(a entrevista completa ao "Tchékhov dos subúrbios" pode ser lida aqui)
quarta-feira, 23 de abril de 2008
John Cheever (2)
INTERVIEWER
Do you think narcissism is a necessary quality in fiction?
JOHN CHEEVER
That's an interesting question. By narcissism we mean, of course, clinical self-love, an embittered girl, the wrath of Nemesis, and the rest of eternity as a leggy plant. Who wants that? We do love ourselves from time to time; no more, I think, than most men.
INTERVIEWER
What about megalomania?
JOHN CHEEVER
I think writers are inclined to be intensely egocentric. Good writers are often excellent at a hundred other things, but writing promises a greater latitude for the ego. My dear friend Yevtushenko has, I claim, an ego that can crack crystal at a distance of twenty feet; but I know a crooked investment banker who can do better.
Do you think narcissism is a necessary quality in fiction?
JOHN CHEEVER
That's an interesting question. By narcissism we mean, of course, clinical self-love, an embittered girl, the wrath of Nemesis, and the rest of eternity as a leggy plant. Who wants that? We do love ourselves from time to time; no more, I think, than most men.
INTERVIEWER
What about megalomania?
JOHN CHEEVER
I think writers are inclined to be intensely egocentric. Good writers are often excellent at a hundred other things, but writing promises a greater latitude for the ego. My dear friend Yevtushenko has, I claim, an ego that can crack crystal at a distance of twenty feet; but I know a crooked investment banker who can do better.
John Cheever (1)
INTERVIEWER
I was reading the confessions of a novelist on writing novels: "If you want to be true to reality, start lying about it." What do you think?
JOHN CHEEVER
Rubbish. For one thing the words "true" and "reality" have no meaning at all unless they are fixed in a comprehensible frame of reference. There are no stubborn truths. As for lying, it seems that falsehood is a critical element in fiction. Part of the thrill of being told a story is the chance of being hoodwinked or taken. Nabokov is a master at this. The telling of lies is a sort of sleight of hand that displays our deepest feelings about life.
INTERVIEWER
Can you give an example of preposterous lie that tells a great deal about life?
JOHN CHEEVER
Indeed. The vows of holy matrimony.
I was reading the confessions of a novelist on writing novels: "If you want to be true to reality, start lying about it." What do you think?
JOHN CHEEVER
Rubbish. For one thing the words "true" and "reality" have no meaning at all unless they are fixed in a comprehensible frame of reference. There are no stubborn truths. As for lying, it seems that falsehood is a critical element in fiction. Part of the thrill of being told a story is the chance of being hoodwinked or taken. Nabokov is a master at this. The telling of lies is a sort of sleight of hand that displays our deepest feelings about life.
INTERVIEWER
Can you give an example of preposterous lie that tells a great deal about life?
JOHN CHEEVER
Indeed. The vows of holy matrimony.
quase quase dez por cento...
foi esta a margem da vitória de Hillary Clinton (54,7 contra 45,3). Um resultado que excede os meus palpites (que andavam algures pelos seis ou sete ou oito por cento à maior para a senadora de Nova Iorque), um resultado que lhe dá mais um balão de oxigénio - leia-se, que lhe permite angariar mais dinheiro para que o seu favoritismo no Indiana não se esbata. Indiana é o estado "must win" que se lhe segue (a Carolina do Norte aparenta estar perdida). Hillary sai da Pensilvânia com 10 a 15 delegados a mais do que Obama, número ainda incerto, mas número que pouco a ajuda, e há quem avance com a tese de que a vitória de ontem pode até causar um efeito contraproducente para a sua campanha:
Could Obama's defeat last night actually speed up the process of superdelegates declaring themselves in favor of Obama? Maybe. Here's the logic.
E há quem encare a derrota de Obama como um rude golpe para a sua elegibilidade ("The Next McGovern?", um artigo pateta de um tipo muito inteligente). E há quem note que apesar da luta fratricida dos candidatos democratas, ambos continuam bem colocados para a eleição de Novembro. E o editorial do NYT - jornal que, lembro, apoiou Hillary Clinton - arrasa a ex-primeira-dama. E há um tipo na blogosfera americana que se chama Thoreau. Fui à Bertrand perguntar pela LER. A simpática rapariga disse que até ma dava, sim senhor, mas tinha de comprar um livro. Um qualquer. Perguntei-lhe pelo "Lavagante". Trouxe-o. Fiquei feliz com o negócio, pareceu-me bom. Fui direitinho à lista dos "50 autores mais influentes dos século XX". Encontrei o F. Scott Fitzgerald, nome óbvio, natural, e fico descansado quanto à lista. E de seguida o bom do Salinger. Fico sempre menos enfadado da vida quando encontro o nome do Salinger numa lista; sempre. Ao mesmo tempo acho que daqui a uns anos vou gostar menos dele; que um tipo com a idade o vai esquecendo. Talvez não, talvez não, espero que não. O Faulkner era um tipo espirituoso como tudo, a fotografia não mente. Eu cá metia lá o Walser à força, que se dane se foi muito ou pouco ou nada influente. E o Lowry. E o Bioy Casares, caramba. Gosto muito muito muito de o ler, cada vez mais; um escritor bonito:
Could Obama's defeat last night actually speed up the process of superdelegates declaring themselves in favor of Obama? Maybe. Here's the logic.
