From a Ukrainian Refugee to a Brazilian Writer: Clarice Lispector | Art of Saudade

1920. The Jewish-Ukrainian family Lispector welcomed their third baby, a healthy baby girl that they decided to name Chaya, the Hebrew word for ‘Life’. Little did they know that this little girl was going to become one of the greatest writers on the other side of the world. 1922. Clarice is a little more than a year old when their parents decide to leave. Where? … Continue reading From a Ukrainian Refugee to a Brazilian Writer: Clarice Lispector | Art of Saudade

Love In The Time Of Corona: 95 Years Of Gabriel García Márquez | Art of Saudade

Today, a Latin American lady sang La Cucaracha in a tramway full of zombies. Faces behind the screens, some of them laughing behind their masks, couldn’t care less if some middle-aged homeless woman decided to break the monotony.  La cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar… Honestly, she made my day. Not only did she make my day, but she also reminded me of the … Continue reading Love In The Time Of Corona: 95 Years Of Gabriel García Márquez | Art of Saudade

Banning Culture | A University In Italy Banned A Course On Dostoevsky | Art of Saudade

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein A few days ago, the University of Milano-Bicocca decided to suspend the course that the writer Paolo Nori was going to give on the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. The author himself explained that censoring a literature class is ridiculous.  This is not just ridiculous, it’s … Continue reading Banning Culture | A University In Italy Banned A Course On Dostoevsky | Art of Saudade

Reinventing The World Through Visual Poetry With Guillaume Apollinaire | Art of Saudade

Looking for a safe place in a world ravaged by wars, the Polish teenager Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary de Wąż-Kostrowicki (you get a cookie if you pronounce it right) was roaming around Europe until he finally settled in Paris in the early 20th century. Little did he know that more misery was yet to come. The charming French capital was the cradle of art back … Continue reading Reinventing The World Through Visual Poetry With Guillaume Apollinaire | Art of Saudade

Life is short? | Here is what Seneca and Steve Jobs would reply | Art of Saudade

If I had a dollar every time I heard the phrase “Life is short”, I’d be a billionaire. How much time have we spent complaining about life being too short instead of being grateful for the time we actually have? The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca invites you to think for a minute. Is life really that short? “It is not that we have a short … Continue reading Life is short? | Here is what Seneca and Steve Jobs would reply | Art of Saudade

10 Kurt Cobain Quotes About Life and Art | Art of Saudade

Kurt Cobain on Being Authentic “They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same.” “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are” “I was tired of pretending that I was someone else just to get along with people, just for the sake of having friendships.” “I just hope I don’t become so blissful I … Continue reading 10 Kurt Cobain Quotes About Life and Art | Art of Saudade

Kurt Cobain’s Cry For Help | Why Hidden Messages Matter | Art of Saudade

Kurt. I was born four years after his death and I only got to discover his music when I was a teen.  Perfect timing. Kurt’s music was my personal introduction to rock music. I started as a passionate Nirvana fan, enjoyed the great Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Doors. Quite atypical for my age though. My love for rock music started when … Continue reading Kurt Cobain’s Cry For Help | Why Hidden Messages Matter | Art of Saudade

Why Storytelling Matters | Toni Morrison’s Lesson on Writing | Art of Saudade

Today we celebrate the birth of a legend, a superwoman, a fighter and a Nobel laureate. Did you know that Toni Morrison wrote her first novel, getting up every morning at 4 am to write, while raising two children on her own?  She described her first work, The Bluest Eye, as “history, sociology, folklore, nightmare and music”, depicting the dark side of humanity through the … Continue reading Why Storytelling Matters | Toni Morrison’s Lesson on Writing | Art of Saudade

THE CORRUPTION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF LOVE (Happy Valentine’s Day) ♥

Love isn’t something natural, argues the psychoanalyst Eric Fromm in his book The Art of Loving. Rather, it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and overcoming narcissism. It isn’t a feeling, it is a practice. Love, therefore, is considered a rare achievement. Modern humans are alienated from each other and from nature, and the only rational answer to overcome loneliness is love. The main condition for … Continue reading THE CORRUPTION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF LOVE (Happy Valentine’s Day) ♥

A Brief History of Surrealism: From André Breton to Frida Kahlo | Art of Saudade

Surrealism as a cultural, literary, and artistic movement emerged in the aftermath of World War I when artists would not only dream of a better world, but they would try to create it.  Among the major figures of Surrealism were the writers André Breton, Robert Desnos, Paul Éluard, Louis Aragon, and the painters Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and René Magritte. André Breton, the Father of … Continue reading A Brief History of Surrealism: From André Breton to Frida Kahlo | Art of Saudade