ZenyaGlow

Some writers describe life as it is,José Saramago wrote it as it could be — stripped of illusions, yet full of moral vision. Through his words, he showed that true vision begins where sight ends — today, we revisit the mind of a writer who made blindness a new way to see. ✦ Early Life José de Sousa Saramago was born on November 16, 1922, in the small village of Azinhaga, in Ribatejo province north of Lisbon, to a poor peasant family that lost its land two years after his birth. He moved with his family to Lisbon, where they lived in modest, working-class surroundings. Due to financial hardship, he left secondary school early and enrolled in a technical program to study mechanics. Though he never attended university, his endless reading in Lisbon’s public libraries became his true education — shaping him into a self-taught writer who rose from poverty to global recognition. — ✦ — Career and Political Involvement Saramago began his career as a low-level employee, later working as a car m...

Mikhail Naimy — one of the most profound voices of the Mahjar movement, a writer whose words quietly reshaped modern Arab thought. His life carried both simplicity and depth: from his early days in a humble Lebanese mountain village to his long journey across the ocean, where he co-founded The Pen League with Gibran Khalil Gibran. It was more than a story of travel — it was a journey inward. A path that led a young seeker of truth to become a philosopher who believed that real freedom begins within the human soul. -- Beginnings Mikhail Naimy was born on October 17, 1889, in Baskinta, Lebanon, to a modest family of carpenters and farmers. From early childhood he was drawn to solitude and contemplation — as if the mountain itself whispered to him the secrets of existence. He studied in Russian schools run by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, where he discovered Russian literature and immersed himself in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Through them he learned that the soul mat...

  Life’s journey isn’t measured by the years we live, nor by what we own or achieve — but by the awareness we grow into at every stage of our becoming. Through this awareness and understanding, we begin shaping our true identity — not the one imposed on us, but the one we choose with honesty and depth of experience. We arrive in silence, not knowing who we are. Before we speak, many things are decided for us — our name, our faith, our language, our gender, our place in the world. Our parents sketch the first outlines of who we become — often without realizing it. A mother’s voice and touch plant the seed of safety, while a father’s presence opens the door to the outer world. Through their eyes, we first learn what comfort means, what love feels like, and what it takes to be seen. From the way they respond to our cries, or stay silent in our fears, we begin to understand whether our feelings are welcome, whether our needs deserve to be met. What we live in those early years does no...

  He wasn’t just the author of The Little Prince — he was a soldier, a pilot, and a dreamer who faced war, desert, and the edge of death. Before his words touched millions, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry lived a life that fused danger with wonder — from the open skies of North Africa to the quiet loneliness of exile. His story is not only about flight, but about the relentless search for meaning in a world that often forgets the human heart. --- Early Life and Childhood Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born on June 29, 1900, in Lyon, France, to a noble Catholic family that lost its father early. His father, Count Jean de Saint-Exupéry, died when Antoine was only four years old, leaving his mother, Marie de Fonscolombe, to raise him and his siblings. She was a talented painter with a refined artistic sense that deeply shaped his imagination and emotional world. Their preserved correspondence later revealed the sensitivity and depth that would become central to his writing. From childhood, Ant...

  We all like to believe we’re too smart to be deceived. But manipulation rarely starts from the outside — it begins when we lose awareness of ourselves: when we forget who we are, misunderstand what we feel, and react instead of choosing. Real protection doesn’t come from caution; it comes from awareness. Understanding yourself is the most powerful form of defense — not because it hardens you, but because it grounds you. Here are three rules that, once practiced, make you far harder to sway. Rule One: Identity — Who You Are Before Anyone Defines You Identity isn’t a name, a résumé, or a public role. It’s the steady sense beneath the noise of everyday roles. When that sense fades, we lose our center — and mirror others instead of expressing who we are. We start wanting what others want for us. Knowing who you are frees you from the constant hunger for approval. You begin to choose, rather than be led. Many people carry an identity shaped for them, not by them. Family, school, soci...

  Paulo Coelho – The Man Who Walked Through Fire to Write About Light Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, Paulo Coelho was never meant to live an ordinary life. While other children dreamed of becoming doctors or engineers, he filled his notebooks with stories and told his mother: > “ I’m going to be a writer.” His parents were far from thrilled. In a strict Catholic household, art was seen as an act of rebellion. When Paulo refused to abandon his dream, they admitted him to a mental hospital three times before he turned twenty. He wasn’t sick — only untamable. And when he finally walked out, he said: > “Madness is living a life that doesn’t belong to you.” - -- ✦ Years of Rebellion and Imprisonment In the early 1970s, Paulo left university and immersed himself in the world of art and theatre. He began writing lyrics for the Brazilian rock legend Raul Seixas, and together they created songs filled with forbidden symbols and spiritual rebellion — songs that spread like wildfire in...

  Kahlil Gibran in a self-portrait he painted himself — he saw painting as a second language of the soul, expressing what words could not.                                       Source: Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain In the series Immortal Souls, we explore the life of a man who believed that beauty is not a luxury — but a way to understand both life and the human soul. A writer who did not seek fame, but truth — the kind that makes us more human. Kahlil Gibran was born in 1883 in the mountain town of Bsharri, northern Lebanon. He grew up in a modest environment, drawn from childhood to contemplation, drawing, and writing. At the age of 12, he traveled with his mother and siblings to Boston in 1895, searching for a more stable life and better opportunities. The journey was long and difficult, but it marked the true beginning of his connection with the world. He was captivated by th...