Literature
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News from Ernest Hello on fear and its perfections
Fear in general, therefore, has perfections that evil lacks. Perhaps the crucifixion was felt more terribly in the Garden of Olives than on the cross. For on the cross, it was felt in reality. In the Garden of Olives, it was felt in spirit. Continue reading
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Antigone, defiant and intimate (2/7. The funeral)
Part 2: The Funeral — “My dearest Ismene. I came this morning to tell you that I've taken care of everything. I used the same funeral home for both our brothers. I couldn't choose, and since our brothers didn't leave any last wishes, I took matters into my own hands to… Continue reading
Antigone , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , death , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
Antigone, defiant and intimate (1/7. The family)
Part 1: The Family From the very first reading of Antigone, an ambiguity arises in the reader's mind. Does Antigone embody action or reaction? What drives Antigone? Reaction never exists on its own, whereas action needs no one; it is legitimized by the act itself. Action always inaugurates something. Unlike what is often… Continue reading
Antigone , Charles Maurras , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
The meeting of Péguy and Lonsdale – Between heaven and earth
Michael Lonsdale invites us to discover a little gem with his show, Between Heaven and Earth. A delight. Such treasures always deserve to be given space. We must make room in the tumult, in the oppressed heart, in the life we dream of but forget to live. To live… Continue reading
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In memoriam Alvaro Mutis
It was a year ago. Alvaro Mutis passed away. This great Colombian writer deserves to be read and reread. This brilliant monarchist built a bridge between old Europe and South America. His poems, his stories, his novels carry us through our history, particularly through the figure of Maqroll el Gaviero, a solitary, disillusioned sailor… Continue reading
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Letter to my friend Alvaro Mutis
One day in the 1990s, we were walking down the street, having just left the Hôtel des Saints-Pères, and Alvaro Mutis stopped abruptly. We were almost at the corner of Rue de Grenelle, and he said to me, "Emmanuel, I have the feeling we walked like this together a long time ago on a street in Cádiz. And we…" Continue reading
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Alvaro Mutis on the monarchy
The paradox, quite painful for me, is that I was already a royalist at a very young age. I could almost say, since childhood. My first readings of history led me to seek out the origins and workings of the monarchy. I know perfectly well that the monarchy, as I conceive it and as other eras have experienced it, is now unthinkable. […] Continue reading
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Excerpt from The Hussar. Poem by Alvaro Mutis
[…] The centuries-old must of the wine, which is watered in the cellars. The strength of his arm and his bronze shadow. The stained-glass window that recounts his loves and recalls his last battle grows darker each day under the smoke of lamps fueled by bad oil. Like the wail of a siren… Continue reading
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Nocturne. Poem by Alvaro Mutis
Fever draws the song of an androgynous bird, paving the way for insatiable pleasure that branches out and traverses the body of the earth. Oh! The fruitless voyage around the islands, where women offer the traveler the cool sway of their breasts and the terrifying depth in the hollow of their hips! The tender skin… Continue reading
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In the shadow of Ernesto Sabato
When Ernesto Sabato passed away on April 30th at the age of 99, he repeated to himself the words of Maria Zambrano: "To die, this elusive act which is accomplished through obedience, takes place beyond reality, in another realm." In his home in Santos Lugarès ("Holy Places" near Buenos Aires), Ernesto Sabato obeyed this final injunction. He… Continue reading
Argentina , stupidity , Catholicism , counter-revolution , Ernesto Sabato , war , history , forgiveness -
Newman and Socrates
The links between ancient Greek philosophy and Christianity are numerous. The most famous of the Greek precepts, Gnothi Seauton, "Know thyself," inscribed at Delphi, retains a certain mystery. Another fragment of the phrase has remained with us: "But not too much"... Know thyself... But not too much! Plato leads Socrates to reflect on the Delphic formula in... Continue reading
Catholicism , ethics , ancient Greece , history , Newman , Our Lady of the Lily , Plato , political correctness , priest , religion , Socrates , Zenit -
Book reviews about Japan
I just finished reading "The Mask of the Samurai," an essay by Aude Fieschi (Philippe Picquier Publishers). It's an informative, well-written book that presents the different facets of the samurai throughout medieval Japan, up to its decline with the advent of modern Japan. Continue reading
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Philia, agape and other little things…
The Greeks used three words to describe love: eros, carnal love; philia, friendship; and agape, mature and fulfilled love. Is love only there to comfort us? Shouldn't we seek to give meaning to love, as to every event in life? Only meaning saves the human condition. Meaning… The… Continue reading
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Haiku Lessons
To write a haiku, one must absolutely respect four qualities: Sabi: simplicity and awareness of the passage of time and its alteration of things and beings; Shōri: the ability to suggest a love for humble things; Hosomi: the discovery of the beauty of everyday life; Karumi: humor that lightens the… Continue reading