Always bringing the big thoughts to blow our minds, Kate: "Becoming a poet requires one not simply to see, but to read or interpret the “movement of the sea,” or of the seen/scene, and to read it as insisting that metaphor is all pervasive in everyday life, that it is not simply a matter of words or language, but of conceptual thinking and human action as well." I love this quote! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kate, this is Armand using my pen name—Agree with Brian, each episode is a masterclass. And I love Il Postino—I’ve always seen the movie as visual poetry, but I had no idea of the director’s fate, and it crushed my heart. Either way, thanks so much for this and happy new year.
I was thinking of prompts (layers)—if you came up with ‘em prompts for each of your new episodes (eg podcasts) would be a nice challenge for readers. Anyway, that’s one idea just popped into my head—for you to consider.
Thanks for posting this KCW, Im really enjoying this series on letter writing and the works/authors/figures you are selecting to discuss. I suspect this could make a wonderful course for you to teach someday!
Hey Brian, thanks and so happy you’re enjoying it! Love to think of the possibilities with all this. Who knows? I have taught a couple of the texts this year - Frankenstein and Atonement - so some of the ideas worked their way into the teaching but would be fun to do some kind of masterclass…food for thought.
Kate! How could I possibly have missed this? Il Postino is a masterpiece, and Massimo Troisi is one of my heroes. A true genius -- I followed every step of his career. You really have to understand the Neapolitan dialect to fully appreciate Troisi. Gosh, I could write endlessly about him. I remember when Il Postino came out -- I was living in NYC and went to see it there. It was such an emotional experience for me, especially when the news of his passing came. He was deeply beloved in Italy. Thank you for doing this! You've brought me back so many years. :)
Wow wow, Silvio. So happy to bring you back to this time. Do you understand the Neapolitan dialect well? Is there another film of his you’d recommend? I have so many questions 😁 This film- and he - captivated me so much years ago though I had very little knowledge of what I was seeing. Thank you for sharing your experience :)
I do understand some, although I think it's more a matter of understanding Neapolitan culture, which is a more complex endeavor. He started as a comedian and made films where he blended comedy and philosophy, in a distinctly Neapolitan way (again, hard to explain). His first major success was a film titled Ricomincio da tre. Then he did Scusate il ritardo and Non ci resta che piangere (the latter with Roberto Benigni). However, these early films are very different from Il Postino, for a variety of reasons. They were more comedies.
Ode to the Sea is one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda because of its rich symbolism which aligns with my own view of things: infinity equals freedom.
I absolutely adored this post, the combination of the film clips and your response to the film was fascinating. Coincidentally, yesterday I heard a lecture on YouTube about Marchez and Neruda. The result was I wanted to read Neruda and now I also want to watch the film.
Always bringing the big thoughts to blow our minds, Kate: "Becoming a poet requires one not simply to see, but to read or interpret the “movement of the sea,” or of the seen/scene, and to read it as insisting that metaphor is all pervasive in everyday life, that it is not simply a matter of words or language, but of conceptual thinking and human action as well." I love this quote! Thanks for sharing!
I had to read it several times! Happy it spoke to you, Troy 💫
Hi Kate, this is Armand using my pen name—Agree with Brian, each episode is a masterclass. And I love Il Postino—I’ve always seen the movie as visual poetry, but I had no idea of the director’s fate, and it crushed my heart. Either way, thanks so much for this and happy new year.
I was thinking of prompts (layers)—if you came up with ‘em prompts for each of your new episodes (eg podcasts) would be a nice challenge for readers. Anyway, that’s one idea just popped into my head—for you to consider.
That’s a great idea, Armand. At the moment, I’m not recording - too busy teaching!! But I’ll keep this in mind. Really appreciate your comments.
Hi Armand! Thanks so much. Happy you’re enjoying it and agree with what you said about this film :)
Thanks for posting this KCW, Im really enjoying this series on letter writing and the works/authors/figures you are selecting to discuss. I suspect this could make a wonderful course for you to teach someday!
Hey Brian, thanks and so happy you’re enjoying it! Love to think of the possibilities with all this. Who knows? I have taught a couple of the texts this year - Frankenstein and Atonement - so some of the ideas worked their way into the teaching but would be fun to do some kind of masterclass…food for thought.
Kate! How could I possibly have missed this? Il Postino is a masterpiece, and Massimo Troisi is one of my heroes. A true genius -- I followed every step of his career. You really have to understand the Neapolitan dialect to fully appreciate Troisi. Gosh, I could write endlessly about him. I remember when Il Postino came out -- I was living in NYC and went to see it there. It was such an emotional experience for me, especially when the news of his passing came. He was deeply beloved in Italy. Thank you for doing this! You've brought me back so many years. :)
Wow wow, Silvio. So happy to bring you back to this time. Do you understand the Neapolitan dialect well? Is there another film of his you’d recommend? I have so many questions 😁 This film- and he - captivated me so much years ago though I had very little knowledge of what I was seeing. Thank you for sharing your experience :)
I do understand some, although I think it's more a matter of understanding Neapolitan culture, which is a more complex endeavor. He started as a comedian and made films where he blended comedy and philosophy, in a distinctly Neapolitan way (again, hard to explain). His first major success was a film titled Ricomincio da tre. Then he did Scusate il ritardo and Non ci resta che piangere (the latter with Roberto Benigni). However, these early films are very different from Il Postino, for a variety of reasons. They were more comedies.
Wow, this was fascinating. I've never seen the film but now I want to.
How tragic but also beautiful about Troisi and his opinions of the heart.
You’ll love it!
I didn’t know about Troisi until researching the film for the podcast. Incredible story.
Ode to the Sea is one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda because of its rich symbolism which aligns with my own view of things: infinity equals freedom.
Oh lovely! I also love this poem. Thanks DC.
I absolutely adored this post, the combination of the film clips and your response to the film was fascinating. Coincidentally, yesterday I heard a lecture on YouTube about Marchez and Neruda. The result was I wanted to read Neruda and now I also want to watch the film.
Thanks so much, Clare! Do you still have a link to the clip? Would love to check it out ☺️