Books saved my life in solitary (Booker Prize)

Anita Singh, Telegraph, 11/27/23; Dhr. Seven, Ash Wells, Pat Mac (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Reading The Handmaid's Tale and cutting up our prison orange as the new black in Iran...

'Books could take me to another world'

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has revealed that she was saved from despair during captivity in Iran by reading a banned copy of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Booker Prize

She said that she and other cellmates maintained a secret library in Iranian prison. She was speaking at the ceremony for the 2023 Booker Prize, which was awarded to Paul Lynch for Prophet Song.

Prophet Song is set in a totalitarian Ireland, where the government has embraced tyranny and families live in fear of the secret police.

Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2016 on spying charges and spent almost six years in detention. She told the audience:

84,000 Tibetan Buddhist manuscripts found

“I spent nine months in solitary confinement with very little access to anything. Being claustrophobic, solitary was a horrific experience.

“After five months my family could bring me books. When the guard opened the door and handed over the books to me, I felt liberated; I could read books, they could take me to another world, and that could transform my life.”

Others left their books for us

In 2023 in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, 84 thousand unread manuscripts were discovered.

.

The books included War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope, and The Return by Hisham Matar.

But it was Margaret Atwood’s novel, belonging to a cellmate, which had the most profound effect.

“One day a cellmate received a book through the post [mail]; it was The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, translated into Farsi [Iranian language].

Who thought a book banned in Iran could find its way to prison through the mail? 

“When we left, we all bequeathed books to the secret library in the ward to keep our stories alive for others to come, just like others left their books for us to survive,” she said.

Ms. Zagahari-Ratcliffe previously revealed that she watched Andy Murray’s 2016 Wimbledon victory while in solitary confinement....

‘Stunning’ use of language

Paul Lynch was one of four Irish authors longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize, which he attributed to the island country’s proud literary history.

“Writers like Beckett or [James] Joyce don’t just produce great works of literature, they transmit into the culture a massive energy and we’re still drawing on that, whether we realize it or not,” he said. More

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Heartbreak: My Partner Left Me!!!

"No, not again, O, what a man, just who I thought that I wanted to have. O, don't do that. Don't use that bat. That's all it takes to make me falling flat. No, not again, the loser I am. I love you tonight. You are my knight. Pure and assure to make me feel all right. Tomorrow you'll find that I'm not around. But don't be uptight because I loved you last night. Vacant and free, yeah, that is me. Just tell me how, and I'll please for free. Tell me I'm good. I know I'm bad. Lies make me feel fine although it is sad... (The Cardigans sing about abuse to the tune of the terrifying "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath)

The Younger Woman: Why a husband’s decision to leave might be the best thing that could have happened

Patti Carmalt-Vener (Pasadena Weekly, August 4, 2011)
Dear Patti: One night a year ago my husband of 30 years announced he’d fallen in love with another woman and was moving out. I later found out he was having an affair with a female coworker half his age. At first I was in shock, but I really believed that after the initial excitement of being with someone younger, he’d realize they had nothing in common and their affair would end. For the past year we’ve been meeting monthly to have coffee or a drink together, and I’ve been waiting for him to come home.

Two days ago, he said he didn’t want to hurt me but that he wanted me to know he had filed for divorce. The shock and pain poured over me, because I finally realized John would never be coming back. He feels friendship, sorrow and pity but he doesn’t see me as someone he wants anymore.

How could I have been so naïve and foolish as to believe he’d leave an exciting younger woman for me? I feel so frumpy, old and washed up right now. I’d never hurt myself, but I wonder if I’ll ever want to really live again. The idea of starting over seems too big a task to tackle. – Maggie



Dear Maggie: You’ve been using denial to defend against the painful truth that John isn’t coming back. The chance for you to start a new life began when you refused to deny the reality any longer that your marriage is over. Feeling as if you’ve hit rock-bottom is sometimes what it takes to start rebuilding a completely new self. While the grief, pain, and even rage might seem unbearable at first, they will eventually subside if you allow those feelings to wash over again and again. People who are unable to heal are those who refuse to face their loss and suppress their negative emotions through activities such as drinking, drugs and overworking. More


Why go in search of a solution?
Wisdom Quarterly
What brings us to the Dharma? It's nice to think it's a Noble Quest, some search for Truth, or the altruistic desire to save all living beings. But it is often suffering that spurs the search. Siddhartha would not have left his luxurious palaces if it were not for suffering and the realization that all existence is beset by this wide ranging problem called dukkha in ancient India. So one needn't let the initial motive deter one. Make as much progress as possible, learning and meditating, being kind to others and spreading the message that there really exists a "complete end to suffering" (nirvana). Wisdom Quarterly could always use help. For soon someone else will come along and distract us all over again. Or we'll resort to drinking and drug use. (What do you think that prescription was?) Or we'll sink into misery unutterable and make everyone around us miserable. It has been this way for countless lives.

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Meditation Made Easy: No Pretzel Legs

Meditation sounds like a great idea. Who wouldn’t want to spend some quiet time, reduce stress, and be more peaceful? But seriously, who has time? And those positions? And the chanting? It just seems too complicated, right?

Wrong! According to an article in Women's Health Magazine based on research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, meditation can be easier than you think!

“The practice itself is relatively easy,” says Bodian, who compares meditation to running. You have to build muscle in order to run far and for long periods of time, just like you have to train your mind to be attentive and aware ["mindful"]. All you need to do is breathe. Once you’re sitting quietly, close your eyes, and inhale and exhale easily and fully,” says Stephan Bodian, author of Meditation for Dummies.

• Tips to get started:
  - Get a book or video to help figure it out.
  - Begin with just two or three minutes per day. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel. You’ll want to do more!
  - Try meditating in the morning for the most benefit.
  - Wear comfy clothes.
  - Find a comfortable position. Sit, stand, or lie down, able to relax but not fall asleep.
  - Don’t expect too much. Your thoughts won’t stop just because you tell them to! Concentrate on your breathing, and let your mind be free. Think perhaps, but don’t be involved in your thoughts.
  - Chanting isn’t required, but quiet is. Turn off the TV, radio, cell phone, and so on.

Meditation lowers blood pressure and heart rate. It has been shown to lower stress and improve productivity. Give it a try; you’ll be happy you did! Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her award-winning blog. More>>

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