When one has some experience with gambling and casinos, and knows firsthand the atmosphere, the sensations, and the characters that typically surround a roulette table, the analogous scenes in Dostoevsky, whether in his fiction or his biography, are appreciated on a whole new level. The Dostoevsky who theorized and made very serious notes on strategy and probability is one of the most fascinating figures one can encounter in a casino. It is impossible not to empathize with him, and impossible not to be entertained by seeing him immersed in this fierce battle between reason and emotion, struggling to draw some conclusions. One is tempted to want him as a friend. And perhaps there is no trait that more clearly demonstrates the courage and sincerity that resided in his heart.
Tag: literature
For Those of a Similar Disposition…
For those of a similar disposition, days spent like Bernardo Soares are so satisfying that it is impossible not to long for days that are always like this. From that longing, however, springs the seed of sorrow, since it is not possible to have them always. Sometimes, it is not even possible to have them. And when one allows the absence to linger, the mind, recalling the indescribable sensation of that fertile, creative, imaginative placidity, laments the impossibility of producing it at will. Action is required. But may Mr. Bernardo be eternally blessed for having taught us a sure path to satisfaction!
Elon Musk Continues to Encourage Me…
Elon Musk continues to encourage me weekly to do something crazy. According to him, my future is already guaranteed, my life is already won. “Don’t worry about money,” the multi-billionaire advises me. And I, emotionally wanting to convince myself, go over examples in my mind ranging from Fernando Pessoa to the renunciants of India, from Taleb to St. Francis of Assisi. Everything converges on the unreasonable act that, my own mind now tells me, if it proves to be unreasonable, will at least be courageous, stimulating, or, in the worst-case scenario, unique. “I’m going to go for it!,” I say to myself, knowing that I won’t be able to do it. Imagining how big the pile of my insignificant bills still to be paid would be, I can only smile at Elon Musk.
The Same Organizing Impulse That…
The same organizing impulse that drives the philosopher has an important, but different, weight for the poet. This impulse outlines, structures, organizes, and makes a poetic work comprehensible and justified; it enhances its effect by filling the verses with meaning, putting everything in its place within the whole. However, a poetic work often needs explosions that amplify the effect of the previous and subsequent harmony, beyond its most obvious expressive effects. For the brief period in which they occur, order must sometimes be suspended, chaos must be allowed; otherwise, the rapture is not complete. Allowing it repeatedly, one realizes that, after all, it is such raptures that leave the greatest mark on a poetic work; therefore, the most memorable are the brief moments when there was a break with what was theoretically intended.