Although new to writing book reviews, “Radiografía de la Pampa” by Ezequiel Martínez Estrada left such an impact on me that I feel obliged to discuss it here. The book is filled with complicated ideas & is notoriously difficult to read, so maybe I can gain some insight by writing about it… as well as get ideas from others who read this post.
Read More »argentine literature: radiografía de la pampa
Europe’s third oldest university has old traditions to match. If you’re lucky enough to be in Coimbra at the end of the academic year (usually the last week of May), there’s a big party that’s not to be missed.
Read More »portugal: queima das fitas
Being Easter Sunday, what better time to write about churches in Buenos Aires? Easter is probably my least favorite holiday of the year as it brings back memories of being dragged unwillingly to church… be it Lutheran, Methodist or Presbyterian. It never mattered much since we didn’t attend service any other day of the year. Seriously. However, after 12 years of extended stays in Spain & Portugal —plus living in Argentina for over 10 years— I may as well be Catholic by default.
Read More »buenos aires: churches
I’m not an enormous fan of tango, but there are quite a few songs that I’ve grown to love. And before you ask, no… I’ve never taken a dance lesson. Far from being clumsy on my feet —I grew up in Memphis, after all— it’s one of those cultural experiences I keep saying I’ll do one day.
That day has yet to arrive, but I thought of something yesterday when Jeff & I were discussing the difficulties of translation. He’s done a very nice month-long series of posts about Borges since June 2006 was the 20th anniversary of his death. We had trouble agreeing on how to translate one simple line of poetry, so I decided to take the ultimate challenge… translating a tango song. I think I’m asking for trouble.
Read More »argentina: no soy muy tanguero
Back at the Trelew bus station after a morning in Rawson, fatigue set in. Big time. I’d slept very little the night before & it finally caught up with me. After a few empanadas in Plaza Centenario, I decided that I hadn’t come all this way just to take a nap in a public park… nothing like forcing yourself to be a tourist. Free bus station wi-fi turned out to be helpful in deciding what to visit in Trelew… much more so than the woman at the TI booth who was having maté with her friend. At least she gave me a map.
Read More »trelew: one-day getaway
Arriving at the Trelew bus station at 05:45 probably wasn’t the best way to begin a day of sightseeing, but there wasn’t much choice. Darío had been invited to participate in a provincial meeting dealing with English language instruction, so I tagged along. I’d never been to Trelew or Rawson, & it seemed like a perfect one-day getaway.
Read More »rawson & playa unión: one-day getaway
In a recent La Nación article, Marcelo Stiletano seemed upset that Buenos Aires is great for science-fiction movie PR but apparently not good enough to be invaded or destroyed on screen. But it has been! Granted, the destruction of BA was not given the screen time it deserves, but it was a start.
Read More »buenos aires: invasion or destruction?
Buenos Aires celebrates its 431st birthday this June, but in many ways the city is still young & taking its first steps. Just look at local politics; Buenos Aires is experiencing growing pains we all have to bear.
Read More »buenos aires: las comunas & the census
