GEO LIT
Literature by the Sea
In this space, literature drifts with the tide. Geo Lit gathers poems, quotes, and reviews that explore how writers see the sea; as mirror, muse, and map of the human heart. Each piece is a small conversation between language and landscape.
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” — attributed to Vincent van Gogh (unverified)
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” — Franz Kafka, in a letter to Oskar Pollak (1904)
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race.” — Rachel Carson, John Burroughs Medal speech (1952)
“The sea is not less beautiful in our eyes because we know that sometimes ships are wrecked by it.” — Simone Weil, Human Personality (1947)
“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.” — T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
“The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation.” — Kate Chopin
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau, The Living Sea (1963)
“It’s hard to tell the difference between sea and sky, between voyager and sea, between reality and the workings of the heart.” — Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
“Whenever I look at the ocean, I always want to talk to people, but when I'm talking to people, I always want to look at the ocean.” — Haruki Murakami
Beach Reads Reviewed
Where’s My Sandy Beach is a creative project exploring the science, history, and stories of the sea.
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