De Engelse dichter en schrijver William Shakespeare werd geboren in Stradford-upon-Avon op, vermoedelijk, 23 april 1564. Zie ook alle tags voor William Shakespeare op dit blog.
Uit: The Merchant of Venice
„SHYLOCK
No, not take interest, not, as you would say,
Directly interest: mark what Jacob did.
When Laban and himself were compromised
That all the eanlings which were streak’d and pied
Should fall as Jacob’s hire, the ewes, being rank,
In the end of autumn turned to the rams,
And, when the work of generation was
Between these woolly breeders in the act,
The skilful shepherd peel’d me certain wands,
And, in the doing of the deed of kind,
He stuck them up before the fulsome ewes,
Who then conceiving did in eaning time
Fall parti-colour’d lambs, and those were Jacob’s.
This was a way to thrive, and he was blest:
And thrift is blessing, if men steal it not.
ANTONIO
This was a venture, sir, that Jacob served for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But sway’d and fashion’d by the hand of heaven.
Was this inserted to make interest good?
Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams?
SHYLOCK
I cannot tell; I make it breed as fast:
But note me, signior.
ANTONIO
Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
SHYLOCK
Three thousand ducats; ’tis a good round sum.
Three months from twelve; then, let me see; the rate—“
William Shakespeare (23 april 1564 – 23 april 1616)
John Sessions (Salerio) en Jeremy Irons (Antonio) in de verfilming uit 2004
De Oekraïense schrijver Andrey Kurkov werd geboren op 23 april 1961 in Leningrad. Zie ook alle tags voor Andrey Kurkov op dit blog.
Uit: Death and the Penguin (Vertaald door George Bird)
« Two days later the phone rang.
«Capital News . Sorry to trouble you, »said a crisp, clear female voice. I have the Editor-in-Chief on the line.”
The receiver changed hands.
«Viktor Alekseyevich”? a man’s voice enquired. « Couldn’t pop in today, could you? Or are you busy? »
«No, »said Viktor.
«I’ll send a car. Blue Zhiguli . Just let me have your address. »
Viktor did, and with a “Bye, then,”the Editor-in-Chief rang off without giving his name.
Selecting a shirt from the wardrobe, Viktor wondered if it was to do with his story. Hardly … What was his story to them? Still, what the hell!
The driver of the blue Zhiguli parked at the entrance was deferential. He it was who conducted Viktor to the Editor-in-Chief.
“I’m Igor Lvovich,”he said, extending a hand. “Glad to meet you.”
Andrey Kurkov (Leningrad, 23 april 1961)
De Franse schrijver Pascal Quignard werd geboren op 23 april 1948 in Verneuil-sur-Avre. Zie ook alle tags voor Pascal Quignard op dit blog.
Uit: Les Ombres Errantes
« Une dernière fois le maître de pêche la supplie :
— Si tu m’expliques pourquoi tu ne m’as pas aimé autant que le chantre, je te laisse passer.
Elle le regarde dans les yeux.
Puis elle hausse les épaules.
Elle tourne son regard vers le large.
Plus tard encore, elle regarde de nouveau son époux, longuement. Son visage ne marque pas de mépris, mais il est sans douceur.
Elle baisse les paupières mais elle ne dit rien.
Il dit tout bas :
— Dis-moi, mon amour, pourquoi tu ne m’aimes plus ? Alors le beau visage de son épouse est placé sur sa gauche. Il la voit de profil. Il ne voit pas ses lèvres bouger. Il entend pourtant qu’elle dit à voix basse :
— J’avais plus de plaisir dans la compagnie de ce mort, même une minute, même en pensée, même en errantes mâchouillant sans fin dans ma bouche le secret de son nom, que dix ans dans tes bras, même quand j’étais heureuse dans tes bras.
— Ah ! fit-il et il s’effondra sur le sol.
Ils passèrent.
Ils descendirent le sentier.
Ils gagnèrent le sable et la laisse de mer. Ils se tenaient par la main au bord des vagues.
Ils marchaient sur les algues tout en bas.
Le pêcheur voyait les vêtements jaunes flotter au-dessus des algues et des flaques.
Il était jaloux.
Bien que tous deux fussent morts, le maître pêcheur était jaloux de leur bonheur chez les morts.”
