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

Not all heroes wear capes, some wear glasses – Rosa Parks | Art of Saudade

American activist Rosa Parks was born on this day in 1913. December 1, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama – a quiet, 42-year-old woman was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a man on a bus. The reason? She was African-American and the man was “white”. Yes, I also can’t believe this happened less than 70 years ago. This event led to the United States Supreme … Continue reading Not all heroes wear capes, some wear glasses – Rosa Parks | Art of Saudade

Brazilian literature: #1 Jorge Amado – Captains of the Sands

There is something mysterious and intriguing about books that were burned under dictatorships, don’t you think?  Personally, knowing that a book was prohibited by certain authorities inspires me even more to discover it. Captains of the Sands is a novel written by the Brazilian author Jorge Amado in 1937. Amado was only 25 years old when he first published the story of the abandoned children … Continue reading Brazilian literature: #1 Jorge Amado – Captains of the Sands

Learn to write from the Masters: #2 Charles Kiefer – “Para ser escritor”

The writer’s struggle for the right word is the most painful struggle. This is Charles Kiefer’s statement, Brazilian literature professor and author who shares his thoughts on the most common challenges writers face. Finding the right word, or le mot juste that Flaubert himself struggled with, is obviously one of the obstacles in the writing process. In Flaubert’s case, this struggle turned into obsession (it … Continue reading Learn to write from the Masters: #2 Charles Kiefer – “Para ser escritor”