Monday, Monday...
Hi Alex, and hi all my virtual friends.
How was your Easter? Mine was great! I hope you have had a pleasant time.
Today is Monday and I´m back to work, the holyday finished to me and I have plenty of things for doing.
As I told you, on Saturday I went to the movies to watch 300 by Frank Miller. Thanks God that I went to matinee session, which the ticket was cheaper, or on the contrary I would spend money for nothing, because the film was... the film was awful! Ok, I´ve known that it wouldn´t be a masterpiece, however, I expected a little bit more. And Rodrigo Santoro! Gee! When he opened his mouth to speak, what came from there was a artificial voice, terribly ugly.
Besides that I was very disappointed, at least Rodrigo could do well, but... nevermind!
Later, when I was at home I´ve picked one of my favourite Hitch´s films to watch, Rebecca. Nothing is better than a good classic to forget a terrible film. Isn´t it?
Katya from Moscow, Russia, asked me about Jorge Amado´s novels. He´s very well-known and highly respectded here. Many of his novels were adapted to TV, and also to films. I´ve read Capitães de Areia (Capitains of Sand), though he isn´t my favourite Brazilian writer. My favourites are Clarice Lispector, Machado de Assis and Guimarães Rosa.
The focus of their novels are the psychological drama, therefore what distress the human being mind and soul, and in some novels, especially Clarice Lispector´s novels ( I adore her!), the writing is so dense and intense, that could be compared to a poem. Simply delightful.
The Clarice Lispector´s book that I like most is " Uma Aprendizagem Ou O Livro dos Prazeres ( A Learning Or The Book Of The Pleasures), which tells the story of Lóri, a woman in seach of herself, and in search of the understanding of just "being". This book is in my beside table, and I always like reading some passages before I go to sleep.
Some of those writers were also inspired by a great Russian writer, Dostoievski. I do love his novels, and my favourite Dostoievski´s novel is The Karamazov Brothers ( The Idiot is a wonderful novel, too).
It´s the story of three brothers and their horrendous father. Suddenly, the father appears dead and one of the brothers, who always declared openly that he hated his father and would kill him, is accused of his father murder, and then the question is: does the son kill or not kill his father? Wow... it´s amazing. Did you read it? Or do you have a book that is your favourite one, and you always read it?
Best wishes,
Ana Paula.
Comments
Hi,the writers you mentioned are not familiar to me at all.I wonder why i don't have got a favorite writer,but i am in the process of reading O Henry's shory story collections---the voice of the city.It is difficult for me to get the underword meaning sometimes.Well,I usually read them if i like the writing style.Bye for now.
Hello Guys ...hello BBC staff Although I am a fan of the entire "BBC site" and mainly "BBC learning english" that´s my first time surfing BBC blog and as a first comment I´d like to thank my countrywoman and say that it's a pleasure to read your blog besides you have a very good english you are a great writer too. I don´t know at which school you are learning english but you have been doing very well you homework your teachers must be so proud of you, congratulations!!!! By the way I have been preparing myself to take the same certification and it´s hard study by my own,but I didn´t find a good course or a good private teacher here that I can afford. So I guess I am like a lot of people here... waiting anxiously to read your blogs and learn a bit more of english each day. Additionally, I am glad to have a countrywoman writting on this blog because as we have portuguese as our native language most the time we make similar mistakes and at the end of the blog The BBC teacher Alex help us by clarifying all grammar points and the uses of some words and so on. well it´s time to go. Best regards guys you have been doing some awesome job here and that´s very nice
Hi Ana paula, I reading this blog at 12:15 on Monday noon in japan. but it posted at 1:38 midnight on sunday. Accoding to world time, it should be 0:15 or 1:15, if it's summer time, in your place. Why is that?