Pascal Quignard (Verneuil-sur-Avre, 23 april 1948)
De Duitse dichter, essayist en literatuurwetenschapper Peter Horst Neumann werd geboren op 23 april 1936 in Neisse. Zie ook alle tags voor Peter Horst Neumann op dit blog.
Schlesische Sommerfrische 1943
Das Pferd hat den brennenden
Wagen zum Löschteich gezogen,
der Bauer lag tot im Heu.
Das war noch mitten im Frieden
und sie erzählten es gern.
Am Abend wurden die Hühner gezählt,
die Milch in der Küche geschleudert.
In der Scheune die mährischen Schnitter,
die sich morgens am Brunnen wuschen.
Die Mägde schliefen im Haus,
ein Spucknapf in jeder Kammer,
was ging mich das an.
Den Kleinknecht hatte eine Dresch-
flegel über der Schläfe getroffen,
der brauchte nicht in den Krieg.
Im Braunhemd spielte die Lehrerin
zur Sonntagsmesse die Orgel,
zwei Knabenfüße traten den Balg.
Heuwarme Nächte.
Der Hund gab leise Laut,
wenn auf der Leiter nachts der Hahn
sein Schlafbein wechselte.
In der Diele die Erntekronen,
knisternde Bauerngebete aus Stroh.
Peter Horst Neumann (23 april 1936 – 27 juli 2009)
De IJslandse schrijver Halldór Laxness (eig. Halldór Guðjónsson) werd geboren in Reykjavik op 23 april 1902. Zie ook alle tags voor Halldór Laxness op dit blog.
Uit: Paradise Reclaimed (Vertaald door Magnus Magnusson)
“It had long been the custom in the district to point out the dry-stone dykes and walls of Hlidar in Steinahlidar as an example for aspiring young farmers to follow in life; there were no other works of art in those parts to compare with these carefully built walls of stone. The farms in Steinahlidar stand on a plain under cliffs which had been the seaboard twenty thousand years before. Pockets of soil keep forming in crevices up in the rock-face and various plants take root in them, which undermine the fabric of the rock. In the heavy rains of spring and autumn the soil is washed away from the fissures, and pieces of rock bounce down on to the farms below. On some farms these stones would cause great damage every year to the meadows and home-field, sometimes even to the buildings themselves. Steinar of Hlidar often had his hands full in the spring, clearing the boulders from his home-field and meadows–the more so since he was more meticulous than most. Many were the times he had to bend double and straighten up with a heavy boulder in his arms, for no other reward than the joy of seeing a destructive stone fitted with dedicated care into a wall.
It is said that Steinar of Hlidar had a white pony which was considered the finest animal in the south. This horse was the sort of phenomenon that every farm needs. It seemed beyond serious doubt that this was a supernatural beast and had been so ever since he was a foal, when he had unexpectedly appeared on the scene at the side of a rather elderly white mare which had been running with the herd for a long time in the mountains. At the time of the birth she was grazing at LÃ?nsbakkar (Creek-Banks), but she had been stabled over midwinter and no one had had any idea that she was in foal. If there were ever a case of immaculate conception in Iceland, then this was it.”
Halldór Laxness (23 april 1902 – 8 februari 1998)
De Oostenrijkse dichteres Christine Busta werd geboren op 23 april 1915 in Wenen. Zie ook alle tags voor Christine Busta op dit blog.
Windiger Tag
An jeder Ecke gibt’s heut ein Scharmützel:
der Wind pflückt Kapuzen und Kinderhauben,
hat keinen Respekt vor Damenhüten
und hängt sie an kahle Sträucher wie Blüten,
dem Maronibrater stibitzt er Stanitzel,
und die Zeitungsfrau flattert wie zwanzig Tauben.
Für den Winterabend
Wenn der Mondmann geht ums Haus,
weht der Schnee bald leiser,
nur die rote Feuermaus
huscht noch durch die Reiser.
Leiser, als die Spinne spinnt,
webt im Ofenloch der Wind
Träume schon für Vater,
Mutter, Kind und Kater.
Christine Busta (23 april 1915 – 3 december 1987)
Zelfportret, 1966
Zie voor nog meer schrijvers van de 23e april ook mijn blog van 23 april 2012 deel 1 en ook deel 2.