Words and Stories. Palavras e Histórias.
This folk tale from Bulgaria was — in its Portuguese version, taken from an old encyclopedia of folk tales — the most read of all stories on my blog in 2021. I've translated it now, so that English speakers too can be touched by it. Tuck felt very weary. His poor and penurious existence weighed … Continue lendo [Legend from Bulgaria] The Well
To many of us, the name of H. C. Andersen evokes world-famous tales like The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Brave Tin Soldier, The Wild Swans, The Little Match-Seller. But Andersen wrote a wealth of lesser-known stories that are just as full of beauty and meaning as his more celebrated tales. This is one … Continue lendo [Andersen’s lesser-known tales] In the Uttermost Parts of the Sea
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 lendo [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 lendo [Opinion] 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 lendo [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 lendo [Aesop’s fable] The Traveller and the Lion
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 lendo [Andersen’s lesser-known tales] The Phoenix Bird
Let's delight in Henry Morton Robinson's deft use of chess figures of speech towards the end of this scene. The man was a master at simile and metaphor. Setup: Young Father Stephen Fermoyle has fallen in disgrace with the irascible Cardinal Glennon, who banished him to a remote, penniless parish as assistant to the ailing … Continue lendo [Literary passage] Chess metaphors in The Cardinal
In a surprising digression from a crime analysis, Sherlock Holmes gives us a short but deep soliloquy on Beauty as proof of the Divine. From The Adventure of the Naval Treaty, in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. "What a lovely thing a rose is!" He walked past the couch to the … Continue lendo [Literary passage] Sherlock Holmes and the rose
Beatriz Becker 