A Told Story

24/11/2021

Don’t be overwise; fling yourself straight into life, without deliberation; don’t be afraid - the flood will bear you to the bank and set you safe on your feet again.

17/11/2021

The Fall of the House of Usher” possesses the quintessential -features of the Gothic tale: a haunted house, dreary landscape, mysterious sickness, and doubled personality. For all its easily identifiable Gothic elements, however, part of the terror of this story is its vagueness. We cannot say for sure where in the world or exactly when the story takes place. Instead of standard narrative markers of place and time, Poe uses traditional Gothic elements such as inclement weather and a barren landscape. We are alone with the narrator in this haunted space, and neither we nor the -narrator know why. Although he is Roderick’s most intimate boyhood friend, the narrator apparently does not know much about him—like the basic fact that Roderick has a twin sister. Poe asks us to question the reasons both for Roderick’s decision to contact the narrator in this time of need and the bizarre tenacity of narrator’s response. While Poe provides the recognizable building blocks of the Gothic tale, he contrasts this standard form with a plot that is inexplicable, sudden, and full of unexpected disruptions. The story begins without complete explanation of the narrator’s motives for arriving at the house of Usher, and this ambiguity sets the tone for a plot that continually blurs the real and the fantastic

21/04/2021

“The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in Sanskrit language, Siddha (achieved) + artha (what was searched for)”
This small sentence describes the entirety of the book. The duality between the desire and the achievement of that desire, but above that the journey that an individual must go truth.
In Siddhartha's journey, Hess shows us that true understanding cannot be achieved by intellectual methods but rather by immersing yourself in the world and letting this emersion change us. Leaving behind all your chains, that are nothing more than your own bias. Only by liberating yourself from all the chains created by your mind, you can truly achieve in harmony with the world.

What do you think ?
What is true freedom for you ?

21/04/2021

Hermann Karl Hesse, a German novelist and poet born in 1877. Hire at Told story we are definitely big fans of his works, especially Siddhartha and Steppnwolf. 
    Hess was one of the first european authors to include concepts from the oriental worlds in a novel. He did that in a very peculiar way, he managed to create a perfect symbiosis between estern and wetern ideologies.
    Inspired by his life and his books we crafted four distinctive designs. Designs created from deep reflection and analysis of his novels.

21/04/2021

How to be authentic in a society that since birth trains us to tame our nature, our authenticity. A society that labels us strangers, only for not sharing the same ideal.
In the Steppenwolf, this theme is explored in a very particular and peculiar way, especially in the face of rising nationalistic society, as presented in the book. A society that brings the main character to full despair, though a total loss of his identity. In this loss of identity he finds a part of his true self, and an authentic side of his nature, a wolf. An accurate representation of how he feels. A lonely but yet powerful being, that represents the duality of human nature. 
    For us that is the main theme of the book, the duality of human nature. The natural vs the rational. And how this duality frames into a society. 
What do you think?

10/04/2021

We would love to share with you, 2 of our favorites quotes from Albert Camus, one from the “The Fall” and other from “The myth of Sisyphus”

“Friendship is less simple. It is long and hard to obtain but when one has it there's no getting rid of it; one simply has to cope with it. Don't think for a minute that your friends will telephone you every evening, as they ought to, in order to find out if this doesn't happen to be the evening when you are deciding to commit su***de, or simply whether you don't need company, whether you are not in the mood to go out. No, don't worry, they'll ring up the evening you are not alone, when life is beautiful. As for su***de, they would be more likely to push you to it, by virtue of what you owe to yourself, according to them. May heaven protect us, cher Monsieur, from being set upon a pedestal by our friends!”
― Albert Camus, The Fall

“There is no longer a single idea explaining everything, but an infinite number of essences giving a meaning to an infinite number of objects. The world comes to a stop, but also lights up.”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus

22/03/2021

The intricacy of social games in a complex and densely interconnected society, where access to social and material resources depends on one’s success in the game, can lead to individuals with a highly adapted set of behaviors that are predicated on a hyper-pragmatic view of other humans as tools. A shift in perception where the empathic and the emotional have no space to exist.
The “idiot” comes into this world unprepared, for he came from a simpler reality. As a child who has yet to become disillusioned, he offers deep compassion and love to an unreceiving crowd.
In his unprepared state, the pain and disconnection enter his life all at once with an overwhelming rush. What others had a lifetime to adjust to, he takes in with no time to gasp for air.

21/03/2021

I would like to start this small reflection by mentioning the fact that the main character’s name “Raskolnikov'' in Russian is very similar to the word “Raskol”, which in direct translation means shattered. In this small detail is hidden the whole Crime and Punishment main story. A Romance that clearly illustrates how an idea can shatter an individual world. How can an idea take over control of somebody’s life, ignoring the individual will, education or studies. We are all powerless in front of a powerful idea. A present theme in all his novels. When analyzing the characters, we can clearly see that they don't represent personas, they represent ideas. Oversimplifying, I can say that the whole book is a constant clash of ideas. Seen clearly in characters' dialogues.
Crime and punishment is doubtless a masterpiece, it not only revolutionized the way we accept a detective novel but also laid the ground for the future creation of existentialism and strongly influenced writers as Kafka and Camus. A deep reflection about human nature and its own mind limitation.

17/03/2021

Dostoevsky managed to lay ground to existentialism by being one of the first to explore human nature through a very humanistic and unique perspective. And so inspired by his work and philosophy we are glad to present you, our own interpretation of Dostoevsky’s work and ideas through these four distinctive designs.

17/03/2021

To celebrate culture and our store's successful launch. We decide to create a small sale on all of the Albert Camus Collection. Your discount will automatically be applied when using the promo code sisyphus

Why Camus? We ask why not Camus? Especially now, that we live in a lighter version of his romance “the Plague”. Doubtless, he was an extremely important figure in cultural history. He and other french influencers, pushed the cultural phenomena to another, big level in eyes of the public, in the ...

15/03/2021

Andrei Tarkovsky. One of the biggest cinema visionaries. Through his art, he won a place in world cinema culture, and in our hearts. Unique storytelling and a stunning visual made him an icon for ages to come. Inspired by him and his work, we decided to include him in our first edition. Pay respect to all the unmeasurable work he has done for our cultural history. We present to you four distinct designs inspired by his cinematography career and the symbolism used in them.

14/03/2021

Sisyphus. The myth that represents modern society with frightful accuracy.

We all are stuck in a routine, of getting the rock up the hill. Every day, since we were born till we will die. Although the rock may change its format with the passing of time. In its essence, it always remains a rock. We always remain a Sisyphus. Same cycle, with different covers.

All we can do is try to imagine Sisyphus happy, and sometimes try to break this cycle.

A European brand, designed to deliver timeless culture in contemporary format. We were born from a shared obsession to seek out the remarkable in the mundane. The 1st Edition is focused on Albert Camus, Salvador Dali, Franz Kafka and Andrei Tarkovsky. High quality attire and accessories featuring or...