“EXIT THE KING” (1962)…

…is an absurdist drama by French playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909 - 1994) that I have never seen (or read, for that matter). 

I don’t even know what it’s about. However, bringing it up is still appropriate, as there is now, in fact, a leader exiting. What you are currently reading is the first issue of Something published this school year, but also the last issue of Something to ever be published under my supervision. I am retiring. Sentimentality aside - we’ll get back to that later - let us look at what you can expect to find in these pages.

Whether you are looking to be entertained, educated or to scoff at misinformation, I am sure you’ll find something to spend your time on here. Firstly, there is a joint double effort detailing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from an immediate and brief (Richard), or long-term cultural and historical perspective (Kerem), what follows is a short account of the work that went into the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics (myself), and some very interesting tips for cultural events in Ostrava in the present or near future (Martin). Moreover, the traditional material also makes a return: we have recommendations for Netflix (Karolina), an interview with a staff member - Ms. Humeníková in this case (Elen) - and an insight into the current punk scene (Marek). 

Reflecting back on my two year experience as a chief editor, it has certainly been interesting. I learned a lot of things, such as the way people work in team settings (in the sparse instances they decide to do so) and that I am not exactly outstanding at time management. 

That said, I am proud of the work and effort that my collaborators and I have put into this project, and I hope it will continue to grow even in my absence. Have I enjoyed working on it? Sometimes. Was it worth it? I will leave that as an open question for the readers to answer.

Gabriel Makhoul, chief editor (formerly)