SOWING THE AFTERWORD

SOWING THE AFTERWORD

BY: ROLANDO LUCIO ROQUE

"They said farewell and in the goodbye was a welcome." Mario Benedetti.

Rolando Lucio Roque

Contrary to the unanimous opinion of his readers, good old Eduardo Quevedo has decided to close his much visited blog, "Memories Corner". He has argued personal reasons for his decision. I confess that I did not agree with this bold resolution, and so greater has been his audacity (though true to his spontaneity, which I've known for over thirty years) in asking me to write a few words as a postscript to his blog.  This blog has fulfilled its original goal, which was to fill in a gap in the history of a city and a soccer club that the author could not find when meticulously reviewing the available chronicles.

At first I refused flatly, but Eduardo wielded two reasons that eventually sat me down to fulfill his wishes. The first reason is that this brilliant source of information does not have a definitive closing. It will continue to receive comments from its readers (which will always be published).  When I found this out I felt relieved, because I believe that good works should never die.  Although they are the accomplishment of their authors, they also become the property of their readers.

The second reason, as important as the first, is that Eduardo Quevedo is going to start a new blog, and true to his singularity has titled it "Confessions to a Tree". This new cultural window will have a wider range of literary alternatives. We will read about his memories, everyday personal experiences, and about people that he knows. Eduardo narrates with great intellect and is able to write at the same rapidity as the ideas come to his mind.  For this reason his legion of readers remain faithful to his prose, which comes from a wandering soul that never rests.  His inspiration endlessly delights those who follow him.

Therefore, this afterword is not a farewell, but a continuation of an excellent work that the writer started the moment he learned to read.  For him reading is a “vice” that has been accompanying him throughout his existence.  It is known that to write well it is necessary to read constantly. Eduardo has been a common visitor to libraries, and continues to read during his leisure time (which is limited), enriching his wide vocabulary. The pieces that he writes reflect his honesty and bring us back to the words that he crafted at home, with his friends and his books.

So, with Eduardo having met our expectations, we wait eagerly for his "Confessions ..." which I am sure will come as effortlessly as the verses that ride through the winds. There will be tenderness and rigor, the memory of the past and spontaneity of the present, and the irony of Don Francisco de Quevedo, his prestigious ancestor. Eduardo has a gift for writing. He uses it to travel through the distant and recent history, stoking memories, and in his untamed emotion there will always be a recollection of Don Alejandro Quevedo Acosta, his father, and of a teacher he had when crossing the border from adolescence to youth, Don Pablo Silva Villacorta.

Hence in his constant pilgrimage, gathering knowledge that he spreads without delay, he is happy by giving happiness to the readers.  He haunts them with the sorcery that his enriched language brings in, traps them into his poetic cause with sublime terms and rhetorical stories, exhibits healthy elegance, investigates, confirms and publishes. He is proud of his roots,  enjoys his work, and brings life to his stories.  In his work he uses reviews, interviews, profiles, clever captions and glossy displays of photos.

It is imperative at the same time, I believe, to express mutual gratitude to both the author and his readers, this extraordinary symbiosis that grew stronger with each post. This fusion between author and reader has grown a mighty tree with an imposing shadow that will shelter new works from our beloved author. Also it is important to thank those who contributed to the brilliancy of this source of information, to all those who came to read and write comments, and to all those who revived old friendships under the influence of stories told here. Also, allow me to mention two people in particular, Miguel Koo Chía and Víctor Raúl Arellano Salazar, who represent the summary of the goodwill of readers, commentators and contributors.

And last, but not least, thank you to all the Quevedo Serrano family members, and with them our embrace of special consideration to Dorothy and Terry, daughter and wife of our author, respectively. This blog has robbed many hours of dedication, which the author could have lovingly devoted to his family.  We want to make up for all that time that we have taken him away from his family by stating our deep thanks and gratitude.

To you, Eduardo, thank you for continuing in this work.  You were born to triumph, so success visits you frequently. Wherever you go, your pen will always talk for you.  With smooth manners or crafty ways, you will write new chronicles with your personal sheen, with that perfection that we have got used to, with the wisdom that dictates your brain and inspires your heart. Speaking of hearts, I found no better phrase to end with than the one Don Francisco de Quevedo coined with success, only four hundred years ago, "Those who truly love with their hearts, only with their hearts speak".

Let’s keep talking with our hearts.

Fraternally.

Lucio Rolando Roque.

Barcelona, Spain

September, 2011

(*) Rolando Lucio Roque writes regularly on his blog EL SECUESTRO DE LA INSPIRACIÓN 

NOTE:

If you'd like to comment on this post, here is a translation of terms in the directions:

Comentarios = comments

Publicar un comentario en la entrada = write a comment in the box

Comentar como = write as ... (choose "Nombre/URL", then type in your name under “Nombre”, leave “URL” blank)

Vista previa = preview (see how your comment will look)

Publicar un comentario = publish your comment

If you think that these steps are too complicated then write me an e-mail with your comment and I’ll publish it for you: edquevedo@yahoo.com

Every comment goes to the editor first before being published)