Hope's dream

     I have received news of Hope

     Like her name, Hope has always had the hope of leading a different life and in one way or another she has achieved it. Like you Fran or me. Like any. Only in the case of my sister much more accentuated. A life that runs parallel to what she actually lives.

The times of the planetary tribes

A magnificent painting by Rubens, Cain killing Abel (detail) appears on the cover of the book. Another allusion to confrontation and violence between brothers.

Everything has a beginning, a development and an end

It´s a small book that I found in one of those traveling stalls in a square in the city. For some time I had wanted to read the author of Leo Africanus, Samarkand and other works that are so well valued.

Particular cases

After a revision about his family tree: a Turk grandmother, an Egyptian Maronite grandfather, a poet and anticlerical grandfather and a great great grand uncle who was the first one in making a translation to Arabic of Moliere´s works... Amin Maalouf is convinced that ‘Humanity, whole it´s made by particular cases’ and that if one have to define his or her identity cannot only say ‘I am Arab’, ‘I am black’ or ‘I am Jewish’.

In the Name of Identity

Anyone could stop reading Amin Maalouf's book after his first paragraph. Anyone who was able to understand what the writer means by living on the edge (lisière) of two countries, two or three languages and different cultural traditions.

Godoy in Poland. Return to Warsaw

Fourth and last delivery

<<Saturday, 6^th October 2018

I'm going to Warsaw via Bialystok. I catch the bus at 9:00.

Sunny day and 8º. Pleasant trip, I do not know why but today I´ve paid 8 PLN.

Godoy in Poland. Hajnowka

The third email, Fran

<<Wednesday, 3^rd October 2018

It´s a greyish day. It´s raining. It´s common at this season of year.

I arrive early at the station and I see there is a bus which departs a 9:25. It´s 9:00, so I buy the ticket. Excellent panoramic view from Białystok to Hajnowka by 9PLN.

Godoy in Poland. Białystok

Dear Fran,

The second email that my friend sent me…

Godoy in Poland. Warsaw

Dear Fran,

Godoy is come back, this time from Poland, and this is his experience.

     Fake bus stop

        The woman was sitting at the bus stop.

     Past Continuous

     The exhibition closed last Sunday September 23 and its author is a Sevillian artist who lives and works in London, which I would like you to take a look at. For now, I send you some of my impressions.

     Miraflores Bridge 

     This is my first painting.

     It seems the bridge was hidden away for many years. It is three hundred years old or more though it has been reconstructed many times and has had different forms.

Is the Pope the visible head of the biggest paedophile ring?

Francisco has disappointed me. Pope Francis looks more and more like Obama. When the African American became President I became very happy, even without knowing anything about him. When I heard him speak, I was sure that many things would change for the better, but...

Of the men who are always making holes

Because I have a neighbour that he is really the real electric drill in my own house, I understand O Nuno perfectly.

Filhos da puta, morram!

I never go back into a bullring again. I'm ashamed of the times I've been. These activists have opened my eyes. No, these activists do not, but the group of barbarians who assaults anyone with two legs.

     Maternity

       Dear Fran,

     my Lady has shown me a picture that her daughter sent her for whats app. In the bed of a hospital you can see a mother breastfeeding a newborn baby: a baby of a few hours, still bloated, dishevelled and excited about her mother's nipple.

O vizinho do cão

I like how Fernanda Câncio writes.

I like to read Fernanda. Interesting articles of opinion written with agility -I do not say in a hurry- with a wealth of words enshrined in just phrases that seem to complete chapters of a novel with multiple themes.

Gastarbeiter

Everyone who knows me knows that I do not like football, rather, I dislike the exhibitionist footballers; those who roll up their clothes to show their muscles when they score a goal, even if it's a rebound. And some cocksucking coaches who go to the lawn wearing expensive tailored suits are pathetic.

     About Happiness

     Dear Fran,

     I once heard a woman say that the secret of happiness was to be married to a man who was in need and at the same time as independent as you were, that the marriage had an economy loose enough to be able to give some money to those in need and still had to be able to buy books.

Lebanon´s mountains

I´ve just come back from Manta Rota and I´m pissed: other beach is being rented grain after grain to private companies!

