Honestly, I stumbled upon Daniil Charms completely by accident last Thursday. Was aimlessly scrolling through the library app, you know how it is, feeling a bit bored with the usual stuff. Saw this weird title and thought, “What the heck is this?” Downloaded a collection right then.
Just Started Reading… Felt Weird
Cracked open the first story on my lunch break – something about objects just falling out of people for no reason? It was… disorienting. Like my brain tripped over itself. Seriously weird, but weirdly fun? Kept going out of sheer confusion.
The next one was even stranger. “Old Woman Falling Out of a Window” or something. It wasn’t scary, just bizarre and oddly matter-of-fact. Laughed out loud at the sheer unexpectedness of it. Couldn’t help reading another. And another.
Slowly Saw the Light
After maybe 4 or 5 stories, I started noticing things:
- My mind felt looser. Like all the rigid “this has to make sense” pathways were being power-washed by absurdity.
- Those tiny fragments? Perfect brain breaks. Like a mental palate cleanser between big heavy novels.
- Started seeing the world a bit differently. That crooked painting on my wall? Suddenly felt like it was waiting to fall on someone’s head any second. Everything felt slightly more charged and potential-filled.
- It was freeing! No pressure to find deep meaning, just letting the strangeness wash over me. No “what did the author intend?” nonsense.
- And yeah, the laughs. Some were genuine chuckles at the sheer audacity. Others were nervous laughter – “Why am I reading this?!” But laughter nonetheless.
Kept At It, Saw the Benefits Pile Up
Read a few more over the weekend. Just one here and there. Noticed how sharp my focus felt afterwards – Charms demands your full attention, or you get utterly lost. Plus, the creativity spark surprised me. Started writing down my own nonsensical little snippets in my notes app later that Sunday, just playful ideas bubbling up. Hadn’t done that in years. Definitely wasn’t trying to channel Charms, but his stuff just shakes things loose upstairs.
Biggest takeaway? These tiny, strange stories are brain vitamins. They shake off the dust, refresh your perspective without demanding hours of commitment. Will I read another? Yeah, absolutely. Especially on dull afternoons or when everything feels a bit too serious.
