A Year of Growth, and What Comes Next
Happy New Year!
This year was extraordinary for this project, and that is especially thanks to you.
We began the year with fewer than 400 readers. Today, we are approaching a thousand. The audience has more than doubled, and it has become remarkably international. Readers now come from over 20 countries across six continents. Essays were read close to 50,000 times this year, and monthly readership now averages around 5,000 views. That tells me something simple and important. This work matters to people.
I also released my first book, The Weight of Silence. It has already sold over 100 copies worldwide. Real people chose to buy my writing. I am very proud of that.
Looking back at what was published this year, I see how much ground was covered. More than an essay per week was released on average. My favourites include The Aesthetics Manifesto, which came from years of thinking about beauty and style. The Tel Aviv essay, which remains one of the pieces I am proudest of. And the piece on Felix Nussbaum, written after visiting his city and museum, where poetry and history met in a rather surprising and unsettling way.
The essays on the war in Israel brought many new readers. Some were analytical. Some were poetic. They spread widely because people were searching for clarity rather than slogans. Another favourite was Where Are Our Cultural Heroes, which did surprisingly well.
This year, I also began experimenting more boldly. I blended poetry into essays. I published my first “symphony in prose.” I shared several standalone poems. The responses were encouraging and gave me confidence that this form deserves to grow. The direct support I received from readers, especially through Buy Me a Coffee, was foundational. It made it possible to treat this project as serious work. For that, I am deeply thankful.
If you have been reading consistently this year, and if these essays have given you value, I would appreciate it if you considered reciprocating by making a contribution or becoming a member by clicking here. This is how independent writing survives. Your support makes it possible for me to devote serious time to bigger work. Support at any level genuinely makes a difference, and I am deeply grateful to those who choose to take that step.
Looking ahead, I want to take another creative step. I am working toward a new major literary project. It might be a book. It might be a film. It might be a play. I am deliberately exploring forms. Fiction and poetry will continue, and so will the non-fiction that lies at the heart of this platform. I will keep writing about music and about painting and art history, because both are essential to the vision behind Philosophy: I Need It.
I also hope for a less tragic year. This past year was difficult for many reasons, both political and personal. Even so, I tried to turn difficulty into work. Essays. Poems. Reflections. Sometimes even music. I hope the next cycle brings more light and that the work reflects that light.
My hope for 2026 is peace for Israel. And the strength to keep building this project with your support.
To all of you, I wish a year of fulfilment, prosperity, peace, justice, and creativity.
Whatever happens, creation is the answer. To quote from Goethe’s Faust Part II:
“Whoever strives, and strives unceasingly, him we can redeem.”
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for being such a positive part of my year.
More is coming soon.
All the best,
Yonatan
You write beautifully and with deep thoughtfulness, Yonatan. I am confident that your audience will continue to grow. You have earned it.
You get what you deserve, my friend, and the positive reactions where more than well deserved! Keep up the good work and the needed support for Israel!!