Muelle del Tinto 

     Dear Fran,

     My maestro is a charm. Do you want to know what he has done today? He has given me one of his paintings. It´s a beautiful view of the pier called Muelle del Tinto, you know, that architectural and elegant creation made by the Eiffel´s school according to ones or built buy two English engineers according other ones. I had showed interest in it a couple of time and he might understand I was asking him for the painting; a couple of times, I promise you, were enough and this morning he surprised me with the gift.

Aquarius

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s new anti-migrant interior minister, blocked the Aquarius rescue ship carrying 629 people from docking in its ports at the weekend, prompting international outcry.

Violet

Dear Fran,

She wanted to be a teacher.

She loves children and she got a hard patience. She couldn´t study but her effort was recompensed because nowaday is the owner of a day nursery and three auxiliars are working with her.

Princely programme

Accurate is the Gary Younge´s article about Harry and Meghan´s wedding, or rather, about monarchy.

I would have liked to know nothing about that wedding too, but that´s imposible because monarchy is that, all the world, all plebeians have to know what they are interested that we know in and they make us to believe we `take part´in the historic event.

Nightmare

I became involved in an argue between a sub-Saharan immigrant -those people who are at the traffic lights selling kleenex and car air freshenerts- and a figure whom I couldn´t see because it had it back turned and I couldn´t manage to know if was a man or a woman. According to his gestures and manners he seemed a male although his voice wasn´t fit.

Differences with my Master

      Dear Fran,

     I´d like to know what do you think about what I´m going to set out.

Verdict

   Sentence was pronounced. The animals in the herd were sentenced to nine years for sexual abuse and not for rape.

The Red-Haired Woman (and Part III)

   One can read the third part of the novel straight through in one go. In these lines you observe a drastic change in the narration of events and until here I´ll speak about it.

Venta Marcelino

      Opposite the Sanctuary is Venta Marcelino. This is my second time if you remember to (you have a photo of its votive offering room that I sent you time ago). My lady likes going to Olvera and prays in the intimist church after crossing the square courtyard which is full of plant pots of aspidistras, ferns and monsteras (spanish costilla de Adan). All of them are house plants. And I know these names because of Godoy and mi señora.

What would he have thought of the first woman I´d ever slept with?

  The Red-Haired Woman, Part II ends with a new character unveiled, notwithstanding before that Mr. Pamuk gives us texts like

«It was the father´s remorse for killing his son —the unbearable guilt and shame that conquers us the very moment we realize we have destroyed something beautiful and infinitely precious...»

The Red-Haired Woman 

  The volumen is entitled The Red-Haired Woman. The author, Orhan Pamuk. A city, Istanbul. A boy who want to be a writer. A welldigger and the Oedipus´s story. Part I.

About trains

Dear Fran,

I know three people who love trains more than Godoy. Namely Michael Portillo, Sheldon Cooper and the Godoy´s cousin.

Painting Workshop

Dear Fran,

I have not told you about my painting workshop yet. For two months I have been attending a painting course sponsored by the city council.

Churchill

I have not watched the film yet.

Regarding Gary Oldman I have nothing to speak in terms of his professional career and even less in his personal life (I'm not interested in dirty laundry), but what I read in an article by Louise Raw has caught my attention because I had not an idea that Mr Churchill had had such a turbulent past.

Tía María

«His name was Maria. She was the second wife of my father's uncle.

Yesterday I went to see her as I used to do since she became widowed by my father's uncle.

I go to the sites without anyone accompanying me

I missed a friend this morning.

When I have seen two guys walking, well wrapped, chatting, laughing, I realized that I have to go out alone. Yes, I have acquaintances and here where I rest now they are all very friendly, but friends what is said friends, not even one.

Grey area

I am becoming tenderer, more delicate. I admit it. At the same time that I´ve ageing I´ve losing testosterone and I think a little more in people now. A word I´ve just learnt is empathy; maybe what I´ve lost from my horlicks I´ve attained in empathy. Therefore I can´t be impassive about some injustices.

The poet of the piano

I´m learning to read and write and I like to do it on my own. All help is very welcome

      My lady had a piano. She used to play it when she was young. All instruments have their own voice but the piano . . . The piano seems that has all the voices in its 85 keys. White keys voice, the voice of black keys.