Despite the Great Risk of Degeneration…

Despite the great risk of degeneration inherent in human relationships, it must be a great satisfaction to take part in an environment of cultural exchange, such as those that have taken place and those that exist in different countries, where a small group of intellectuals with a genuine common interest talk, teach, learn, help each other and develop. What seems most beneficial, and it does not always happen, is contact between different generations, which enables the personal transmission of a legacy, which should be equally satisfying for those who pass it on and those who receive it. In fact, this is what universities could do if they did not get involved in so many formalities. The value of physical presence—absent in books—cannot be underestimated, and so culture owes a lot to these small informal associations.

Greek Mythology Is Truly Fascinating

Greek mythology is truly fascinating. The more we study it, the more we are impressed by the vast panel of human conditions it contains. In fact, we get the feeling that there is no feeling, no human destiny that does not find a model there. And the other unique creatures, the fantastic cities and scenery, it is all too vivid and stimulating for the imagination. However, it should be noted that, despite all the splendor of Greek mythology, its universe seems to lack a divinity that is not just a sort of man with superhuman powers. If that is what we are looking for, we have to look elsewhere.

In the Midst of Endless Hardships…

In the midst of endless hardships, there is no denying that poetic work holds a certain delight when it comes to choosing rhymes, choosing them and then seeing their effect. No matter how mechanized the process, the discovery of an unexpected rhyme is always pleasurable and stimulating, becoming like an addiction that only makes the poet more and more attached to language. After all, it is an addiction that ends up being productive and, once experienced, makes one wonder about the indifference with which some poets have repelled it.

If, on the One Hand, It Is Very Useful

If, on the one hand, it is very useful for an artist not to get carried away and to save some of his inspirations so that he can work on them better, on the other hand, he has to develop a very keen sense for recognizing his exceptional moods and ideas, in short, he has to know when it is essential to seize the moment. There are ideas that unfortunately pass, and states of mind that can only be experienced once. Age shows this above all. The experienced writer, no matter how experienced, cannot return to the past in order to write. There is nothing wrong with that, except if, out of an abundance of caution, he perceives in it an opportunity that has been lost.