What Would the World be Like Without Mavericks?
Mavericks have always been with us, everywhere, in all forms. Some see further and could help drive positive changes in society. Others may be disruptive or even harmful.
Society often treats mavericks poorly, typically rejecting them—even the visionary ones—out of misunderstanding or convenience. Politicians find them troublesome because they could inspire the public. And the public, in turn, tends to reject them out of habit, fear of the unknown, or similar reasons. Another misconception is accepting all peculiarities without distinction, a product of linear humanism—everything different must be embraced.
Today, we need mavericks—mavericks on life’s meaningful path—more than ever. This is why this book deserves attention. It is promising that it is part of the Creative Europe project: Pariahs: Performing Europe's Historical Memory.
Ours is an era of commodity ethics and rapid global unification, which means fewer and fewer opportunities for mavericks who would transform our planet into a shared home, bright with light, where we hear diverse music, but all of it good music. A home for true diversity, on the right side of life.
This is why this book is so valuable. It is a parable about finding one’s life path. To seek the right path is to seek truth—a truth that is on the right side of life, a truth that excludes no one, that doesn’t obscure.
With this fairy-tale novel, Anej Sam responds to these times in a Voltairean manner. His hero, the solitary wanderer named Cat (a kind of modern-day Socrates), journeys across the vast world, responding to reality. And he reveals something miraculous: the world has changed so much that today, uniqueness, which was once widespread, has become more of a rarity. This uniqueness—the human connection, the arts, the preservation of cherished customs, and care for nature—is the true meaningful life path.
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Text by: Anej Sam
Illustrations by: Sara Di Sante
Translation from Slovenian: Elizabeta Žargi
Format: 24x25 cm, 68 pages, colour print on art paper, hardbound with stitched binding.
