Lust for Life

It is a biographical novel, that is, it is made into a story from the letters written by Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo. It is is beautifully written. I learnt a lot. I learnt how you don’t need the whole world to support you, just one person. I learnt the importance of being original and figuring out your own way. I re-learnt the value of being kind to others at all cost. I learnt that there is no God, just good people. I learnt how geniuses are made, by intense training and nothing else.

I learnt how invalid and completely useless people’s opinions are. Someone not seeing your value doesn’t make you worthless. There were people 130 years ago who considered Starry Night an ordinary painting and Van Gogh a red-headed fool.

I came across this book when I was reading about the life of Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian mathematician and the first woman to win the Fields Medal in 2014. She sadly passed away from cancer in 2017. This book was her favourite and she gave it to her husband Prof. Jan Vondrak at the beginning of their courtship. He said how Maryam Mirzakhani saw her work as more of an area of art than of science. After reading this book I see it that way too. I think she loved this book so much because it teaches you to go after your dreams and makes you courageous amongst other things.

This is the beauty of literature, one book written in 1934 allowed me, an Indian student, to connect with a mathematician from Iran and an artist from The Netherlands, both of whom are no longer here in flesh.

My favourite lines were ->

“Are you such a weakling that you have to imitate others? Can’t you just assimilate what they have to offer?”

“Religion will never get people anywhere. Only the base in spirit will accept misery in this world for the promise of bliss in the next.”

“When the hot Auvers sun beats down upon the little cemetery in the cornfields, Theo rests comfortably in the luxuriant umbrage of Vincent’s sunflowers.” 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