In a Writer’s Personality…

There is no denying it: in a writer’s personality, eccentricity is the most captivating trait. Fernando Pessoa is much more likable to us thanks to the stupid publishing venture that burned his inheritance; Dostoevsky, the same, for believing in the potential of his amazing strategy at the roulette wheel; Cioran, the philosopher, would never be the same if he had not suffered nervous breakdowns while buying eggs. And so on… But it is very rare to see writers aware that they will be characters in their own biography, and that therefore they should focus on the eccentric. For the benefit of the biography, they should follow the advice given by Cioran in these wonderful lines:

22 juin
Suis allé au marché. Pour quatre œufs, j’ai attendu une demi-heure. Crise de nerfs, fureur, ces femmes bavardes me mettent hors de moi. J’ai attendu uniquement pour me démontrer à moi-même que j’étais maître de mes nerfs, que je pouvais me contenir, et j’ai supporté effectivement toutes ces bonnes femmes sans hurler. Mais après, j’ai failli hurler.

C’est toujours la même histoire: tout effort que nous faisons sur nous-même se retourne contre nous ou nous nous retournons contre lui. La santé, c’est donner libre cours à ses humeurs, c’est être ce qu’on est.

If not health, at least complacency with future readers.

Pages and Pages About Augusto dos Anjos…

It is astonishing that there are professional literary critics, and good ones, who have written pages and pages about Augusto dos Anjos without ever suspecting that the “poet of melancholy,” when fitting words such as “helminth,” “hookworm,” or “colpoda” into his verses, could have done so with a smile. But no… there are critics who, in truth, did nothing but interpret the poet—a poet!—literally. And, in a literal sense, melancholy and despair are far away from humor, right? What a thing! Those who do not understand how much fun it must have been for Augusto dos Anjos, after the brilliant creation of his poetic personality, to force his verses to reach the peak of eccentricity, say monumental and hilarious nonsense. Perhaps no artist has ever had so much fun giving vent to such truly distressing psychological content. Because, in his verses, are real the despair, the melancholy, the anguish, and also the humor. Not to perceive this is to perceive nothing.

The Technique of the Modern Novel…

The technique of the modern novel, which expands scenes, exposing them in greater detail and exploring the inner and outer minutiae of events, has its advantages. But sometimes one gets the impression that such detail weakens the plot. If we take as an example the ancient folk tales of some civilizations, we see that the narrative often varies, the details vary, and there may even be more or fewer scenes depending on the source; however, the logical sequence of the story does not vary, and therein lies its strength. The curious thing is this: these ancient tales, even if narrated schematically, devoid of literary devices, produce almost the same effect; a modern novel, on the other hand, if devoid of the particularities of the author’s style, becomes something quite different. Ancient narratives can easily be told orally, as they were and are, without much being lost, something impossible to do with modern novels. The modern novel can only be told by the author, and through the lines he has already written. Perhaps this means that the story never gains true autonomy, which may or may not be favorable.

Times of Cultural Misery Are the Most…

Times of cultural misery are the most conducive to immersing oneself in great eras, great works, and great achievements. This is because everything in them stimulates an interest accentuated by contrast, leaving no doubt as to where attention should be directed. In truth, even in the most prolific times, the portion that survives is small, and therefore the portion that distracts is large. There is, of course, a special feeling that comes from novelty; but perhaps this feeling diverts attention from where it could be focused much more profitably.