Words and Stories. Palavras e Histórias.
It's fascinating to see two literary texts which, though written 180 years apart, match as perfectly as if one author had meant to answer the other. The first text is a prose passage from the novella René, by French writer François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848). The second is a short poem by the German philosopher Frithjof … Continue reading [Translated poetry] Disquiet and stillness
Recentemente, traduzi este curto poema recitado por Meryl Streep numa cena do filme Entre Dois Amores. Seu autor foi o acadêmico e poeta inglês Alfred Edward Housman (1859 - 1936). Na tradução para o português não foi possível manter o número original de seis sílabas em cada verso. Porque as palavras portuguesas tendem a ser … Continue reading [Poesia inglesa traduzida] Um poema de A. E. Housman
Eis minha tradução de um poema da famosa poetisa inglesa Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894). Ela foi uma autora prolífica, tendo escrito centenas de poemas sobre temas românticos e religiosos, bem como alguns contos e artigos. O pai de Christina era italiano, daí seu sobrenome. Ao traduzir este poema, minha prioridade foi manter o número … Continue reading [Poesia inglesa traduzida] “Nalgum Lugar” de Christina Rossetti
A beautiful Oriental tale retold by the unique Brazilian writer Malba Tahan — the man who in 1930s Brazil created an Arab alter ego, hoaxed an entire country, and became its favourite author. (Translated by myself.) Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! God is the greatest! God is the greatest! When God created woman, he created also … 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
A recurring theme in European folk tales is that of the woman who disguises herself, and for some time lives as a man. In a German tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, in many of the Old Rus' tales, in French and Romanian tales, we see those heroines dress in male attire, take a male … Continue reading [Translated poetry] The Maiden Who Went To War
In six lines, Aesop show us how those who control the media often rewrite history. And we see that five centuries before Christ, there were "alternative facts" already. Once, a man and a lion travelled together, arguing all the while about who was the stronger. At the end of the road, they found themselves before … Continue reading [Aesop’s fable] The Traveller and the Lion
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 estrada, deparou-se-lhes um monumento de … Continue reading [Fábula de Esopo] O viajante e o leão
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
