Perhaps only poetry can be compared to historiography in Brazil, both boasting a long tradition of authors of the highest caliber, representing the most varied styles and approaches. And it is curious to note that, despite this vast and excellent body of literature available, the average Brazilian is completely unaware of Brazil’s history. It is one of those paralyzing ironies. The average American has his opinion about all the major events in American history: he knows them, at least. And in the United States, one need only walk into any bookstore, at either end of this vast country, to observe the following: in none of them is there a section larger than that of American history. In Brazil, despite the great authors, this is not the case. And the great authors, it must be said, are as great as they are unknown to the general public. So, here we are: the machinery of culture already seems to exist; what is missing, however, is something to force the engine to start.
Category: Notes
Sometimes It Is Difficult to Overcome…
Sometimes it is difficult to overcome the sense of vertigo and exhaustion that arises in those moments when the inexhaustible vastness of the fields of literature and the social sciences seems to reveal itself. A single interesting read puts five, ten others on the waiting list, which multiply into another twenty or thirty, leaving the poor student on his knees before the impossibility of reading them all at once or, worse, before the justified expectation of a new exponential surge. But then, driven by necessity, he has to return to those old principles: the first, which teaches him to value the moment; the second, which recommends starting with what is most important. After all, he experiences the relief that, for the rest of his life, he will have worthy company.
The Difference Between a Young Intellectual…
The difference between a young intellectual and a mature intellectual is this: the latter has the courage to take responsibility for what he says. It may seem like a small thing, but it is not. Young people are often logical and rebellious; they are capable of fierce and perceptive criticism; but more often than not, they lack the courage to voice it openly or to attach their full name to it. In short: they lack the courage to stand by them, much less to suffer the consequences of their provocation. Time passes, however. And the restraint it usually brings can be misleading in this regard: the mature intellectual, though he may seem more measured, is not afraid to see things through to the end.
Brazilian History Might Well Be the Most…
Brazilian history might well be the most fascinating on the planet if two or three more Gilbertos Freyres were to emerge, offering readers two or three hundred years of history analyzed through the multifaceted lens of the original genius. No cataclysms, heroic feats, or miraculous successes would be needed to make it intriguing: it would suffice if, through clothing, customs, preferences, and convictions, the rise and fall of the common man were made evident. “What did you play when you were a child?”, “What did you do on weekends?”, “What did you read?”, “What did you think about this or that?”… This kind of question says everything, or almost everything, about the state of a civilization.