Hello Ana, I am very happy to hear that your Easter was great. My Easter here in Jordan was not so interesting. I live in a small isolated village at the edge of the Jordanian desert, and there isn't really much to do! Did I read any of Dostoevsky's novels? Sorry, no. However, through the short review you gave in your blog, you really made me regret my laziness. By the way, I believe your short review of each book was very interesting and informative! The way you described his books made me consider going out and borrowing these books! Best wishes from Jordan too.
Dear Anna-Paula, I would like to thank you for telling us who are your favourite Brazilian authors!!I am fond of reading and I like everything which is connected to psychology! Especially if it is an absorbing novel! I will try and find out whether I can get some of their novels in English here in Hungary. Dostojevski is also one of my favourite writers and I also like some contemporary English authors who deal with the hidden relationship between parents and children, with wounds from their childhood and so on. Earlier, in my childhood the novel David Copperfield was the one which I tried to read as often as I could. Now I have several favourite books but unfortunately I have no time to read! So I am longing for the summer when I am free again! (I am a student and a teacher as well, so the best time during the year is summer for me!:) I also wanted to tell you, that I really like your blogs, because your style is very good and you can write quite wittily! Keep it up please!:) Kriszta
Hi Ana Paula! The holidays have finished and I have to go to work , but your blog help me with everyday routine. Like you, I went to watch 300 on Saturday and I'm disappointed. All this artificial blood!And what about the warrior uniforms!:)))Anyway, too much bare torsos! The last book that I have read is "A brief history of time. From the Big Bang to Black Holes" by Stephen Hawking. I liked it very much. So I recommend this book to everyone who have a bit of interest in understanding the universe. My best wishes
How do you do ? It is rather hard to understand resulting from your novel. Frankly,on one hand I do not like to read many novel and from time to time I do not have much more time to focus on what is njoying acess the Internet
Hi Ana, Monday, Monday.... the worst day of the week. I’m sorry you did not like the film. I did not see that film but I thought it was a good film because some friends ohave told me that it was a good film. (I’m not sure now). I’m glad to kwon that you like reading. I love Literature, my favorite Brazilian writer is Machado de Assis and my favorite English writer is Shakespeare. I’m reading “Hamlet” by Shakespeare. Are you reading a new interesting book? Best wishes. Alinor
How do you do ? It is rather hard to understand resulting from your novel. Frankly,on one hand I do not like to read many novels whenever I am free. On the other hand , from time to time I do not have much more time to focus on any series what is more, enjoying with sort of astonished cyberspace become more halarious than reading novel that I presume . The Internet is the best resources in order to up grade my knowledgements , to exchange our opinions and whatever you need to do. Thanks. <<Gos bless you>> Wisarut.
Hi Ana Paula. I also don't like to read previously the critical columns every time I go to the movie because I want to find out which would be my own oppinion about the film. However, I believe that watching the trailer willingly before going to the movie, may enhance my appretiation of the film. Surprisingly, when I tried to do that, I had the same reaction as you. I was expecting that Rodrigo's scintilating and well-known voice but once he opened his mouth...that terrible sound frightened me. I even thought: "which voice is that?" I have many classic films in my list of favourite films. "Titanic" and "The Panthon of the Ophera" couldn't be out of that. Additionaly, I do appretiate Jorge Amado ("Dona Flor e seus Dois Maridos" is exclusively unique!). Just recently, do you believe I went to the movie to watch " A Turma da Mônica e Uma Aventura no Tempo" ( for the readers, it means " Mônica's team and an Adventure in the Time")? Perhaps not all was lost because I have already watched "Bob Esponja" twice! You know I have a kid... If you prefer talking about books, my favourite one is Dom Quixote. I'm trying to read it to my son. He laughs a lot with his insanities. I love reading books for children. I've read " "Limericks de Um Bípede Apaixonado" ( it means "Limericks of one biped in love") and "O Menino Eco"( "The boy Echo"). I have already had two problems at my son's school about my choices of books for him. Firstly, when he was at the kindgarten and the teacher asked him to draw an animal, and he made an ameba. The teacher told him it was not an animal and he said it was a protozoal animal. Secondly, when I was telling him a story about "O Ipê Amarelinho" (" The Little Yellow Tree Ipê"). It was a story about a tree that couldn't scape during a burn in the forest. All the animals could run away but the "Ipê Amarelinho" didn't have feet for that. So my son started to draw all the trees with feet and one more time, I had to be at the shool to explain to the teacher about the story. I have to stop this comment brutally because I have to go to work but not without mention my favourite writer that is Mario Quintana. Byyye!
