In some ways, Sweden still hasn’t recovered from the shock murder in central Stockholm of Olof Palme. Now foreign minister Anna Lindh has been stabbed. Incomprehensible.
As a perfect example of the gifts James McGee writes about (see below), Rogue Classicism directed me to an interview with Irene Papas in the English-language Greek paper Kathimerini. The actress is performing two Euripides plays, Hecuba and The Trojan Women, in Rome and Valencia. She was asked whether she chose them for their anti-war message.
“No way! God help us! I would never be able to humiliate Euripides to the extent of saying that I chose him because he was current. I chose The Trojan Women because it suited the location at which it would be played in Sagundo — a warehouse at the port. What should I think? That the play is current today and wont be tomorrow? These plays always have something to do with people and Euripides is always current. Unfortunately. I always say, ‘When will Euripides die?’ Because that would mean that weve evolved as human beings. That we can communicate, stop killing each other.”
An inspiring observation from James McGee: “We live in a world that denigrates thinking. With blogs you can surround yourself with those who revel in it. It’s a gift economy where the gifts are thoughts, ideas, and perspectives that can widen your horizons if you’re willing to accept the gifts as they appear on the threshold of your aggregator.”