Leonard Koren - Musings of a Curious Aesthete
A quirky memoir of the aesthete responsible for creating culture icons such as WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing and bringing the concept of wabi-sabi into Western aesthetic discourse.
AN EXCERPT
“On a brilliant autumn afternoon when the sky was blue and the temperature mild, I was inspired to do some outdoor housekeeping. Leaves, twigs, and other vegetable matter had piled up on the wood and concrete steps that ran through our garden. I realized, of course, that as soon as I finished removing this debris it would immediately return. I was okay with that. I have accepted a quasi-Sisyphean view of things. After selecting an appropriate broom and collection basket, I began my work. My pace was slow and measured. The stairs were irregular and cracked in places, so I moved even more slowly so as not to miss any of the bits and pieces crammed into the nooks and crannies. Why rush anyway? I was beginning to enjoy this.”
“Sweeping up nature’s refuse isn’t typically considered an act of exceptional consequence. I knew this. So I was surprised when a peculiar idea insinuated itself front and center into my awareness: ‘With every sweep of this broom I am restoring order. And by restoring order—if only momentarily—I am saving the universe.’”
“It was a crazy notion, of that I was certain. Nevertheless, it felt as true as anything I had ever believed. How, I wondered, could this be? Later that day an answer came: Just as nature has given us a mind capable of perceiving our role in the overarching scheme of existence, nature has also given us a mind capable of creating meaning out of just about anything. Furthermore, nature has given us a mind with the ability to believe that the meanings we create are actually true.”
2020
English
160 pages
21.6 x 13.4 cm
© Imperfect Publishing
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Leonard Koren - Musings of a Curious Aesthete
A quirky memoir of the aesthete responsible for creating culture icons such as WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing and bringing the concept of wabi-sabi into Western aesthetic discourse.
AN EXCERPT
“On a brilliant autumn afternoon when the sky was blue and the temperature mild, I was inspired to do some outdoor housekeeping. Leaves, twigs, and other vegetable matter had piled up on the wood and concrete steps that ran through our garden. I realized, of course, that as soon as I finished removing this debris it would immediately return. I was okay with that. I have accepted a quasi-Sisyphean view of things. After selecting an appropriate broom and collection basket, I began my work. My pace was slow and measured. The stairs were irregular and cracked in places, so I moved even more slowly so as not to miss any of the bits and pieces crammed into the nooks and crannies. Why rush anyway? I was beginning to enjoy this.”
“Sweeping up nature’s refuse isn’t typically considered an act of exceptional consequence. I knew this. So I was surprised when a peculiar idea insinuated itself front and center into my awareness: ‘With every sweep of this broom I am restoring order. And by restoring order—if only momentarily—I am saving the universe.’”
“It was a crazy notion, of that I was certain. Nevertheless, it felt as true as anything I had ever believed. How, I wondered, could this be? Later that day an answer came: Just as nature has given us a mind capable of perceiving our role in the overarching scheme of existence, nature has also given us a mind capable of creating meaning out of just about anything. Furthermore, nature has given us a mind with the ability to believe that the meanings we create are actually true.”
2020
English
160 pages
21.6 x 13.4 cm
© Imperfect Publishing
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A quirky memoir of the aesthete responsible for creating culture icons such as WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing and bringing the concept of wabi-sabi into Western aesthetic discourse.
AN EXCERPT
“On a brilliant autumn afternoon when the sky was blue and the temperature mild, I was inspired to do some outdoor housekeeping. Leaves, twigs, and other vegetable matter had piled up on the wood and concrete steps that ran through our garden. I realized, of course, that as soon as I finished removing this debris it would immediately return. I was okay with that. I have accepted a quasi-Sisyphean view of things. After selecting an appropriate broom and collection basket, I began my work. My pace was slow and measured. The stairs were irregular and cracked in places, so I moved even more slowly so as not to miss any of the bits and pieces crammed into the nooks and crannies. Why rush anyway? I was beginning to enjoy this.”
“Sweeping up nature’s refuse isn’t typically considered an act of exceptional consequence. I knew this. So I was surprised when a peculiar idea insinuated itself front and center into my awareness: ‘With every sweep of this broom I am restoring order. And by restoring order—if only momentarily—I am saving the universe.’”
“It was a crazy notion, of that I was certain. Nevertheless, it felt as true as anything I had ever believed. How, I wondered, could this be? Later that day an answer came: Just as nature has given us a mind capable of perceiving our role in the overarching scheme of existence, nature has also given us a mind capable of creating meaning out of just about anything. Furthermore, nature has given us a mind with the ability to believe that the meanings we create are actually true.”
2020
English
160 pages
21.6 x 13.4 cm
© Imperfect Publishing
