Superb Sentences: Lya Luft

A series of beautiful phrases, sentences, and excerpts from Brazilian literature leading up to Brazil’s National Day of the Book on October 29.

From her short story/article/anecdote/poem “Não ir mais para Pasárgada” (“Not going to Pasárgada anymore”), published in 2007: “Vou me vingar da chatice, da violência, das traições, da burocracia e da corrupção instalada, sendo feliz aqui. E quando tudo me aborrecer de verdade, quando eu ficar cansada de minhas neuroses e manias, quando as pessoas estiverem demais distraídas, a paisagem perder a graça, a mediocridade instalar seu reinado e anunciarem o coroamento da burrice, — vou espiar o letreiro que fala de uma riqueza disponível para qualquer um, e que botei como descanso de tela no meu eternamente ligado computador: Escute a canção da vida.”

I am going to have my revenge on irritation, on violence, on betrayals, on the bureaucracy and entrenched corruption, by being happy here.
And when everything truly irritates me, when I get tired of my neuroses and manias, when people are being too absent-minded, the landscape loses its charm, mediocrity installs its kingdom and they announce the crowning of stupidity — I’m going to peek at the sign that talks about a richness available to anyone that I put as a screen saver on my eternally connected computer:
Listen to the song of life.