Sunday Smörgåsbord #072
This week: Grayson Perry on AI, Careless People, and the body of an incorruptible Carmelite nun.
Happy Sunday, friends.
I write to you from Alba de Tormes, north-west of Madrid and only a couple of hours from the Portuguese border. It’s also the resting place of St Teresa de Ávila, one of my favourite Saints since I was a teenager, whose body is currently on display for ten days, for only the fourth time since she died in 1582.
For those who need a primer, St Teresa was a 16th-century Spanish mystic, writer, and reformer who insisted that direct and personal communion with God was as important as more ‘organised’ forms of worship, and open to all, whatever their status within the church or their gender. Her visions of the Almighty are renowned for being, let’s just say, sensual in nature, and based on these experiences she encouraged a view of religious ecstasy as spiritual connection rather than indulgence.
Though I consider myself a (lapsed) Catholic, I discovered St Teresa through a beloved teacher of mine at my secular all-girls’ school, Mrs Gregory, who emphasised Teresa’s power and revolutionary nature within the confines of the church. Since then she has stuck with me, revealing herself at important times. So when I read in a side note of a random Times article that her body would be on display, I immediately booked an Airbnb and planned a road trip.
Even at the age of 38, this is the furthest I’ve ever driven, but the trip across Spain has been a revelation. On the way across we stopped in Chinchón, a beautiful village outside of Madrid with a stunning town square (that’s featured in a Wes Anderson film). Yesterday we caught the bus to Salamanca, home to the oldest University in Spain (and on graduation day no less).
We’ve seen landscapes, faces, and fashions change as we’ve covered kilometres: the soil go from red, to yellow, to green. We’ve noticed that in Madrid and North of the capital they have Plazas Mayores: large, rectangular meeting places with arches and stern buildings and pomp and ceremony. South and East of Madrid, on the Mediterranean sides we have cities built around ports and markets, with multiple meeting places and no strict ‘central square’.
All this before even mentioning that, yes, we’ve also seen Saint Teresa. Small, withered, hacked at: her left hand in Ronda, her left foot in Rome, her heart in an encrusted jewel cup in a case behind her. Her legacy divided and played like a chess game across centuries. It was impossible not to feel something for her, on that basis alone.
Last time I connected with Saint Teresa before this trip was in her hometown of Ávila, in the chapel named for her in the house her brother built. Leaving that trip, we saw a rainbow stretch out over the surroundings. When we arrived at our first stop on the road trip, look what we found waiting for us.
And on that note: have a great week,
Emma x
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📰 Features & Podcasts
NB: [PW] signifies a paywall, though some providers allow you to read a set number of articles for free.
‘‘World champion of appropriation’ Grayson Perry says he isn’t bothered by AI using his work’, The Guardian. In a sea of pearl-clutching takes about AI and the potential of it to become our demon overlord, I thought Perry’s take was refreshing. Now, lest I feel the wrath of Substackers rain down on me, I don’t agree we should farm out our creativity to AI, nor that it should be trained on copyrighted creative works either (some of what Perry says is perhaps a little naive). His comments remind us, though, that art is always derivative on some level: very few is truly new, without any influence from others. And I agree with his view that narrative meaning will become the true differentiator, harder for AI to copy, and unique to us as human beings.
‘Police shared photos of my dead daughters. I can’t forgive them’, The Times [PW]. A moving interview with Mina Smallman, whose two daughters were murdered in a London park in 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic. Smallman has not only survived this unbearable tragedy (compounded further when Met Officers shared photos of their bodies in a Whatsapp group) but gone on to campaign against male radicalisation, supporting other families. I was struck by her immense strength in the face of such relentless horror, and her love for her family. A very inspirational read.
‘25 Questions to Bring You Closer to Your Mom’, The New York Times [PW]. As I near the first anniversary of the death of my lovely Nanna this article reminded to ask the questions that matter to the people that matter to us, whilst we still have the chance. I’ve circled some to ask my own Mum when I see her next weekend.
‘St Teresa of Avila’s severed hand’, Witness History [podcast, via Spotify]. At just nine minutes long this podcast was the least we could do when it came to some road-trip listening on our way to Alba de Tormes. And, though I knew a decent amount about St Teresa, I’d never known that Franco kept the severed hand of the Saint and slept with it by his bedside. You learn something new every day.
🎨 Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025). Or: the book that Facebook doesn’t want you to read, so much so that they’ve spent millions ensuring the book’s author, ex-Global Public Policy Director at Facebook/Meta, cannot promote it. Of course, this completely backfired, meaning even more people wanted to read it, including me. It’s an easy, you could say almost rollicking read through Wynn-Williams’ time at Facebook, and the various crises befalling what appears to be a hapless management team. Zuckerberg doesn’t come across super well, but equally he doesn’t seem super malevolent, just incredibly out of his depth. It’s his harpies who come off worse: some of the allegations around Sheryl Sandberg’s behaviour left me open-mouthed, and the China and Myanmar teams’ actions further cement the reputation of Silicon Valley to be incapable of imagining a world outside of a US timezone. I don’t think Wynn-Williams can be entirely as blameless in everything as she makes out (and I’ve since read this testimony by someone else at Facebook who alleges similar [though one of the responding comments is also pretty eyeopening]), but nevertheless, it’s a damning take on what happens when ‘tech bros’ get way in over their head.
‘Daphne du Maurier’, Deviant Women [podcast, via Spotify]. This May the Sixty Minute Book Club is diving into a short story by one of the masters of the form, Daphne du Maurier. So it was only right that I spend a recent dog walk deep-diving into her life and, wow - let’s just say you can see why so many of her tales lean dark. If you’re thinking of joining us for the May discussion, you still have time to read ‘The Apple Tree’, this month’s story, and listen to this podcast for some background ‘reading’.
📺 What have you seen lately that’s worth a read, watch or listen? Let me know in the comments.
🍹 Lifestyle
Veneno Concept, Av. de Peris i Valero, 124, Valencia. It’s a sign of either the times or my age that everything appears to be a ‘concept’ now, including what just used to be called ‘a bar’ not that long ago. But when some hip young things open a hip new thing literally on your street, you can’t complain too much, not least because they might not let me in, the fuddy-duddy I’m becoming. There’s lots to like about Veneno though: first off, the space (a converted warehouse) is huge, airy and welcoming. Secondly: the lighting. Long-running readers will know my thoughts on restaurant and bar lighting in Valencia (hygge it ain’t, and why would it need to be with all that sun). But if Veneno manages to not quite nail it, they still do something quirky and fun with it, with lit artworks strewn around the space and coloured globes strung from the ceiling. We didn’t try the food but the beers, though a little above-average price, went down a treat. This will be a great spot to while away an hour in, and take any Valencia visitors to.
That’s it for this week. I hope you find something in this list that sparks joy or curiosity.
If you’ve got any recommendations on articles, podcasts, Substacks or shows for me to dive into, please drop them in the comments. Until next time!
❤️ Thank you for reading. If you liked this post don’t forget to hit the heart to let me know and help others find my writing.
📮 And if you’re not yet subscribed, all editions of Sunday Smörgåsbord are free forever. Sign up for free and get next week’s in your inbox.
Will be checking out the NYT article. 🙏🏻🫶🏻