In 'Traversal,' Maria Popova Maps the Human Hunger for Meaning

2 days ago7 min read

Maria Popova’s new book, 'Traversal,' is an expedition into the heart of human longing. Published by FSG, it navigates the enduring mysteries of consciousness, chance, and choice, framing them not as problems to be solved but as landscapes to be explored.Popova, the mind behind The Marginalian, builds upon the intellectual terrain of her earlier work 'Figuring' by illuminating the lives of thinkers, artists, and scientists—both famed and forgotten—who have grappled with these fundamental tensions. The book argues that our restlessness itself is a compass, a 'traversal' across the gap between our reality and our potential.Through a tapestry of biography, poetry, philosophy, and science, Popova reveals how our tools for understanding are both powerful and limited. The narrative finds profound universality in specific, intimate details: personal correspondence, private failures, and resilient hope.Ultimately, 'Traversal' posits that meaning is forged not in definitive answers, but in the continual, collective act of seeking—a vital antidote to an age of fragmentation and dogma. It is an invitation to join the ongoing human conversation about what it means to live a life of wonder and desire.

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