Showing posts with label poet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poet. Show all posts

February 27 - Happy Birthday, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Steinbeck

     Posted on February 27, 2022


This is an update of my post published on February 27, 2011:



A great day for American authors!





Separated by about a century, today marks the anniversary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1807 birth and John Steinbeck's 1902 birth.

Can you pick out which of these fits Longfellow and which fits Steinbeck?

  1. Author of Grapes of Wrath
  2. Wrote The Song of Hiawatha
  3. Author of Paul Revere's Ride
  4. Wrote Of Mice and Men
  5. Won the Nobel Prize for Literature
  6. Was born in Portland, Maine
  7. Translated Dante's Divine Comedy
  8. Wrote long poems
  9. Wrote brilliant novels
  10. Was born in Salinas, California
  11. Won a Pulitzer Prize
  12. Was a professor at Harvard




ANSWERS: 
1. Steinbeck
2. Longfellow
3. Longfellow
4. Steinbeck
5. Steinbeck
6. Longfellow
7. Longfellow
8. Longfellow
9. Steinbeck
10. Steinbeck
11. Steinbeck
12. Longfellow



  • When Longfellow wrote "The Song of Hiawatha," he got criticized for writing about Native Americans in a sympathetic way. But nowadays, many folks rightfully point out how, even though Longfellow's poem demonstrates liking Native stories and culture, he also misrepresents those stories, misunderstands and mashes together stories from various different groups, and seems to shrug Natives off as people who only existed in the past. Sure, he makes Natives the heroes of the poem - but his romanticization furthers stereotypes and enables people to shirk their duty to dismantle white supremacy.   

    Check out     this video of someone singing an excerpt of the poem “The Song of Hiawatha.” But also check out this article about the racism inherent in this poem.


  • Read a short story by Steinbeck, or even one of his novels. Several of his books, including Cannery Row and East of Eden, have become movies.



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February 8 - Culture Day - or Prešeren Day - in Slovenia

      Posted on February 8, 2022


This is an update of my post published on February 8, 2011:




A poet named France Prešeren died on February 8, 1849, and about a century later the Slovene National Freedom Council declared the date National Culture Day. All I can say is, he must've been some poet!


According to a writeup in the University of Oslo, Prešeren was so important to Slovenian history, he became “a kind of synonym for it.” Prešeren's poem “The Toast” was chosen for the national anthem. His fame isn't as great in other countries, but apparently he should be right up there with the best of the Romantic poets.

A Romantic Poet?

Perhaps you think a romantic poet must write about love, kisses, and—well—romance. Actually, poets of all eras have written about love and romance, but Romanticism, or the Romantic Era, refers to certain art and literature that was painted/written/created during the late eighteenth century (late 1700s) to the mid-nineteenth century (mid 1800s) in Western culture. The Romantic artistic movement was, at least in part, a rebellion against the Industrial Revolution, against aristocracy, and against scientific explanations of natural phenomena. Romanticism promoted emotions, including horror and terror, and it promoted awe for and enjoyment of untamed nature.


In the case of Prešeren, he had a largely unhappy love life—he loved a woman who never loved him back—so his poems tended to be about “unrequited love.” His “wreath” or “crown” of sonnets ties together his unhappy love life with what he saw as Slovenia's unhappy history of being ruled by outside powers. Slovenia was for many years a conquered land ruled by the Roman Empire, the Hapsburgs, and Yugoslavia. Since 1991, however, Slovenia has been independent, and today it is the richest of the Slavic nations per capita (per person).


Entertainment and traditional dress
can be features of Slovenia's Culture Day.



Where is Slovenia?



This small country is in Central Europe. It borders on Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and the Mediterranean Sea.


I once drove through Slovenia - and it was lovely. We stayed in Bled, on the shores of Lake Bled.





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June 10 - Portugal Day

Posted on June 10, 2021
 
This is an update of my post published on June 10, 2010:




Portugal's National Day - also known as Camoes Day - is celebrated on June 10 to honor the country's greatest poet, a man named Luis de Camoes, who died on this day in 1580. (The date of his birth is unknown.)

Camoes's most important work is a long epic poem he wrote about the greatness of Portugal. Called Os Lusiadas, this poem mainly concerns the 16th-Century explorations that brought fame and fortune to the country.

Camoes actually wrote the poem while he was traveling aboard a ship on an exploratory adventure of his own. When his boat was shipwrecked near Cochinchina (which we now call Vietnam), Camoes is said to have swum ashore from the wreck using just one arm so that he could hold the poem up out of the water with his other hand!

That story may not be true, but it is certain that both Camoes and the poem survived the shipwreck.


When there isn't a global pandemic, Portuguese communities
around the world celebrate the day with parades or shows.




Learn more about Portugal


Here is the National Geographic Kids write-up for Portugal.

 


Enjoy a travelogue of Lisbon, Portugal (the capital city), courtesy of Phillip Martin. Be sure to click the links to see more!

 

Lisbon, the capitol of Portugal

Here is a video about sightseeing spots in Portugal whether it's lakes and waterfalls or Roman ruins and picturesque villages - Portugal's got it!

 

The Azores are GORGEOUS island properties of Portugal.

 



Do a jigsaw puzzle of a lovely abbey in Portugal.


Fado is more than a fad

Fado is a Portuguese music genre that has been around since the 1800s. Apparently it is the Portuguese version of the blues (or even of emo), because it features mournful tunes and lyrics. It typically features one singer and one guitar, plus loads of heartfelt emotion.

Here is a very short video about Fado.







 

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