This podcast is a change of pace. I talk about one of my favorite Twitter accounts, the account of @MichaelPorfirio, and I discuss why I think it actually has, in its own distinctive surrealistic way, legitimate artistic merit.
Sometimes we need to be thrown curve balls here and there, to keep us all on our toes.
The name Muhammad al-Salami (محمد السلامي) (A.D. 948–1003) is nearly unknown in the West, but occupies a prominent position in medieval Arabic poetry. The genius of his metaphors, the richness of his turns of phrase, and the elegance of his diction can be felt even through the fog of translation; and we will do our best to pay him homage here. The anthologist Abu Mansur al-Tha’alibi called him:
In this podcast I discuss three separate questions sent to me by readers. The questions are:
There are times in history where the right man in the right place can make all the difference. Accidents of fate, the changing circumstances of fortune, and the randomness of events all conspire to turn predictability into uncertainty; yet a man of learning, vision, and character may, at times, interpose himself in the middle of these whirlwinds and by his actions change the course of history. It happens all the time.
In the early seventeenth century, the steppes of Russia were almost entirely unknown to western Europeans. Forests were thicker than they are now, roads were fewer and more difficult to navigate, and travel required much more money and resources than it does now. One had to be sponsored by a wealthy patron, or be an official representative of a government. It is to this latter category that the German explorer Adam Olearius (1599–1671) belonged; he was one of the first westerners to penetrate deeply into Russia and Persia, and the account he left behind is one of the more fascinating works of travel literature that I have seen in recent years.
There is a fable told in the Roman emperor Julian’s oration To the Cynic Heracleios that is worth relating and discussing. The fable is rather involved, but we will extract its relevant parts here. The god Hermes once appeared before a youth who, though virtuous and good, was having some difficulties in life. Hermes said to the young man:
After saying a few words about the great explorers and travelers of the past, and explaining why a study of their exploits is more important for us than ever before, I give a podcast reading of my most recent article, Charles Sturt: A Pioneer Of Australian Exploration.
The student of the history of exploration and discovery cannot fail to notice certain recurring patterns in the lives of great explorers. Many of them come from modest or poor backgrounds; many have military experience; many are driven by an inner conviction that they are destined for great achievements; many have a high tolerance for pain and hardship; and some of them have combative or disputatious natures that make them difficult to get along with. Not all of these generalizations are found in every explorer, of course. But it cannot be denied that a certain personality type is well-suited to a life of exploration.
We have previously mentioned the political philosopher Ibn Zafar Al-Siqilli (“The Sicilian”), who lived from 1104 to about 1171. Very little is known of his early life; his entry in Ibn Khallikan’s Biographical Dictionary reveals little more than a few sad anecdotes. We do know that he was born under the Norman rule of Sicily, and received a good education in Mecca in Arabia. A period of wandering followed, which ended around 1150 when he secured a teaching position in Aleppo, Syria. When war broke out in Syria, Ibn Zafar moved back to Sicily; some years later he moved back to Syria, ultimately residing in Hama, where he died around 1172.
[The article I published yesterday on Sean Connery was translated into Portuguese by Mr. Daniel Castro].
Tradução por Daniel Castro.
Em suas memórias de 1988 Travels, o autor Michael Crichton lembra-se da época que ele passou com o ator Sean Connery durante as filmagens de The Great Train Robbery na Irlanda em 1978. Crichton, o famoso autor de Jurassic Park, Sphere, Congo, Disclosure, e algumas outras histórias populares, também era um diretor de filmes. Connery era a estrela de The Great Train Robbery, e Crichton claramente estava impressionado com o escocês vulcânico. As anedotas que ele relaciona ao carisma masculino de Connery deixam claro que os homens hoje em dia podem aprender muito com ele.
Quintus Curtius 
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