Hello,Ana Paula!Thank you for answering my question,I was so pleased to see my name in your blog :))I must confess,that althogh Dostoevsky being one of my favourite writers,I've never read "The Karamazov Brothers".And I even can't explain,why.But your words about it intrigued me so,that I feel I must start reading it immediately!:)So,you love psychological drama?I used to like this genre,too,but now I tend to love more light,bright and funny books.For example,about a year ago I discovered for myself english writer Gerald Durrell and his book "My Family And Other Animals".He describes his family's living on the greek island Corfu when he was a child.It's full of mild humour and love of nature and people.I like to reread it :)The other book which is often at my bedside table is "Autobiography" of Agatha Cristie,famous english detective story writer.I like the way she puts her thoughts in the words,and this book ,for me, is her best writing.The other thing why I love these books is my thirst for travelling,for they tell me about beautiful places!I can say,that I've been to Italy , Germany , Serbia and Macedonia,to Athens in Greece,and even to London(but only for one day),but I'd like to travel more.I'm afraid,I've become a travel addict :)And what about you,do you like travels?What countries have you been to?Oh,one more queston:do you like to dance?And can you dance typical Latin America's dances like samba,salsa,merenge?In Moscow today they're highly popular!Looking forward to your next blog,have a nice day!Best wishes,Katya
I'm so glad to hear from you. It's also very interesting story about you. We live different continental but can communicate each other through inter-net. Even though WE never talk about something what we think before. The inter-net is the way to communicate each other without any interruption if it's working withough disconnection. I'm ex-blogger on January. Do you remember my name? I know you posted the comment on my blogs while I was writing it about me. I'm enthusiastic about sending the comment on your blog because I want to share each other's life. You absouletly spent happy Easter. Unfortunately There is no Easter holiday in korea. But I celebrated Jesus's born again at the church. Have a good day!!
hi, i donot the writer that you mentioned there and i donot have a favorite writer because i donot read a lot. but my favorite book is ( GONE WITH THE WIND), if you heard about it before. but i donot remeber the writer of the book. by the way i think 300 is an amazing film, but it meaningless becaue the used a lot of special effects in it, so it doesnot look realistic.
Hello, Ana! I don't know these Brazilian authors, but I'm very ashamed that I didn't read The Karamazov's Brothers. I began to read this book, but then put it aside and didn't start again. Have you read Dostoievski's novel Crime and punishment? It's really worth reading, I won't tell you the content of this novel, I hope you'll read it some when. My favourite writers are Boris Akunin and Valentin Pikul. You most likely don't know them, because they are modern writers, but almost of their novels are wonderful. Akunin's novels have film versions, some theatre plays are based on his novels. One of his best novels is Statskiy Sovetnik(Civil Adviser). It's historical novel about the beginning of revolutionary movements in Russia. If you you know Russian history a little, it'll be very interesting for you too.
Hi everyone!Just wanted to say that I loved the book "budapeste" by Chico Buarque!He is incredibly talented not only in the musical field but also as a writer!just try it, it's worth it=)have a nice summer=)
hi ı am from turkey bbc world site is really perfect so that ı visite it everyday
Does anyone know if there is a Brazilian translation of the books by Geral Durrell, specially My Family and Other Animals? I'd love to send my mother a copy as she can't read English books. I'm sure she'd love the humour and great descriptions of nature in Corfu. Any help would be much appreciated.
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