The Writer's Almanac from Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Writer's Almanac from Tuesday, April 2, 2013
"Briefcases" by Stephen Dunn, from New and Selected Poems 1974-1994. © Norton, 1994.
ORIGINAL TEXT AND AUDIO - 2013
It's the birthday of the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, born in Odense, Denmark (1805), the son of an illiterate mother and a poor cobbler. He trained for the ballet, the stage and the opera, but when all of that failed, he settled on becoming a poet. His first novel gained him enough success that he was able to afford to travel, which would become his life-long passion. He left Denmark on thirty different trips, spending twenty years abroad, travelling as far as Constantinople. He was great self-promoter and befriended practically everyone of importance in Europe—artists, musicians, scientists, politicians and royalty. He wrote six novels and several travel books, thirty-five plays and a hundred and seventy-five fairy tales including "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "Thumbelina," and "The Ugly Duckling." He remained forever true to his humble background and believed status should be the right of everyone and not the privilege of the aristocracy.
Today is the birthday of Giacomo Casanova, born in Venice (1725), the famous libertine. A compulsive gambler and restless man, he never settled into one occupation before tiring of it and moving on to the next thing — he earned a law degree, was a scribe to a Cardinal in Rome, joined the military, played violin in the theater, posed as an alchemist, translated the Iliad, spied for the government, and was a librarian. But he is best remembered for seducing many women, which he wrote about in his 12 volume, 3,500 page autobiography, The Story of My Life.
Casanova wrote: "I loved, I was loved, my health was good, I had a great deal of money, and I spent it, I was happy and I confessed it to myself."
Today is the birthday of Émile Zola, born in Paris (1840). He was inspired by reading Charles Darwin to try to apply scientific principles of observation to the practice of writing fiction. The result was a 20-novel cycle, a kind of fictional documentary about the influence of heredity and environment on an extended family. It was called Les Rougon-Macquart. Some of the novels of the cycle include The Drunkard (1877), Nana (1880), and Germinal (1885).
Zola said, "One forges one's style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines....The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®
Friendship Sonnet Cards - Set #1 (8 horizontal cards)
"He wrote six novels and several travel books" And yet remembered for Thumbelina. This is why writers are depressed : )
How tragic is this? Zola said, "One forges one's style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines....The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." Just think how many were gifted and poured it in the sewer each day.
As for one's status, earned it must be....and often it's not worth a drip. Let's work hard and well and tell our stories no more from the calluses on our hands. They speak for themselves.
I'm well as an octovaran can manage, does as good work as my age allows, and "keep in touch.®", being one way, is usually as close as most of us get. And I quote with the close with one of your Thanksgiving prayer from the Strib many years ago: "More we do not need."
I'd only add, "More we need to do!"