23 Comments
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Donna Chamberlain's avatar

I love these letters. I look forward to them like I look forward to the next chapter in a delicious book. The unknown before and the unspoken after of each letter appeals to me and draws me in until I'm creating my own version of them. Thank you.

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Nathan Slake's avatar

Feel the same, Donna.

I hope someday Silvio compiles them into a book edition that I can purchase.

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you, my friend. I could say the same about your pieces! :)

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Ellen Barry's avatar

You said it best. Came here to say that! Love these small mysteries.

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you, Ellen!

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you so much, Donna, for these beautiful words. "The unknown before and the unspoken after" -- I love this characterization. Thank you for your readership and support!

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Nathan Slake's avatar

Another absolute gem, Silvio. Captivated from the start with the labyrinth. I love the repeating themes, the nod to Borges again here, the strange coincidences.

One of my favourite lines: "Today, I kind of like to think of it as a reflection of a particular state, as if, by merely reading a handwritten word, I could detect how I felt and what my day was like, supposedly, when I wrote it."

along with this: "and the guy, instead of giving me back the change from ten euros, pointed to the entrance of the labyrinth, behind the trunk of a large tree, as if this information were worth the coins he was supposed to give me."

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you so much, Nathan! My relationship with my handwriting is complicated, but I’ve noticed it really reflects many external influences, like the weather, for example. And Borges -- what can I say? You know it all. I'm suddenly reminded of something Bolaño wrote about Borges, something about how all Latin American fiction writers derive at least some part of their style from him. Something along those lines, if that makes sense.

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Nathan Slake's avatar

Yes, definitely. I have only so far experienced Borges, but I must explore Bolaño. I have “By night in Chile” loaded onto my Kindle.

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

You'll love it. I'm ready to bet on it heavy. :)

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Zinenataza's avatar

Just played 'Waltz for Debby'... SO beautiful...

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

It is an exceptionally beautiful piece of music, yes.

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Rose Campbell's avatar

I love these stories! So imaginative, and so very intriguing (also goose-bump inducing!)

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you, Rose!

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Kathleen Clare Waller's avatar

You had me at the Borgesian labyrinth and then it builds so gently like so many of your stories do, Silvio. I liked this a lot: "My calligraphy has always been variable, I thought. " Simple, yet so telling. Such a deeply symbolic idea about the self and our output as beings in the physical world. Lovely work!

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you so much, Kate! Yes, my handwriting is a mystery: it can change overnight, as if coming from someone else's hand. Rarely do I finish a handwritten piece with the same handwriting I started with.

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Maria Valles's avatar

Sweet!

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you!

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Karena's avatar

Deja vu. I just had a conversation in WoP13 first assignment with someone about their address book. Oh, how I would love to live in your imaginative brain, Silvio! But these are the next best thing.

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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you, Karena! See? We're in sync here, somehow! :)

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Oct 13
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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing this reflection, Van. I think being in a maze is life itself, so going from one maze to the next is like coming out of one situation and entering another, if that makes any sense. That’s how I see it and why T. said that in the dream.

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Oct 20
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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

This is great, Van! So glad my story brought you back to that song. Is that something that can be listened to?

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Oct 21
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Silvio Castelletti's avatar

I know exactly what you mean. I look forward to that, thank you!

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