me, Glenn Gould is “the” pianist, one of the greatest that ever lived. And this greatness is difficult to write and describe to those who do not yet know it. It must be listened to. Listened and watched. His recordings are alive, carnal like his performances at the piano, played in an extraordinarily revolutionary approach.  A man whose interpretation sought to discover what not even the composer was fully aware of.

6. Place 

I love the islands of Brijuni, sitiuated just off the coast of the Istrian peninsula. For me it is a place where I can go back to find myself and make peace with everything that surrounds me. Its panoramic paths help me relax and contemplate on the beauty and serenity of life. Before leaving the island of Brijuni and its peace, I never miss a dip in the crystal-clear waters that surround it.