of women and books
There was a book in my library that I was avoiding. It was from a big collection of great classics I was reading last year. When I came to this one, number 54, I picked it up, took a brief look at some of the pages and decided to skip it.
I've done this many times ever since I can read. Sometimes because I think it's not time yet or sometimes because the book is a promise of boredom. It's like delaying a meeting with a mysterious and rather difficult friend. Delaying. Because I always come for this scorned friend. Sooner or later.
I'm writing this today because It's Women's day and this particular book was written by a woman. I think this was the main reason for avoiding this book for a year. The second reason was because she is portuguese.
Well, nothing against Portuguese women writers. I'm quite found of Lídia Jorge, for instance, and Agustina Bessa-Luís should have a Nobel by now.
If a third reason was necessary I would say It was because I envy her.
Clara Pinto Correia is young, successful and not just a writer. In fact, she is a scientist who became a writer. And that is one of my dreams. To be a designer and to write.
Now I envy her much more because of this book: Secondary messengers.
I loved it from page one. The story is brilliant and the writing is very fresh. I'm still reading it but I can say that is about two of my favorite themes: monsters and history.
The author found this amazing collection of popular newspapers from the XVIII century, all about monsters sightings and strange critters descriptions. She somehow connected these stories with the large 1975 Lisbon earthquake. 8.9 in Richter's scale and a big tsunami afterwards. We all still live with this innate fear and some, like me, are completely fascinated by it.
The book says that monsters are somewhere between mankind and God, like angels and demons, acting as some sort of messengers for his punishments. So, the monsters in those old newspapers were his warnings and they were being seen closer and closer to Lisbon, and in 1755, one of them was finally seen in the city, four months before the earthquake!
I'm telling you, this is being fun. I love monsters, and everything about her writing is so pagan, even when its theological. It so pleases my atheistic yet catholic brought up mind!
Hail to women writers! Hail to women readers! Hail to women!
I've done this many times ever since I can read. Sometimes because I think it's not time yet or sometimes because the book is a promise of boredom. It's like delaying a meeting with a mysterious and rather difficult friend. Delaying. Because I always come for this scorned friend. Sooner or later.
I'm writing this today because It's Women's day and this particular book was written by a woman. I think this was the main reason for avoiding this book for a year. The second reason was because she is portuguese.
Well, nothing against Portuguese women writers. I'm quite found of Lídia Jorge, for instance, and Agustina Bessa-Luís should have a Nobel by now.
If a third reason was necessary I would say It was because I envy her.
Clara Pinto Correia is young, successful and not just a writer. In fact, she is a scientist who became a writer. And that is one of my dreams. To be a designer and to write.
Now I envy her much more because of this book: Secondary messengers.
I loved it from page one. The story is brilliant and the writing is very fresh. I'm still reading it but I can say that is about two of my favorite themes: monsters and history.
The author found this amazing collection of popular newspapers from the XVIII century, all about monsters sightings and strange critters descriptions. She somehow connected these stories with the large 1975 Lisbon earthquake. 8.9 in Richter's scale and a big tsunami afterwards. We all still live with this innate fear and some, like me, are completely fascinated by it.
The book says that monsters are somewhere between mankind and God, like angels and demons, acting as some sort of messengers for his punishments. So, the monsters in those old newspapers were his warnings and they were being seen closer and closer to Lisbon, and in 1755, one of them was finally seen in the city, four months before the earthquake!
I'm telling you, this is being fun. I love monsters, and everything about her writing is so pagan, even when its theological. It so pleases my atheistic yet catholic brought up mind!
Hail to women writers! Hail to women readers! Hail to women!