the folkloric and the historical

and we say thanks

including politicians

wuchs im Ruhrgebiet auf

anecdotes and curiosities

Essays in Idleness & Hôjôki Bethany Ritz the folkloric and the historicalThese two works on life's fleeting pleasures are by Buddhist monks from medieval Japan, but each shows a different world view. In the short memoir Hjki, Chmei recounts his decision to withdraw from worldly affairs and live as a hermit in a tiny hut in the mountains, contemplating the impermanence of human existence. Kenko, however, displays a fascination with more earthy matters in his collection of anecdotes, advice and observations. From ribald