E há quem encare a derrota de Obama como um rude golpe para a sua elegibilidade ("The Next McGovern?", um artigo pateta de um tipo muito inteligente). E há quem note que apesar da luta fratricida dos candidatos democratas, ambos continuam bem colocados para a eleição de Novembro. E o editorial do NYT - jornal que, lembro, apoiou Hillary Clinton - arrasa a ex-primeira-dama. E há um tipo na blogosfera americana que se chama Thoreau. Fui à Bertrand perguntar pela LER. A simpática rapariga disse que até ma dava, sim senhor, mas tinha de comprar um livro. Um qualquer. Perguntei-lhe pelo "Lavagante". Trouxe-o. Fiquei feliz com o negócio, pareceu-me bom. Fui direitinho à lista dos "50 autores mais influentes dos século XX". Encontrei o F. Scott Fitzgerald, nome óbvio, natural, e fico descansado quanto à lista. E de seguida o bom do Salinger. Fico sempre menos enfadado da vida quando encontro o nome do Salinger numa lista; sempre. Ao mesmo tempo acho que daqui a uns anos vou gostar menos dele; que um tipo com a idade o vai esquecendo. Talvez não, talvez não, espero que não. O Faulkner era um tipo espirituoso como tudo, a fotografia não mente. Eu cá metia lá o Walser à força, que se dane se foi muito ou pouco ou nada influente. E o Lowry. E o Bioy Casares, caramba. Gosto muito muito muito de o ler, cada vez mais; um escritor bonito:
e também é isto, cansaço
Save Us!
I have to say that I'm getting really tired of this. All the superdelegates should just say who they're voting for and bring this to the end. If they want to back Hillary Clinton despite Obama's majority in elected delegates, they should say so. Or if they want Barack Obama to be the nominee, they should say so. The idea that in two weeks we'll have another inconclusive primary, then another, then another, then another and then the superdelegates make up their mind is inane -- everyone else who follows politics can decide.
(Matthew Yglesias)
I have to say that I'm getting really tired of this. All the superdelegates should just say who they're voting for and bring this to the end. If they want to back Hillary Clinton despite Obama's majority in elected delegates, they should say so. Or if they want Barack Obama to be the nominee, they should say so. The idea that in two weeks we'll have another inconclusive primary, then another, then another, then another and then the superdelegates make up their mind is inane -- everyone else who follows politics can decide.
(Matthew Yglesias)
e pronto, é isto
NBC's Ron Allen makes a smart point I haven't seen elsewhere: Hillary Clinton's two main campaign justifications contradict each other. Justification number one is that Obama can't win "the big states that Democrats will need in November." She claims this because she's winning those states in the primary, and she's doing it because she's winning a slightly larger share of the Democratic electorate there. Justification number two is that the extended primary isn't hurting the party's chances, because the Democratic base is bound to unify in the fall. As Allen points out, if that's true, then Obama shoudn't have a problem winning those states in November.
In general, I think the coverage of Pennsylvania is wildly overblown. What happens tonight is not going to effect the outcome of the nomination. Obama will be the nominee, and the only thing that could stop him would be a massive scandal. If Wright and Bittergate couldn't dent his standing, a loss in Pennsylvania won't, either. The only thing the Pennsylvania results could possibly change is the timing of Clinton's departure, and even that won't happen unless Obama somehow pulls off a shocker upset win.
The conventions and structural biases of journalism dictate that importance must be read into whatever outcome occurs, but the fact is, it really doesn't matter.
(Jonathan Chait, na "The New Republic")
In general, I think the coverage of Pennsylvania is wildly overblown. What happens tonight is not going to effect the outcome of the nomination. Obama will be the nominee, and the only thing that could stop him would be a massive scandal. If Wright and Bittergate couldn't dent his standing, a loss in Pennsylvania won't, either. The only thing the Pennsylvania results could possibly change is the timing of Clinton's departure, and even that won't happen unless Obama somehow pulls off a shocker upset win.
The conventions and structural biases of journalism dictate that importance must be read into whatever outcome occurs, but the fact is, it really doesn't matter.
(Jonathan Chait, na "The New Republic")
defensor do ano na NBA
CNN exit polls: competitive race in PA. between Obama and Clinton. Patetice. Ganha ela. Até já
gestão de expectativas
Not for nothing, I'd characterize the mood of the Clinton campaign as cautiously optimistic, and that of the Obama campaign as optimistically resigned.
(Marc Ambinder, aqui, um tipo da blogosfera política americana com muitas fontes, amigos, conhecidos, etc.. Até já.)
(Marc Ambinder, aqui, um tipo da blogosfera política americana com muitas fontes, amigos, conhecidos, etc.. Até já.)
terça-feira, 22 de abril de 2008
o amigo Terence Samuel...
prevê a vitória de Obama na Pensilvânia:
That creaking noise you hear is the sound of me going way out on a limb to predict that Barack Obama will win the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday, finally ending Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions.
After all the sound and fury, the race in Pennsylvania will come down to the strength of get- out-the-vote (GOTV) operations, and I think the Obama campaign's organizational advantages will be enough to push Obama past Clinton by almost two percentage points. He's got money, he's got energy and enthusiasm (despite his debate performance on Tuesday), and he's got Philadelphia and its suburbs.
O amigo Terence Samuel é um optimista. Não gosto nada de gente optimista. Deprimem-me tremendamente. O amigo Terence Samuel não tem razão. Até já.
That creaking noise you hear is the sound of me going way out on a limb to predict that Barack Obama will win the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday, finally ending Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions.
After all the sound and fury, the race in Pennsylvania will come down to the strength of get- out-the-vote (GOTV) operations, and I think the Obama campaign's organizational advantages will be enough to push Obama past Clinton by almost two percentage points. He's got money, he's got energy and enthusiasm (despite his debate performance on Tuesday), and he's got Philadelphia and its suburbs.
O amigo Terence Samuel é um optimista. Não gosto nada de gente optimista. Deprimem-me tremendamente. O amigo Terence Samuel não tem razão. Até já.
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