The SouthernCross ReviewA multicultural review of literature and social and spiritual themesUna revista multicultural de literatura y temas sociales y espiritualesNumber 1, September-October 1999 | |
CONTENTS
FICTION
Tango
(English) La
chica del sombrero con volado He
venido a destrozar tu mundo
I've
Come to Shatter your World POETRY
Jardines
Lejanos Renascence
Edna St.Vincent Millay
BOOK REVIEW
And
There Was Light Jacques Lusseyran Reviewed by Steve Talbott ESSAYS Naturaleza
y estudio de la astrolog�a Juan Antonio Revilla
SOCIAL QUESTION --BOOK:
Favela
Children--A Brazilian Diary SCIENCE
Putting
Soul into Science SPECIAL FEATURE Knock
on Wood from the Barcelona Review |
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The SouthernCross Review.
Being newborn, we can't very well talk about previous accomplishments. But
we have plenty of good intentions and we'd like to describe some of them
for you.
In the fiction category we are privileged to have a short story by
Luisa Valenzuela, one of Latin America's leading authors. Her
story, Tango, combines the true spirit (and sensuality) of
Argentina's national dance with the heroine's emotional response to it --
as only an Argentine writer (and, we assume, Tango dancer) could do. It
appears in the original Spanish with English translation. We have a nostalgia and a love for the classics, so don't be surprised
to see, in the poetry section, such names as Juan Ram�n Jim�nez,a
Nobel prize winner who most of our English speaking readers probably never
heard of, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, most likely unknown to the
Spanish speakers. These classic authors are dead, yes, but not forgotten,
at least not here. It is no secret that education is deficient, to a
greater or lesser degree the world over. This, coupled with the flood of
passive entertainment (cinema, TV, video games) has resulted in societies
that either don't read at all or only read trash. If a member of this
battered generation should happen to stumble upon The SouthernCross
Review, he or she will have the opportunity to read at least one of the
great writers in every issue. Then there are those readers who have known
the great ones, but have long since ceased to revisit them. This, then, is
for them as well. This by no means implies that we will neglect new,
contemporary writers. In fact, they will constitute the bulk of every
issue's content. They will be facing tough competition though, so we mean
to select only the best. The Book Review section presents a book which describes the heroic life
of a so-called disabled person who, despite lacking sight, became a leader
of the French resistance and, later, a university professor. In life he
was an inspiration to many, and his inspiration lives on in this
autobiographical work. A serious essay by a professional psychologist-astrologer, Juan
Antonio Revilla of Costa Rica, will interest not only those open to
what astrology can mean, but also to those who consider it bunk -- which
doesn't mean that they have to agree.
Social themes are also mentioned in the heading. These are the burning
issues of our times and we want to talk about them. If in a country like
Argentina, for example, 40 percent of the population lives under the
poverty line and 80 percent of those are children, we think something
should be done about it. And in Brazil the situation is even worse. To
learn more about this, be sure to read Ute Craemer's factual,
heart-warming book, Favela Children which, because of its length,
is being serialized. And who isn't at least curious about the spiritual nature of humankind
and the universe? We are, and we think that you are too. Dr. Michael
Friedjung, astropysicist and Research Director of the French National
Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris, has written a rare book
indeed, one in which he explores the possibility of "putting soul into
science". It appears for the first time anywhere here. The manuscript came
in at the last minute, so to speak, so there was only time and space to
print the preface in this issue. The subsequent chapters will begin
appearing in the next issue. Not all of the contributions appear in both languages. As you can well
imagine, finding competent "volunteer" translators isn't easy. We hope to
do better in this respect in the future.
About the name SouthernCross Review Easy to explain: We are physically located in the Traslasierra valley
at 1,000 meters altitude, surrounded by the high sierras of C�rdoba in the
Republic of Argentina, under the constellation Southern Cross (Cruz del
Sur). That's the one that always points to the South Pole. From this
vantage point The SouthernCross Review spreads its light to the world. Click on down through the table of contents, enjoy, and let us know
what you think. Or, better still, subscribe, free of course. Just send an
e-mail with the word "subscribe" in the subject box and we will be able to
inform you when each new issue is one the web. See you next time in
November, still Springtime under the Southern Cross.
Frank Thomas Smith, Editor |