[lit-ideas] From Iguaçu to Buenos Ayres: the Coward Diaries -- and beyond

From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:23:20 EDT

In a message dated 9/14/2010 4:22:41 A.M. Time,  mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx 
writes:
: In cowardly vein, JLS described Noel's  arrival in Argentina via the 
falls. A friend told me that the best view of  the falls is on the 
Argentine side.

--- Yes.
 
I wouldn't know exactly what route Coward followed. If you look at a map,  
that river is quite a bother. It's the Parana. I am familiar with the way 
the  river 'ends' on the River Plate. 
 
I wouldn't know WHERE he got ONTO the boat. Surely the "Falls" (Iguacu --  
with 's' under the 'c' -- or Iguazu) is pretty turbulent, so I wouldn't know 
 where exactly you take the boat. But it would have taken like quite a bit 
to  descend downstream from the Falls to the Harbour of Buenos Ayres.
 
-----
 
It is my understanding that Coward went to Chile after the Buenos Ayres  
stay. And he must have arrived to Rio (where the South American leg of his 
trip  started) by transatlantic.
 
----- The trip was just a necessity for Coward since he had suffered a  
mental breakdown, if that's the word. It was that busy year in London when he  
had presented "Cavalcade" and other gems. And the critics were always so 
violent  against him.
 
---- (A workaholic, plus, he was).
 
---
 
If he arrived in the Harbour of Buenos Ayres, he is never too clear where  
in Buenos Ayres he stayed. He mainly focuses on how boring the Brits were -- 
who  approached him and wanted him to be JUST with them. He makes the 
comment that  the whole point of visit a country is to mix with the locals 
rather 
than with  the expats. And makes this passing reference to Guedala.
 
I first thought he was being ironic (like, "who cares for Guedala") -- but  
I did find Guedala's exquisite "Argentine tango" -- his memoirs in Buenos 
Aires  -- and possibly Coward was slightly envious of the way Guedala had 
been a sort  of 'darling' of Society --. He was Oxford educated, too, as I 
recall, which  Coward wasn't (and somewhat resented). (In Coward's case, he 
never was  'educated', never mind Oxford -- his classrooms were the stages of 
London). 
 
-----
 
Etc.
 
Speranza------Bordighera
 
Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls (Portuguese: Cataratas do  
Iguaçu [kataˈɾatɐz du iɡwaˈsu]; Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú [kataˈɾataz 
ðel  iɣwaˈsu]) are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of 
the  Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of  Misiones
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[lit-ideas] From Iguaçu to Buenos Ayres: the Coward Diaries -- and beyond

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