PASSING GUEST
SHORT STORIES ON LOVE, KINDNESS AND HOPE
BY IRIS MIR
Read the preview of the book
Would you have a conversation about love with a random stranger if you had the chance? Have you ever wondered what they would tell you?
In this collection of short stories, Iris Mir imagines what the futures of random bystanders on the streets would look like if they had the chance to experience love in a new way; one of compassion and kindness toward others. With this in mind, she writes their dreamed stories honouring their experience, their voice and the reason their hypothetical love-experience would matter to our communities. Their imaginary stories become a reminder of the importance of many small human acts of kindness that are integral to our survival, and are being eroded as a result of our increasingly fragmented and polarised societies.
Passing Guest takes the form of a set of fictional short stories led by an imaginary character, a woman, who embodies eight enigmas of love, kindness and hope. She sets herself on a quest that takes her to Hong Kong, South Korea, North Korea and neighbouring mainland China, The Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, and the cities of London and Barcelona.
As she tries to find her answers, she transports herself to different universes, possibilities of being and seeing, and ultimately of finding love. Soon she discovers that who she is (and who we are) can only be answered by the magic of love, which is as beautifully unique as every single one of us who makes up our diverse humanity.
Passing Guest is available in bookshops worldwide. And at Bookshop.org
PASSING GUEST AND HOW THE MUSIC AND EVERYTHING AROUND US CONNECTS US WITH EACH OTHER AND TAKES US TO REALITIES FAR AWAY FROM WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE KNOW
When we rush, we don’t have time to experience the environment, the people we share our surroundings with. We are fully disconnected from everyone and everything that is not part of our routine. However, during the slow-paced life of the pandemic, my daily walks gave me the opportunity to go back to the beautiful feeling of paying attention to details. To how we do things, and how we deal with the most insignificant moments of our lives. These moments that we take for granted but are such an integral part of our daily lives. Small actions such as crossing the street, picking up our groceries at the shop, the way we walk, smile, cry, exercise, arrange our clothes, clean the house, read a book, wave our hand, write a note, say thank you, get mad, the way we take care of each other… the way we love! These apparently insignificant moments that we easily forget why they matter are the big storytellers of how we live life.
With Passing Guest, I wanted to experiment with the things that are familiar to us and how they can connect us to world views that are beyond what we see as the norm. Elements from our daily lives such as our cities, our parks, a bench, our house plants, our friends, our neighbours, our books, music, schooling, the people on the streets, our families, a rooftop, the sea, the rain, the moon, the water, and ultimately storytelling - which is inherent in humankind and one of the best ways to immortalise experiences and give voice to others - can potentially connect us to others in a way that enables to explore life’s possibilities beyond what is close to our known realities.
You may also scan the code below to access the playlist with your phone
UN PASAJERO INVITADO
HISTORIAS SOBRE EL AMOR, LA BONDAD Y LA ESPERANZA
POR IRIS MIR
(La publicación de la versión en español está prevista para mediados de 2023).
Si tuvieras la oportunidad, ¿tendrías una conversación con un extraño sobre el amor? ¿Te has preguntado qué podrían contarte?
En esta colección de cuentos, Iris Mir imagina cómo sería el futuro de diversos transeúntes si tuvieran la oportunidad de experimentar el amor de una manera nueva, en forma de compasión y bondad hacia los demás. Con esta premisa en mente, Mir escribe sus historias para honrar esas experiencias soñadas, les aporta su voz y la razón por la que su hipotética experiencia amorosa sería importante para nuestras comunidades. Sus historias imaginadas se convierten en un recordatorio de la importancia que tienen muchos pequeños actos de bondad, que son parte integral de nuestra supervivencia y que se están erosionando como resultado de nuestras sociedades cada vez más fragmentadas y polarizadas.
Un Pasajero Invitado es un conjunto de cuentos de ficción protagonizados por un personaje imaginario, una mujer, que encarna ocho enigmas de amor, bondad y esperanza. Se aventura en una búsqueda que la lleva a Hong Kong, Corea del Sur, Corea del Norte y la vecina China continental, la República Democrática del Congo, Sudán del Sur, Uganda, Senegal y las ciudades de Londres y Barcelona.
Mientras trata de encontrar respuesta a sus inquietudes, se transporta a diferentes universos, experimenta posibilidades de ser y de ver el mundo y, en última instancia, de encontrar el amor. Pronto descubre que quién es ella (su identidad y la de todos nosotros) solo puede ser explicada por la magia del amor, que es único como lo somos cada uno de nosotros, que conformamos la belleza de nuestra diversa humanidad.