EVOKING BLAI BONET, BLAUS I SOL DE ROSES BLANQUES...

On the anniversary of Pere Quart's death, The Grandma, from Santanyí, has been rereading and remembering another great writer, Blai Bonet.

The islanders have a character very marked by the sea. It is normal. Entire generations have lived without ever leaving their island and this marks the local idiosyncrasy. The Mallorcans are no exception and this is because Mallorca is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, but like all islands it is finite.

Mallorcan culture is of enormous majesty, rooted in the land, its people and this blue and infinite horizon that can always be seen from any part of the island.

Mallorcan artists have painted the island, sung about it and written about it and it is through art that they have expressed states of mind, illusions and disappointments, dreams, hopes and fears.

One of the best Mallorcan poets of the 20th century was Blai Bonet, born in Santanyí. He was a novelist and poet who captured the colors of the island like few others and who wrote one of the most beautiful poems ever written about the island, a poem that sheds light, not so much because it speaks of light, but because its language seems to illuminate what it describes. It is a poetry that does not argue or explain: it makes a vision appear. It is the union between matter and transcendence. In many religious poets, spirituality tends to distance itself from the physical world; however, Blai Bonet does just the opposite. Faith passes through colors, through animals, through the earth, through the Mediterranean light.

Blai Bonet (1926-1997) was a Mallorcan poet, novelist and art critic.

Bonet released El Mar (The Sea) in 1958. In 1962, his collections of poems L'Evangeli segons un de tants (The Gospel According to One of Many) was awarded the Carles Riba Poetry Prize, but it was not published due to Spanish Francoist censorship, delaying it for more than five years.

In 1990, he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Catalan Government.

He was a member of the Association of Catalan Language Writers. He was a participant in the resurgence of Catalan literature in the 1960s.

Blaus i sol de roses blanques.
El pati verd i blanc de primavera,
ple de bels astorats davant la Pasqua.

Blues and sunlight of white roses.
The green-and-white courtyard of spring,
filled with lambs' bewildered bleating before Easter.

More information: GenCat

Blaus i sol de roses blanques.

Blues and sunlight of white roses.

Blai Bonet

THE BONDS & ENVIRONMENT: TRAVELS AND FLOWERS

The Bonds enjoying Tenerife and butterflies

Today, The Bonds have had an intensive day in Tenerife Island. They have climbed Teide Mountain and they’re now resting in a hut, on the top of the mountain, which is only reserved for special guests.

Before climbing Teide, they had revised some English grammar like Demonstratives and Past Participle and they have read a new chapter of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

MJ has offered two new presents to our family: a book to prepare B2 Exam and one of the greatest novels of Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist.

More information: Demonstratives (This, These, That, Those)

Next, Eli Bond has offered some interesting information about the importance of colours in our lives, something that this family knows perfectly because there is one of its members, Jaume Bond, who is a professional painter.

More information: Past Participle

The Grandma has talked about colours, flowers and travels remembering two incredible writers, Mercè Rodoreda and Blai Bonet. Both of them are considered excellent writers and both of them had difficult lives full of disasters, sadness and terrible personal conditions.

The Bonds have participated in the Carnival last weekend wearing some butterflies costumes and thanks to this, they’ve won another prize. Jaume, Joanjo and Pedro Bond have joined to David Bond who has been declared the Queen and all of them have won the festival.

The family is very happy for this prize because David has been in Paris, working in a new James Bond’s film, and he has seen how the family has missed him during these days. David’s returning has been the best present for this unforgettable family.

After this moment of glory, the family has talked about environment and recycling using some modal verbs like Must, Have to and Should and they have shared different experiences in Tenerife, a special place for Irene Bond, who used to spend long seasons in the island after working in her secret and dangerous missions and for Pedro Bond who has remembered his ancestors and who has talked about one of the most beautiful European cultures: the Guanches.

Finally, The Grandma has decided to buy some islands. They name Wild Islands and are situated between Canary Islands and Green Cape. It has been a present for celebrating M. José Bond’s new goal.

If we intend to provide a better life, and a better world, 

for future generations, we can't ignore the quality of the environment we leave them. 

John Kasich