******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
Thanks for this comradely Gary On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 12:46 PM, Louis Proyect via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > INCONVENIENT > Written by Humberto Costantini > Translated by Sharlene Newman > > I am not going to say that I was in the best possible world > but at least I had an archive > with all of its moons perfectly sorted, > the primrose folded four ways in the center drawer > here and there absurdities rest > off to the side of the bureau. > > I do not claim to have been in the best possible world > but at least three or four friends delighted in my wine, > and three or four lovers delighted in my bed, > and my publisher truly believed in my novel, > and at a quarter to six > the timid ghosts quietly returned to chat with me. > > I will not say that I was in the best of all possible worlds > but my future went on for at least a week out > wherein one could foresee one hundred and twenty lines written, > at least one insignificant inebriation, > as well as five minutes of daily exercise. > > I was not, I will admit, in the best world possible > but generally things were reasonably clear; > fireflies did not hang from the roof as they do now, > nor did trains keep a wakeful vigil until dawn, > nor did September arrive declaring its presence > the wind did not show up in order to laugh to death at my face. > > I do not wish to say that I was in the best of possible worlds > but this giant, trembling moon, > this unusual smitten moon, > this terrible red stop light of a moon, > this moon made of insomnia and small verses… > how maddening Lord, > how barbaric. > > INCONVENIENTE > Escrito por Humberto Costantini > Traducido por Sharlene Newman > > Yo no voy a decir que estaba en el mejor de los mundos > pero al menos tenía un bibliorato > con todas las lunas perfectamente clasificadas, > la primavera plegada en cuatro en el cajón del medio > y alguno que otro disparate > a un costadito del bargueño. > > Yo no digo que estaba en el mejor de los mundos > pero tres o cuatro amigos apreciaban mi vino, > y tres o cuatro amantes apreciaban mi cama, > y mi editor creía firmemente en la novela, > y a las seis menos cuarto > dócilmente volvían a platicar conmigo los fantasmas. > > Yo no diré que estaba en el mejor de los mundos > pero tenía un futuro hasta de una semana > donde estaban previstos ciento veinte renglones, > alguna intrascendente borrachera, > y hasta los cinco minutos diarios de gimnasia. > > Yo no estaba, lo admito, en el mejor de los mundos > pero en general las cosas eran juiciosamente claras; > no colgaban luciérnagas del techo como ahora, > ni velaban los trenes hasta la madrugada, > ni septiembre llegaba con nombre y apellido > ni el viento venía para morirse de risa de mi cara. > > Yo no quiero decir que estaba en el major de los mundos > pero esta enorme luna estremecida, > esta insólita luna enamorada, > esta terrible luna rojo stop de semáforo, > esta luna de insomnios y versitos… > qué trastorno Señor, > qué cosa bárbara. > > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberto_Costantini > Humberto "Cacho" Costantini (April 8, 1924 – June 7, 1987) was an > Argentine writer and poet whose work is filled with the rich slang > (porteño) of Buenos Aires. Except for his years of exile in Mexico, his > life was lived in and around Buenos Aires. > > Costantini was born and died in Buenos Aires, the only child of Italian > Jewish immigrants who lived in the barrio of Villa Pueyrredon. From his > marriage to Nela Nur Fernandez, he had three children: Violeta, Ana and > Daniel. After he finished his university studies, he became a medical > veterinarian. He practiced his profession in the fields near the city of > Lobería, in the province of Buenos Aires, where he moved with his wife. > There his two daughters were born. > > In 1955 he returned to Buenos Aires, and his son was born shortly > thereafter. He worked in various jobs: veterinarian, salesman, potter, > medical researcher, etc. Because of a fierce discipline, working "nailed to > the chair", he was able to write and rewrite everyday. > > Costantini was the victim of political persecutions and blacklists. That > posture of confronting the powerful that "Cacho" exercised naturally, > without fuss, as the only possible road by which to travel through life, > created both hatred and profound loyalty among many toward him. With > Costantini nothing was ever wishy-washy; one was either honest or one was > deceitful. He made it known that he wouldn't forgive any kowtowing. > > From his youth he was politically active: in his student days he > confronted the Fascists of the Alianza Libertadora Nacionalista and was > politically active in the Communist Party until serious divergencies of > opinion with the bureaucratic and pro-Soviet leadership caused him to break > away. His "doing what is right in the eyes..." moved him to admire > profoundly Ernesto Che Guevara. In the 1970s he was politically active on > the revolutionary left, together with other writers, such as Harold Conti > and Roberto Santoro, who were imprisoned by the criminal dictatorship of > Videla, and to this day are still disappeared. His novel De Dioses, > hombrecitos y policías was written between scary moments and escapes, in > clandestine houses at unthinkable hours. This novel was awarded the Casa de > Las Américas Prize by an international jury and published in Mexico (later > it was translated as The Gods, The Little Guys and the Police, translated > by Toby Talbot and published in New York to excellent reviews). About this > novel and other work of Costantini, Julio Cortázar said, "I love what > Humberto Costantini does, and am full of confidence in his work. He is, for > me, a very important writer." > > In 1976 Humberto Costantini was forced into exile and went to Mexico. > There he continued his writing that was to win important prizes. He > suffered in an exile that obliged him "to glance through the lists for his > loved ones, as if the city had been hit with a typhoon". He conducted > narrative workshops regularly, made programs for radio and for television > and he fell in love. As he said on his return: "In short, I lived". Another > of his passions was the tango. An admirer of Osvaldo Pugliese, Anibal > Troilo ("Pichuco") and Eduardo Arolas, he was a singer and dancer, > knowledgeable in the lyrics and the history of the tango. In get-togethers > with friends, there was always some guitar to accompany his voice, resonant > with passion, as he would sing the milonga Marieta or El adios de Gabino > Ezeiza. He composed milongas and tango lyrics, some of which were published > and recorded. > > In 1983, after seven years, seven months and seven days of exile, he > returned to Buenos Aires. There he lived the democratic springtime. He > walked through the city, conversed with the streets of his barrio and with > old friends of his infancy, knocked around, flabbergasted through his > Buenos Aires. His work is published in many languages in addition to > English, among them: Czech, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Polish, > Russian and Swedish. His second novel, appeared in English as The Long > Night of Francisco Sanctis, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni. > He died on the morning of 7 June 1987 from an illness that he had > contracted much earlier. The night before, taking advantage of the slight > well-being between chemotherapy treatments, he worked—as he had each day—on > his novel La Rhapsodía de Raquel Liberman of which he managed to complete > two volumes. This work remains unpublished. > > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/opt > ions/marxism/gary.maclennan1%40gmail.com _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
