A Recommended Read: Edgard Telles Ribeiro

Just recently, I finished reading I Would Have Loved Him If I Had Not Killed Him by Brazilian author, Edgard Telles Ribeiro. The novel was for a World Literature class in which five contemporary authors visit to host a reading and short lecture.With a title like the one it has, I expected the book could have gone one of two ways: reminiscent of a soap opera, or an interesting read. What I didn't expect was the work of art that unfolded before me.

The book is set mostly in Brazil, and it is narrated by a failed film-maker and an antiques dealer. The film-maker, Fernando, bumps into an old friend, Andrea (the antiques dealer). They begin to talk, when Fernando asks about why she decided to settle down and open an antiques shop in Brazil's capital city. Andrea explained by telling him the story of her recently deceased great-aunt. The great-aunt, Guilhermina, was married off at the age of 14. She was given by her parents to a 66-year-old man and raped on her wedding night. She spent every moment of their 7-year marriage planning his murder . What's even more interesting is that it was based on a true story, which the author revealed to us.

The author came to my university to give us a reading, and when he was going through the passages, the audience could really get a grasp of the rich language used in the text. The novel was crafted with such skill (narrative looping, intense imagery, symbolism, parallels, etc.), that when I had the chance to meet him and have my copy signed, I couldn't help but be a little nervous. I mentioned that the way he was able to weave together these stories reminded me of when I read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (read it if you haven't), and he said to me, "Read Love in the Time of Cholera, and you'll fall in love with life." Since then, I hunted down a copy at a local Goodwill, and it's on my reading list.

I highly recommend this book, and I'm waiting for the English translation of his next novel to come out in September. Here is the link on Amazon. If you read it and don't like it, there's something wrong with you.

Comments

Flannery O'Connor and The Christ-Haunted South Lecture

Bedford/St. Martin's For those of you who are not familiar with Flannery O'Connor or her work, let me take a moment to share a little. Flannery O'Connor was a writer born in Savannah, Georgia in the Twenties. She lived most of her life in a town called Milledgeville, also in Georgia. O'Connor's work is categorized as Southern Gothicism . Her wit is legendary, and her stories are characterized by their rural southern settings, grotesque characters, and the strong influence of her Catholicism (rare in the South at the time) on her work. To those of you who have not read anything from this lady, do (and comment with your opinions)! They are accessible online. Here is a link to "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," which is the first short story I read from her. Monday evening after class, my boyfriend and I attended a brilliant lecture at Emory University-- an opportunity that I hope comes around again. The lecturer was a man named Dr. Ralph Wood. He a...

Let's talk Goth, Consumerism and #zerowaste

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on low waste (or "zero waste") living —far from it . The purpose of this piece is to explore what it means to belong to the Goth subculture in the context of consumerism and making sustainable choices. There are many ways to live sustainably, but this piece will focus on reducing waste. This piece does not seek to shame or blame anyone but rather to challenge throw-away attitudes that dominate our world—and the modern Goth subculture—by offering another perspective. Respectful discussion in the comment section is welcomed. W hen I hear the words "zero waste," I often think of people making videos to show off three months of trash fitting inside a little mason jar, their magical Whole Foods shopping trip, or even a tour of their impossibly-tiny capsule wardrobe. Search #zerowaste on Pinterest and you'll come up with pictures of tidy little beige pantries with uniform mason jars filled with chia seeds, nutri...

Decatur Cemetery

Established in 1823, Decatur Cemetery is older than the city of Atlanta itself. Through the iron gates sprawled pathways lined by stone walls and oak trees. There were monuments of varying sizes and shapes, some worn and peppered with lichen. Within the cemetery, there are a few mysterious letterbox locations. Letterboxing is a past time similar to geocaching. Participants use riddles to find hidden boxes. Inside the box is a pad of paper that is stamped and dated by the finders. My boyfriend and I trekked through the cemetery to find the hidden boxes. We managed to find one of the three, which was soaked with water. Although we didn't find all, our cemetery exploration proved successful. soaked letterbox, hiding under the tree trunk. Thomas Holley Chivers Upon research, I found that Decatur Cemetery is home to a man named Thomas Holley Chivers. Chivers was a Medical Doctor who became a poet, achieving mild fame at the time. He is famous for his fri...

Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Search This Blog