17 de August

Monday

17 Born on this day 8 Died on this day
Poem of the day

Grass

Carl Sandburg
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work
-I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.
Read full poem

Born on this day

17
António Botto

António Botto

129 years since birth · 1897

António Botto was a Portuguese poet who marked his time by the audacity of his themes and his direct approach to sensuality and love, including homosexual love, in a conservative p…

Sanders

Sanders

87 years since birth · 1939

Sanders is a name associated with a literary production that fits into the context of contemporary poetry. His work tends to explore urban modernity and social dynamics, with a lan…

Maurício B. Moisés

Maurício B. Moisés

59 years since birth · 1967

Maurício B. Moisés is an Angolan writer and poet whose work explores the complexities of African identity, the memories of the diaspora, and the social and political realities of A…

Fagundes Varela

Fagundes Varela

185 years since birth · 1841

Luís Nicolau Fagundes Varela was a Brazilian poet, a prominent figure of Romanticism in his country. His work is characterized by sensitivity, melancholy, and themes such as love, …

Herta Müller

Herta Müller

73 years since birth · 1953

Herta Müller is a Romanian-German writer and poet, known for her work portraying life under the communist dictatorship in Romania. Her writing is marked by raw language and powerfu…

Bronisława Wajs

Bronisława Wajs

118 years since birth · 1908

Bronisława Wajs, better known by her stage name Papusza, was a Polish Romani singer and poet. Her work, marked by a deep connection to the culture and tradition of her people, addr…

Manuel de Moura

Manuel de Moura

436 years since birth · 1590

Manuel de Moura was a Portuguese poet of the 17th century, known for his lyrical and religious work. His poetry is marked by the influence of the Baroque, with the use of elaborate…

Óscar Ribas

Óscar Ribas

117 years since birth · 1909

Óscar Ribas was a Portuguese ethnographer and writer, known for his profound research and dissemination of Angolan cultures. He dedicated a large part of his life to the study of A…

Hélio da Costa Ferreira

Hélio da Costa Ferreira

87 years since birth · 1939

Hélio da Costa Ferreira was a Portuguese poet whose work is distinguished by its profound connection to lyricism and the exploration of the human condition. His poetry, marked by c…

Jorge de Amorim

Jorge de Amorim

62 years since birth · 1964

Jorge de Amorim is a contemporary Portuguese poet, whose work stands out for its exploration of themes such as memory, time, identity, and the fragility of the human condition. His…

Cândida Aires de Magalhães

Cândida Aires de Magalhães

151 years since birth · 1875

Cândida Aires de Magalhães is a prominent figure in contemporary poetry, whose work stands out for its lyrical depth and exploration of universal themes with a unique sensitivity. …

António Ferro

António Ferro

131 years since birth · 1895

António Ferro was a multifaceted figure in the 20th-century Portuguese cultural landscape, excelling as a journalist, critic, poet, and essayist. He was one of the main driving for…

Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes

96 years since birth · 1930

Ted Hughes was a prominent English poet, translator, and children's writer, celebrated for his powerful and visceral depictions of the natural world and its raw, primal forces. His…

Iván Tubau

Iván Tubau

89 years since birth · 1937

Iván Tubau is a Spanish poet whose work is characterized by an intimate and reflective lyricism, often tinged with melancholy and a deep connection with the inner and outer landsca…

Oliverio Girondo

Oliverio Girondo

135 years since birth · 1891

Oliverio Girondo was a prominent Argentine poet, a key figure of the literary avant-garde in his country and one of the most original voices in 20th-century Spanish-language poetry…

V. S. Naipaul

V. S. Naipaul

94 years since birth · 1932

Patricia Grace

Patricia Grace

89 years since birth · 1937

Died on this day

8
Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Carlos Drummond de Andrade

39 years since death · 1987

Carlos Drummond de Andrade was one of the most important Brazilian poets, considered one of the greatest names in Portuguese-language literature. His work, marked by irony, reflect…

Eugénio de Castro

Eugénio de Castro

82 years since death · 1944

Eugénio de Castro was a Portuguese poet, a prominent figure in the transition between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Linked to Symbolism, his work is marked by intense mus…

Odorico Mendes

Odorico Mendes

162 years since death · 1864

Odorico Mendes was a Brazilian poet whose works deeply explored national identity and the Brazilian landscape. His writing is marked by a lyricism that celebrates the land and the …

Jack Spicer

Jack Spicer

61 years since death · 1965

Jack Spicer was an American poet, a prominent figure in the San Francisco poetry scene of the 1950s. His work, often marked by a colloquial tone but laden with existential intensit…

António Pedro

António Pedro

60 years since death · 1966

António Pedro was a multifaceted poet and a central figure in the Portuguese literary avant-garde. His work is characterized by strong linguistic experimentation, exploration of ex…

Edwin Morgan

Edwin Morgan

16 years since death · 2010

Edwin Morgan was a Scottish poet, translator, and literary critic, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century Scottish poetry. His work is notable for its…

Marosa di Giorgio

Marosa di Giorgio

22 years since death · 2004

Marosa di Giorgio was a prominent Uruguayan poet and writer, whose work is characterized by a deep exploration of sensuality, the body, nature, and the dreamlike. Her poetry, often…

Mariama Bâ

Mariama Bâ

45 years since death · 1981