I wish everybody who teaches a very productive, enjoyable, and intellectually enriching semester. Remember, we went into this career to read books, generate ideas, and share knowledge. Everything else is just noise. …or, as my old colleague said, we got into this to have fun, and we must remember this and act in that sense. … More Nouvel an
My student observes that the more you know about Vallejo’s biography, the more it seems to lend itself to mythologizing since there are so many eccentric anecdotes. That is of course why a deeply contextualized intellectual and cultural biography would be interesting. It would not solve the problem, though, if it repeated the gesture of … More Postscript on César Vallejo
W. H. Auden makes the case for art and against social science, sport, and hygiene I was raised with. I must actually study Thomas’ post, which I have not yet done and which is another matter. I am not a Bohemian but a great bourgeoise. To be a Bohemian like César Vallejo, for instance, you … More On Bohemians
Read all about it. Read more from Copenhagen, remembering of course that Denmark is our theme this Christmas (which is not over yet, we are on the tenth day)! Under Which Lyre A REACTIONARY TRACT FOR THE TIMES (Phi Beta Kappa Poem, Harvard, 1946) Ares at last has quit the field, The bloodstains on the … More W. H. Auden
Clinically speaking, I think Vallejo may have suffered from an anxiety disorder. The conditions of his life exacerbated this. He put a great deal of effort into riding it out and calming down, and strove toward breakthrough moments of feeling happy and well. In the era of living with Henriette the menu was boiled potatoes … More More girlfriends of César Vallejo
Here, at last, some responsibly made material for a general audience. I do not think there is new information here, but it is a decent discussion. At the end of block 5 there is a photograph I had never seen, taken right before his death. He is incredibly skinny that day. Earlier, there is another … More Ricardo González Vigil, and others, on Vallejo … and Arguedas, singing!
I have not read the latest quasi-biography of Vallejo (that I know of offhand) and I should. It is short and by Silva-Santisteban, and it is from 2010, and it accompanied an exposition. I have said this before but someone should write a serious biography of this poet, because things just do not add up … More César Vallejo
Suicide note, via Clarissa. He sounds like a great person. That was a post from January 10, 2011 and I am moving it here and adding to it for the upcoming anniversary since this is a very interesting case. Zeller speaks of “the darkness” and his is very serious but I know in a smaller … More Bill Zeller, and those Andeans
In a true Danish Christmas there would be Lutheran Mass but we went to a Catholic one. It was very beautiful, the full ceremony with costumes and processions that I tend to forget are done now and not only in the late Middle Ages. These things were remarkable as well as inspiring and uplifting. Without … More Rhyme of the Norn Guest
It is now winter, that beautiful season of cold and growing light. The Sun has moved into Capricorn, the best sign. To celebrate winter we will look at the fountain of Cibeles in Madrid, with snow, and the stela of 18 Rabbit, our ruler at Copán. Sur le Noël, morte saison Lorsque les loups vivent … More Winter
coldhearted scientist وداد 