21 de May

Thursday

10 Born on this day 13 Died on this day
Bertolt Brecht
Author of the day

Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht was a highly influential German playwright, poet, and theatre director. He is renowned for his pioneering work in epic theatre, which aimed to provoke critical thought rather than emotional immersion. His writings often carried strong political and social messages, critiquing capitalism, war, and injustice. Brecht's innovative techniques, such as the alienation effect (Verfremdungseffekt), revolutionized modern theatre.

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

10
Olga Savary

Olga Savary

93 years since birth · 1933

Olga Savary was a prominent figure in Brazilian literature, known for her introspective poetry and her tireless work in cultural dissemination. Her work addresses profound themes s…

Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope

338 years since birth · 1688

Alexander Pope was a towering figure of English Neoclassical literature, renowned for his sharp wit, satirical genius, and masterful command of the heroic couplet. A key figure of …

Émile Verhaeren

Émile Verhaeren

171 years since birth · 1855

Émile Verhaeren was a Belgian poet and art critic, known for his work in the French language. He is considered one of the greatest Symbolist poets and a prominent figure in Belgian…

Romain Rolland

Romain Rolland

131 years since birth · 1895

Romain Rolland was a prominent French novelist, playwright, and musicologist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915. Born in Clamecy, France, in 1866, he is famous …

Paulo José Miranda

Paulo José Miranda

61 years since birth · 1965

Paulo José Miranda was a Portuguese poet, known for his work marked by dense, hermetic language and deep existential reflection. His poetry explores the limits of language and perc…

René Tavernier

René Tavernier

111 years since birth · 1915

No biographical information was found for this author.

Robert Creeley
100

Robert Creeley

100 years since birth · 1926

Robert Creeley was an American poet, a central figure in post-war poetry and associated with the Black Mountain poets. His work is characterized by colloquial language, concision, …

Libero de Libero

Libero de Libero

123 years since birth · 1903

Libero de Libero was an Italian poet and writer known for his lyrical work and his profound exploration of the human condition. His poetry is marked by evocative language and keen …

José Carlos Becerra

José Carlos Becerra

90 years since birth · 1936

José Carlos Becerra was a Spanish poet and essayist whose work is primarily framed in the second half of the 20th century. His poetry is characterized by deep introspection, the ex…

Andrei Sakharov

Andrei Sakharov

105 years since birth · 1921

Died on this day

13
Fernando Py

Fernando Py

6 years since death · 2020

Fernando Py is a contemporary Portuguese poet, essayist, and literary critic, whose work stands out for its intellectual depth, formal rigor, and exploration of themes such as iden…

António Arnaut

António Arnaut

8 years since death · 2018

António Arnaut was a Portuguese jurist, professor, and poet. A Doctor of Law from the University of Coimbra, he dedicated his life to the study and teaching of Law, with a particul…

Carlos Góes

Carlos Góes

92 years since death · 1934

Carlos Góes was a Brazilian poet and professor whose poetic work stands out for its lyrical depth and reflection on human existence. His writing, often marked by precise language a…

Yolanda Bedregal

Yolanda Bedregal

27 years since death · 1999

Yolanda Bedregal was a Bolivian poet, writer, and educator, with a work marked by lyrical sensitivity and the exploration of themes such as identity, nature, and the human conditio…

René Daumal

René Daumal

82 years since death · 1944

René Daumal was a French writer and poet, a singular figure linked to surrealism and mysticism. His work, although relatively scarce, is profoundly marked by spiritual seeking and …

Tommaso Campanella

Tommaso Campanella

387 years since death · 1639

Tommaso Campanella was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, theologian, and poet. A prolific and controversial thinker, he is known for his work 'The City of the Sun,' a politi…

Victor Segalen

Victor Segalen

107 years since death · 1919

Victor Segalen was a French poet, novelist, ethnographer, and physician, whose work is marked by the exploration of exotic cultures, aesthetic sensibility, and the search for innov…

Francisco de Sá de Meneses

Francisco de Sá de Meneses

362 years since death · 1664

Francisco de Sá de Meneses was a Portuguese poet and nobleman, a prominent figure in Portuguese Baroque poetry. His work, marked by formal complexity and depth of thought, reflects…

Eduardo de Lacerda

Eduardo de Lacerda

49 years since death · 1977

Eduardo de Lacerda was a poet whose poetic work is characterized by the exploration of themes related to intimacy, existential reflection, and observation of daily life. His writin…

Pedro José Constâncio

Pedro José Constâncio

208 years since death · 1818

Pedro José Constâncio was a multifaceted figure in the Portuguese intellectual scene, standing out as a poet, doctor, and scholar. His poetic work, although sometimes less prominen…

Antonio Deltoro

Antonio Deltoro

3 years since death · 2023

Antonio Deltoro is a renowned Mexican poet and translator. His poetic work is recognized for its conciseness, depth, and a keen eye on everyday reality and human experiences. As a …

Andrés Eloy Blanco

Andrés Eloy Blanco

71 years since death · 1955

Andrés Eloy Blanco was a Venezuelan poet, playwright, and politician, one of the most emblematic figures of modernism and social poetry in Venezuela. His work, characterized by dee…

Carlo Emilio Gadda

Carlo Emilio Gadda

53 years since death · 1973