Louisa May Alcott, a heroine

I am Louisa May Alcott. I was born on November 29th, 1832. I died on March 6, 1888. At first, I wasn’t famous, although I tried to write many books. My first book was Flower Fables, and it was originally written for my friend, the daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. My next novel was called Moods, and it was about a girl named Sylvia, an abolitionist who was modeled on me. I tend to write about myself a lot.

My best-selling book, Little Women, tells the story of me and my sisters growing up in the Orchard House in Concord. It was my book editor who suggested that I should write it, and that it should be about my experience growing up. To my surprise, the book was a great success. And with the money I made selling the book, I paid off the dept that my father owed to our neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, when we purchased the Orchard House.

In Little Women, Jo’s father goes off to fight in the Civil war, but he didn’t in real life. Instead, it was me who became a northern hospital nurse. That was where I wrote my book, Hospital Sketches, which was based on my letters sent home. But even though it was nicely received, it was Little Woman that made me really famous. In time, my fame grew and grew until I became one of the most well-known authors for young girls.

The viola rehearsal

Study on Black and White

Black Swans

Easter Bunnies

and a lamb

Peacocks

Vasile Alecsandri - Sfarsitul Iernei

(http://vassyle.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html)

Este una din poeziile care mi-au ramas in suflet si le-am tinut cu mine pe orisiunde am fost.

S-a dus zapada alba de pe intinsul tarii,
S-au dus zilele Babei si noptile vegherii.
Campia scoate aburi; pe umedul pamant
Se-ntind carari uscate de-al primaverii vant.

Lumina e mai calda si-n inima patrunde;
Prin rapi adanci zapada de soare se ascunde.
Paraiele umflate curg iute sopotind,
si mugurii pe creanga se vad imbobocind.

O, Doamne! iata-un flutur ce prin vazduh se perde!
In campul vested iata un fir de iarba verde
Pe care-ncet se urca un galbin gandacel,
si sub a lui povara il pleaca-ncetinel.

Un fir de iarba verde, o raza-ncalzitoare,
Un gandacel, un flutur, un clopotel in floare,
Dupa o iarna lunga s-un dor nemarginit,
Aprind un soare dulce in sufletul uimit!

Alecsandri, portret de Aman

Zice Alecsandri, Romanul caracterizeaza sub forme poetice sau glumete toate variatiile timpului. Astfel, ii place a numi zilele Babei, zilele cele dentai ale lunei mart (giboulées de Mars), pretinzand ca ele sunt nesuferite, ca o baba care se cearta necontenit, si plange, se boceste si nu lasa pe nime in pace. insa adevarata denumire de zilele Babei e bazata pe sarbatoarea Dochiei (baba Dochia), ce cade la inceputul lui mart. Acele zile sunt urmate de zilele cocostarcului, a mieilor, a ciocarliei, a randunelelor etc., care prevestesc reintoarcerea in tara a paserilor pribegite de cu toamna si epoha nasterii mieilor.