On Reading: Brazil, 80's Pop and Gay Love in Tennyson

The first article in the news headlines this morning that caught my eye was this story about an illiterate Brazilian man who began collecting used books to start a community library. Hurray! Books really are a gateway to a life of greater possibility.

Two great friends of mine who I met while living in Philadelphia are Brazilian and I had the opportunity to visit their country twice. The class divisions in this still developing nation are incredibly apparent. While I was there I was able to live in the lap of luxury (maids, drivers, and four star meals), all thanks to my friend Alberto’s family. But surrounding the city of Sao Paulo are villages of shacks and the crumbling homes of a devastatingly poor people. If you ever get the chance, visit this country and support their economy. Brazilians are wonderful people and I will always have a place in my heart for their country.

My friend Michael has just published his book Flashbacks to Happiness : Eighties Music Revisited. Congratulations Michael. He has been working tirelessly on this project for the past year. It’s a collection of orginial interviews with singers/songwriters from the 80’s. He interviewed such artists as Club Nouveau, Tiffany and the very hot Paul Lekakis (“Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room)”).

Today I will be immersing myself in Tennyson’s “In Memoriam”. This is his most famous poem and is considered to be representative of the Victorian Age. He wrote it following the death of his best friend Arthur Henry Hallam. Tennyson began writing this epic work in 1833 and finished it in 1850. Talk about dedication! Supposedly many critics consider it a love poem because it is a man writing about another man. I will reserve judgment for now. It makes me wonder whether a man can write lovingly about another man without it being considered a gay work. Take D.H. Lawrence. Yes, many of his works are filled with what can bee seen as homoerotic imagery, but his idea of male friendship is much more cerebral than physical.

Note: Thank you to everyone for your kind words during my meds crisis. HDAP claims that my coverage will kick in this week. This, of course, is after a very kind pharmacist was able to backdate my health insurance (which cut off my prescription plan) so I could get my pills for $80.