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Last posts

Istanbul and the labyrinths of memory

Mónica Boixeda Istanbulite, Only-Be

The memory, it is something we do not own, far from being a static power, it moves in the realms of imagination, the things we see, only can kept apart from how we remember or represent them, being this second aspect what constitutes our perception of the world and apparently many of the impressions that our senses collect outside. In the same way that Around the Day in Eighty Worlds, book in which Julio Cortazar comments the disappointment felt by not a few critics at the sets Stravinsky´s ballet Petrushka, when years later she was back to ballet stage thanks to Diaghilev and how worthless the Russian Bakst protests were (which had to be repainted to enhance the tones) that were exactly the same, perfectly preserved, and had not lost any of his blinding objectively chromatic qualities, the Argentine writer related an anecdote that illustrated disturbingly the case on his trip by the Greek lands. A month before leaving, a close friend had told him as was the journey from Athens to Cape Sounion, place where presumably Cortázar wanted to go, maybe not so much to see the temple of Poseidon as the firm stopped right there at the time Lord Byron. When Cortazar did it, leaving the Greek capital, the same itinerary, things seemed to be significantly different than his friend had suggested. This told of a dusty square to which suited arrive very early to avoid running out of room in the bus, a vehicle parked dilapidated await in the middle of the street, near the place occupied by pistachio salesmen, protected from sun in the shade... read more

Esotericism Fair in Barcelona: Magic International Barcelona

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian, Only-Be

You might not believe it but crystal balls are becoming digital. And if it´s about good omens for the future, ask the big companies who dedicate themselves to cultivate esotericism as a market good how well it´s gone for them. The King Midas of esotericism isn´t in the witches and wizards who deal the cards in their individual consultations, but in the large spanish chains, like La Sexta, Antena 3, Cuatro, Nova, FDF, Veo and others. Every year, this business totals, only in Spain, 2,800 million euros, of which 2,000 million are from telephone tarot. To size it: that sum is very similar to the sale of 200 combat vehicles that Spain negotiated with Saudi Arabia last year, which cost 3,000 million euros: one of the biggest business deals of the Spanish army industry. CEPSA, the second biggest Spanish oil company, was valued in 7,500 million euros by the emirate of Abu Dhabi last February. I don´t believe in wizards but I do believe in the euros in this business. The Catholic Church is associated for its TV broadcasts with a esoteric programme producing company for different televisions: Canal Català. The thin line between religion and esotericism fades in the world of superstition and popular belief. The director of the fair and one of the makers and pioneers of esotericism since 1966 in Spanish media is the journalist Sebastián d´Arbó, who has dabbled in TVE, Cadena Ser, Antena 3 TV and many more. He founded and directed magazines such as ´La Magia´ and ´Karma7´ among others, and his active participation in the legendary encyclopedias of hidden sciences and parapsychology... read more

Marcus Didius Falco in Ancient Rome

Mónica Boixeda Only-Be, Roman

Halfway into 2010 the 20th book of the series of historical novels written by the British writer Lindsey David and starring Marcus Didius Falco was published, an unforgettable character who has become immensely popular. Falco is an informant, in other words, the closest to a private detective that you could find in ancient Rome. And his adventures are pure detective fiction but set in the 1st century AD, during the kingdom of the Emperor Vespasian. One of the reasons of the immense success of these series of books is its joyful, ironic and casual tone, which makes reading each novel an entertaining and fun experience. Also, you can find a large amount of cultural and literary humorous hints: for example, during one of his trips with a theatre company of the time, Falco starts to write his own play. Its name is ´The ghost who spoke´ and its plot is suspiciously similar to Hamlet´s… Could it be that William Shakespeare inspired himself in a dark latin text by Falco? But careful: the books are fun and they´re full of jokes but they´re not simple parodies. Each one of them has a well generated police story and, at times, pretty complex, with a detective intrigue which would feel at home in the best detective fiction novels and scenes of great dramatic intensity. It´s impossible not to take to the characters who appear in nearly all the novels, and it´s logic to suffer when something bad happens to one of them. Another very interesting point of Davis´ novels is its great historical exactitude: Falco describes with precision in every novel a... read more