It is a mystery that some important events are easily forgotten, while others that are utterly trivial are amplified by constant mental repetition. If questioned, the memory would be unable to explain itself. The result is often confusing, and even scrutiny cannot overcome its tendency to arbitrarily select what stays and what goes. A man must, at the very least, be the master of his past life; but it seems obvious that, without making an effort to tame his memory, he will not be.
Category: Notes
The Fact That There Are Excellent Historians…
The fact that there are excellent historians recounting the events does not seem to fully justify the great interest aroused by Brazil during the Second Empire. There is certainly something else that makes it possible, more than a century later, to vividly feel the reality of a Gilberto Freyre’s pages. The rest of Brazilian history seems to be eclipsed by the second half of the 19th century, and much of what happened in those years is not included in historiography. Great men, great works being produced, the impression of a great country in development, creating and maturing. Even the disputes, the differences, the politics, carried something of timeless value. In other periods, only duty can cover the indifference that their successes arouse; and even so, it is difficult to transport oneself there…
It Does Not Seem at All Reasonable…
It does not seem at all reasonable that, once the author is dead, under the justification of protecting the “rights” of his heirs, his work should remain almost inaccessible for seventy years, until it finally falls into the so-called public domain. Certainly, it does not seem to be in the author’s interest for his work to be subject to the whims of those who see it only as a means of earning a few bucks, and who almost always cause it to fall into oblivion just when it could gain greater repercussion, that is, in the years immediately following his death. Repeatedly, what we see are “heirs” opting for the best deal, that is, giving exclusivity to a mediocre publisher to print the works on cheap paper, with poor editing and higher profits. However, it is not uncommon for the publisher to also hinder distribution, which results in fewer sales and lower profits. All of this is very petty, and it is incomprehensible how it became normal, especially for the “heirs,” to use the author instead of honoring him, to harm him instead of promoting him…
It Is More or Less Inevitable That…
It is more or less inevitable that the poet who sets out to criticize other poets will value in them precisely the qualities he seeks to develop in his own work. Involuntarily, the spotlight falls on what attracts him most. For this reason, it is not uncommon for a poet’s criticism to reveal more about himself than about the author he is criticizing. And that is a very good thing. Almost always, the best parts of his criticism are those in which the poet forgets the role he is playing and lets his personal interpretation flow freely. When we compare them with other passages in which are pointed out aspects, or even authors with whom the poet-critic identifies less, the criticism, even if good, seems somewhat bland.