I finally decided to give a chance to the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, who, supposedly, is the most widely-read living authors in the world. I always heard mixed reviews from his works, but I should have paid more attention to the ones from some of my friends who told me I would not like him. I have only read thirty pages of Manuscript found in Accra and one question came to my mind right after page 6 or 7:
HOW THE FUCK CAN ANYBODY READ THIS PEACE OF CHEAP CRAPPY PHILOSOPHY AND ENJOY IT?
I don't like to curse when I write, but I was so pissed I wasted my time on this, I had to let my anger out somehow. I don't even want to try The Alchemist, his most acclaimed novel, because I'm sure I will loose hope in humanity.
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Mario Vargas Llosa in St. Louis II
I have to say that the more I think about the talk by Mario Vargas Llosa with professor Olga Arbeláez, the better job I think she did. When I was there I kept complaining in my head about the lack of profundity in her questions. My colleague and fellow blogger Clarissa explains in her blog what the "interview" consisted on. In fact, we chatted for a while after the talk, and we both agreed that professor Arbeláez could have done a better job. Every scholar there probably had the same opinion.
However, I was incredibly lucky to be invited to the cocktail that followed the talk, and there my opinion changed. As Clarissa said, "Vargas Llosa is an easy person to interview because he is a great story-teller and a skilled public speaker. In response to every question, he launches into a fascinating, detailed discussion that the audience follows with bated breath." This is the reason,many of us that were there came out of the interview a little disappointed for the simple questions, but at the same time happy to have heard the eloquence of one of the best writers alive in a language that is not his, but that he managed pretty well to deliver a highly entertaining monologue (after each questions he gave lengthy answers full of anecdotes).
Realizing that this was a time for Mario Vargas Llosa to enjoy the prize was the biggest achievement of Dr. Arbeláez. Deeper, more complex questions (as much as I would have like them) would have deprived the Nobel prize of delivering a joyful speech such as the one he gave us. Also, in the cocktail party I realized that basically nobody of the attendants were literature experts, and some of them hadn't read more than one book by Vargas Llosa (if they were saying the truth), so nobody complained about the questions.
Would have I enjoyed better a different set of questions? Absolutely. Did professor Olga Arbeláez fail as an interviewer? Not exactly, she just didn't do the job that we as academic nerds would have loved her to do.
However, I was incredibly lucky to be invited to the cocktail that followed the talk, and there my opinion changed. As Clarissa said, "Vargas Llosa is an easy person to interview because he is a great story-teller and a skilled public speaker. In response to every question, he launches into a fascinating, detailed discussion that the audience follows with bated breath." This is the reason,many of us that were there came out of the interview a little disappointed for the simple questions, but at the same time happy to have heard the eloquence of one of the best writers alive in a language that is not his, but that he managed pretty well to deliver a highly entertaining monologue (after each questions he gave lengthy answers full of anecdotes).
Realizing that this was a time for Mario Vargas Llosa to enjoy the prize was the biggest achievement of Dr. Arbeláez. Deeper, more complex questions (as much as I would have like them) would have deprived the Nobel prize of delivering a joyful speech such as the one he gave us. Also, in the cocktail party I realized that basically nobody of the attendants were literature experts, and some of them hadn't read more than one book by Vargas Llosa (if they were saying the truth), so nobody complained about the questions.
Would have I enjoyed better a different set of questions? Absolutely. Did professor Olga Arbeláez fail as an interviewer? Not exactly, she just didn't do the job that we as academic nerds would have loved her to do.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Mario Vargas Llosa in St. Louis
The controversial and magnificent writer Mario Vargas Llosa visits St.Louis tomorrow to received the 2011 St.Louis Literary Award from the St.Louis University Library Associates. I will have the chance to see the 2010 Nobel Prize of Literature, and I'm planning on telling you how it went! But that will be tomorrow, or rather in a few hours!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tomas Tranströmer, Nobel Prize for Literature 2012
...and obviously, the prize didn't go to Bob Dylan! The winner, Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, was totally unknown to me. For some reason, there's not many contemporary poets that I read, and that's unfortunate. I always find myself re-reading poetry rather than discovering new one. Maybe, this will be an opportunity for me to change that trend. According to the Accademy, he's been awarded the prize because "through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality." His poetry books are supposed to be short, which I like in poetry. I find out that the only large poem that I go back to, is Paradise Lost, otherwise it is always a pocket book.
Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for literature 2012!
I know, I also like Dylan, but I believe that's not going to happen. However, according to The Guardian he leads the bets over Adonis, Murakami, or Pynchon. Well, if it happens people are just not going to make as much money as they would have betting for him the day before. The odds went from 100/1 to 5/1 almost overnight. In any case, don't you have anything better to do than wasting your money in this kind of betting?
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