LETTER

Trump hasn’t read Gogol

 

I would like to introduce our readers to some historical literature and the lack of it in the Western Hemisphere. Let us start with President Obama. If he were familiar with Russian literature, he would have realized that President Putin in the eyes of the Russian people has became the historical literary figure of Ilya Muromets. So 'poking the bear', as he presented it, was rather a poor choice.

President Obama had a willing sidekick in our former PM. And the media took it hook and  sinker, and would reveal anything they dug up on Russia, even what was not there!

Just reading Gogol and his Taras Bulba would have rung a warning bell when these two politicians approved military naval exercises at the gates of Russian naval bases (Crimea-Ukraine).

But we changed our government, a good choice. Though I was for NDP on the basis of policies and trust, our PM has courage -- and he was the only one who took my question seriously enough to answer it (on CBC). The question appeared in this newspaper in August 2016, “Putin & Trump”.

Then came Brexit. Donald Trump would shine. He did not present himself as Robin Hood, as one would expect, but rather as Till Eulenspiegel (German literature), and had some fun. The news media had a hard time to read him, and they still do.

But they also have only a one-sided education, mostly Shakespearian with curls.  We should include other nations and writers of belles letters -- and avoid the repetitive Hollywood production of manipulative flat emotional nonsense. But I am not a preacher, just a sculptor. . .

Rasto Hlavina,
Pontiac