Words, Stories & Languages. Palavras, Histórias e Línguas.
A beautiful Oriental tale retold by a Brazilian writer (and translated by myself). Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! God is the greatest! God is the greatest! When God created woman, he created also Fancy. Thus, one day Truth decided to visit a great palace. And it had to be the very palace in which lived sultan … Continue reading [Translated story] A Fable about the Fable
Many people nowadays misunderstand the role of villains in stories. This misunderstanding has ruined a sad number of good stories, so I call upon my fellow-storytellers, and our audiences, to correct it. The storytellers, by creating villains and heroes differently; and the audiences, by being alert and holding us to account. Whether their creators realize … Continue reading [Essay] The myth of the good villain
“Heralded are now the wars ‘Twixt France and Aragon; Woe is me! that I am old, In the wars I’ll be undone! That seven daughters have I But not a single male son!” ‘Tis here the youngest answers She’s full of resolution: “Let me have a horse and arms, I will be the male son.” … Continue reading [Translated poetry] The Maiden Who Went To War
Click for the English text Em seis linhas, Esopo nos mostra como quem domina os meios de comunicação muitas vezes reescreve a História. E vemos que cinco séculos antes de Cristo já existiam "fatos alternativos". Certa vez viajavam juntos um homem e um leão, discutindo qual dos dois era o mais forte. Ao fim da … Continue reading [Fábula de Esopo] O viajante e o leão [Aesop’s fable] The Traveller and the Lion
Have you ever hesitated, unsure whether you should write lay or lie, laid or lied? I have, dozens of times. But after thinking a little, I always know the right word to use. And it's all thanks to the excerpt below. This explanation solved my problem with these verbs. And it will solve yours. There … Continue reading [Writing tips] When to use lay, lie, lied, laid, lain
Last week, a fellow word-lover shared with us his struggle to learn the difference between similes and metaphors. I hope this excerpt will help every visitor who wants to learn those definitions — and learn why to use such figures of speech. A simile is a figure of speech consisting in comparing one thing to … Continue reading [Writing tips] The difference between similes and metaphors
Isn't Henry Morton Robinson a writer to wonder at? In a passage published before, we have seen him use chess metaphors in a masterful way. Here we will look at some shorter metaphors, and one simile, also from his famous novel The Cardinal (yes, I admit it's his only work I have read). Check how … Continue reading [Writing tips] Examples of metaphors
Listen to Andersen's delightful satire of arrogant artists
A beautiful fantasy by Hans Christian Andersen. In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree … Continue reading [Short tale] The Phoenix Bird
Let's enjoy two particularly poetic passages from Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece
