Ever!

This week, I walked through bookstores in New York City looking after a collection of short stories in verse, of Machado called "Gazette of the Netherlands." There are 48 texts, originally published in "Gazeta de Notícias" of Rio de Janeiro, 1886-1888, in which the author discusses the daily affairs of the last days of the Empire-international political landscape (succession crisis in Bulgaria), public health (to combat cholera), events in the city (fire in Gamboa) etc..

Sarcastic when it comes to politics, one that the texts are suddenly in his speed, and even the fables of Aesop, sometimes with animals that talk and give moral lesson. They are halfway between a chronic and poetry. Do not have a "finish" that assumes a poetic text, nor are they a direct and news. But they were not in verse, may not communicate so well the spirit of his time. As if that were to shape the 19th century, such as 140 characters for Twitter are today.

Who, like me, looked after the "Gazette of the Netherlands" in bookstores will be frustrated. It seems that these texts are currently only available in an edition of complete works of the publisher Aguilar Machado. Hardcover and comments, the four volumes of this edition are really luxurious but cost to the tune of $ 700, and are not sold separately. The publisher's site at PUC-Rio announces a forthcoming edition of "Gazeta de Holanda" commented, with appropriate historical contextualization. But for now, nothing.

The solution is to search the Internet. The website of the Ministry of Culture brings scanned files (pdf) of the complete works of Machado de Assis and several other texts that have fallen into the public domain. Worth the visit.

The law governing the rights to intellectual works in Brazil, are those public domain works whose author died more than 70 years, counted from January 1 following his death. This does not apply to foreign authors, for which it follows the law of each of their countries.

Anyway, currently, works by Brazilian authors are now dead until 1940 in the public domain. In addition to Machado de Assis, for example, there is enquandram Euclides da Cunha ("The Rally"), Jose de Alencar ("Iracema"), Bernardo Guimaraes ("The Slave Isaura"), Augusto dos Anjos ("Where does it come from?! What raw materials ... "), Olaf Bilaspur (" Last flower of Latium, uncultured and beautiful ... "), Alphonsus de Guimaraens (" When Ismalia enloqueceu ... "), Sousândrade (" Wandering Guesa ") and Souza Cruz ("I, son of the carbon and ammonia ..."), among others, although not all of these are the achievements of the ministry's website.

The most downloaded book there is "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, with nearly 1.5 million hits. Next, come the poems of Fernando Pessoa, with just over 500 000 hits. Machado de Assis was in third place with 489 000 hits for "Don Casmurro."

I thank my dear friend of Black River, who first told me about these old texts Machado (and forgive me what is the title of this post shows).

"Black Venus" ("Venus Noire," Abdel Kechiche, 2010) is an odd movie. He recalls the story of Saartjie Baartman, African brought to Europe in the 19th century as an attraction of shows freak-show to talk about colonialism, science and the entertainment industry. What is the boundary between an artistic display and degradation? There is scientific discourse free of ideological positioning? What are the ethical responsibilities of the settlers towards the colonized?

Saartjie is a documented case of a Bushman woman who was brought to England, "willingly" to be displayed as the "Black Venus" by a Dutch businessman, who was employed in South Africa who convinces her that could become rich and famous showing off their physical attributes, and bulky buttocks particular conformation of their genitals.

Initially, the protagonist is driven by strenuous routine presentations, pretending to be a "beast", which goes over the audience and performs dances "tribal". Then it is sold to a tamer of bears more openly exploring their erotic potential, to make her a prostitute.

At one point, she caught the attention of a group of French naturalists who wants to study it "scientifically" with the same voracity with which its entrepreneurs exploited. They take measurements of each part of your body, make molds and dissect it, to finally conclude that it could only really be akin to monkeys.

Throughout his ordeal, Saartjie appears as the exact opposite of his fierce character of the scene-a woman to some extent conscious of his degradation, but absent, as if he held his breath to cross so much degradation in the name of a better future.

The look of the character and the director of the society that surrounds it is also detached, almost a look abroad. The scenes do not appeal to tears to anger or empty. And this is what causes the strangeness of the film. During 159 minutes (yes, the movie is quite long), the viewer has to be alone with issues that relate not only to the 19th century society, but issues no time (and therefore current), which relate to the societies in which exploits his fellow man in the name of power and love of glory. Sounds familiar?

Who knew: the respectable mother of Hercule Poirot, not only was not a virgin but she was also one of the first surfers from England! Author of hundreds of books that have certainly been read by many people on the beach, Aunt Agatha enjoyed a transom, and occasionally did maneuvers on the waves with its friendly chubby knees.

The photo  was taken in 1922, on Waikiki Beach, by the supposed father of Poirot and Miss Maples.

Here's one of her famous quotes:

"I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."

TOUCHDOWN of Kerouac and target shooting with BEAUVOIR

Jack Kerouac, in turn, when it was on the road, a wispy-thin enjoyed the football field. The problem, it seems, is never followed the tactical. His playing style was automatic: crash that was the only way it would in any direction. His mother did not ask for a game and, to his embarrassment, took the stand bye-bye. Fact important whether the annals of literature: it was on the lawn, they say, he met his friend Neal Cassady binge.

And Simone de Beauvoir, who never killed a pheasant in life, decided to learn to pick up the pipe smoking with athletic companion Jean-Paul Sartre, whose vision and accuracy have become legendary in the fields of France.

"Few things betray the imbecility of mind more than the slavish imitation of the follies of fashion from any monster. A man who owns the delicate feelings and appropriate for a gentleman's feel degraded when copying one another, even if only on the curve of his mustache, or tie a knot. In doing so, he's just showing the world just how unimportant he felt at that moment and contempt he had for his own taste.

Fashion and elegance are two very different things - why, even people of high rank are also proud to become martyrs for any fad of the moment, and the man of true taste will limit its membership to the whims of fashion not only to be equally noted for his profound neglect.

It is not polite to be dressed in the latest fashion. Generally, do so only people who have no other distinction-let it, in today's times, for both sellers and thieves."

Eat ALL the ice cream!