Sometimes, in biographies, the proper emphasis is not given, or we do not pay enough attention to the times when the subject is helped, encouraged, or spurred on by someone whom the biography ends up overshadowing. One thinks of that anonymous Uncle Cunha, whose importance in the upbringing of the young Fernando Pessoa cannot even be estimated, but was certainly beneficial and fundamental. People like this, like angels, tend to appear only a few times in a lifetime; they exert a decisive influence, but with a subtlety that is often lost over time, frequently leaving no record other than those that should remain forever in the consciousness. It is up to the beneficiary never to forget them: neither when, perhaps, he finds himself in higher realms; nor when he falls and is assailed by the unjustified thought that this earth is deprived of goodness.
Tag: literature
The Problem With Writing an “Ode to the Futile”…
The problem with writing an “ode to the futile,” as some poets have done, is that the moment the reader encounters such a poem, continuing to read it means accepting the role of someone interested in the author’s trivialities. Most, of course, accept it, and accept it enthusiastically, and such a poem may possess the genius of resembling, through its words, a television program. But here’s the thing: no one is interested in programs from the past decade, because everything futile possesses this attribute that condemns it to oblivion—it is, necessarily, transient.
Irony Is a Delight
Irony is a delight. Irresistible, at times. And for some temperaments, essential. But it is difficult not to see where it leads, or rather, it is difficult not to see the effects of its prolonged, regular practice on the practitioner’s personality. To understand this, it is enough to investigate where one’s motivation stems from. There are forms of irony that, in short, uplift; others degenerate. And this is perceived not by the reactions they provoke, but by the sentiment the ironist nurtures within himself. To always sit at the table, to center one’s life on scathing criticism, is something that should only be done with a constructive and purifying purpose.
It Does Not Seem at All Reliable…
It does not seem at all reliable to try to draw parallels between writers’ physical fitness and their intellectual character, and the proof of this is that, based solely on their writing, one can hardly glean any clues about the former. However, it is very interesting when we discover that a writer was also an athlete during his lifetime. The fact is less interesting for the possible feats achieved, and more for the importance of the athletic habit in daily life: for the necessity of it, and for reaping the benefits of exercise. There are, of course, different kinds of exercise; however, it is clear that, provided they are performed with some intensity, work flows much better afterward. The difference is noticeable: physical work is followed by a sense of relaxation, a positive serenity that benefits intellectual activity.