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.
Tag: literature
The Aspiring Writer Will Be Shocked…
The aspiring writer will be shocked if someone tells him that not even Cioran himself agreed with the things he said, but that, despite this, he was a true master of the art of writing. Yet this is the case. And that is precisely why it is so difficult to find authors who write like him: because Cioran took the need to craft powerful phrases to its ultimate extreme. For him, it is not the content of what he is saying that matters, but rather the effect of the sentence. And when it comes to powerful sentences, there are not many authors who can compare to him.
When One Has Some Experience With Gambling…
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.
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!