Tag: Writing

Literature, Poetry, Quotes

150 years – Paul Valéry (October 30, 1871 – July 20, 1945)

One of the best French poets, Paul Valéry, was born on this day in 1871. In addition to his poems, he also wrote philosophical essays. After an existential crisis in his twenties, Paul Valéry stopped writing and experienced writer’s block, a well-known phenomenon in the life of many classic authors. His salvation, you may ask? Poetry. Here are some of his quotes on his beloved … Continue reading 150 years – Paul Valéry (October 30, 1871 – July 20, 1945)

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Literature

Was Max Brod a bad friend?

German-speaking Jewish writer from Prague working for an Italian insurance company… No, that’s not how one can describe the author of The Metamorphosis. At least, that’s not how Kafka would describe himself. “I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.” This … Continue reading Was Max Brod a bad friend?

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Culture, Education, Literature, Poetry

Portuguese literature: #1 The Lusiads by Camoes

The Lusiads by Luís Vaz de Camões is one of the most important and most representative literary works ever written in Portuguese.  If English is the language of Shakespeare, French the language of Molière and Italian the language of Dante, Portuguese is the language of Camões. More than thousand verses compose what literary critics call “the Portuguese Iliad”. What makes this epic poem so special?  … Continue reading Portuguese literature: #1 The Lusiads by Camoes

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Brazil, Literature

Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – The Devil to Pay in the Backlands

João Guimarães Rosa – who on earth is this guy and how do you even pronounce his name? Well, this is the author you cannot miss if you want to discover Brazilian literature. Novelist, poet, diplomat and polyglot, Rosa’s work is one of the best literary achievements in the world. His story The Devil to Pay in the Backlands was named among the best 100 … Continue reading Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – The Devil to Pay in the Backlands

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Brazil, Literature

Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – Magma

João Guimarães Rosa is one of the names of Brazilian literature you absolutely need to know. Most known for his best-seller The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, he also published short stories and poetry. I decided to discover this author through his verses, a collection of poems called Magma, published posthumously in 1997. In his lifetime, João Guimarães Rosa never thought his work was … Continue reading Brazilian literature: #2 João Guimarães Rosa – Magma

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Brazil, Creative writing, Culture, Literature

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

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Creative writing, Education, Learning, Literature

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”

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Creative writing, Learning, Literature

Learn to write from the Masters: #1 Horacio Quiroga – Decalogue of the perfect storyteller

Fernando Pessoa said, “Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life”. However, what is truly agreeable is the final result which requires a long and painstaking work. Writers, whether they’re geniuses or amateurs, have all struggled with writer’s block. Quiroga, one of the greatest short story writers, shares 10 of his writing secrets that could help you get inspired, overcome writer’s block and finally, … Continue reading Learn to write from the Masters: #1 Horacio Quiroga – Decalogue of the perfect storyteller

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Literature, Poetry, Quotes

Being a poet: between agony and privilege

How do we write a poem? Where does inspiration come from? What does it take to be a poet? Is being visited by the muses a torture or a bliss?To answer these questions, I chose two poems by authors whose personalities represent the true nature of poetry – melancholy and plurality. The French symbolist Charles Baudelaire compares poets with albatrosses, seabirds tortured by sailors. Fernando … Continue reading Being a poet: between agony and privilege

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