Heroes - Real life people

[Surenas]

A writer is no hero only because his literary characters are drawn as heroes.

The work is art, perhaps even worth a Nobel prize in literature, but that's all.

Almost as a rule, the hero dies of his heroic deeds and/or is hailed post mortem first. The tragedy.

Living heroes merely randomly go down in history, they're the idols of just a few generations.

Over the wordy reading here I've lost the thread and don't recall the 2nd hero in my life - tcha,

there he goes... too bad.

[grannywils]

Surenas: Although I agree that some of the authors mentioned so far in this thread may not have been particularly heroic in your definiton of the word, and perhaps even mine, let us remember that we all have our own heroes.

 

But more importantly, there most definitely have been many heroic writers who risked a great deal to say out loud what they knew needed saying. I will name one: Rigoberta Menchu Tum of Guatemala. She is a hero, in spite of some subsequent questioning of the specifics of her work, she was still heroic in her efforts for human rights, particulary for the indigenous peoples.

[Surenas]

The writers that come under pressure are already honoured due to the only choice I've made up to now - the 15 year old Jewess Anne Frank, killed by the Germans in a concentration camp. I could have equally chosen a Chilean author, by psychological means shot dead with delay after his wife and children in the stadium of Santiago by the military junta in the 70s or anybody else. You see, grannywils? They all were mental heroes, telling or holding the supposed truth, defending it with civil courage, if necessary up to their end. And truth always dies first, as you might know. On the contrary, we have the classical heroes, usually armed folks that have tried to force a hoped-for decision for the people – in vain. Already before they die they are often called ‘war-heroes’ due to remarkable successes earlier on the battlefield. Now, if the people start, by means of whatever, with an imitation of the hero in whole or in part, the hero turns into an idol and his way is now the aim of the many.

Btw, here our former hero meets the fashion idols that are introducing, carrying, wearing, holding or performing something of temporary public interest, for example their faces. Hybridisations of the different versions of idolatry, heroism included, are possible and fortify so the individual market value of the idol in the public game. This leads to the fact that only a modern idol is to be sold well, an idol of old and a hero is normally not, but the latter stays much longer in history.

Finally, we have the personal 'house heroes' - mom and dad, the grandparents, friends and folks of the region that did extraordinary, often social things. As long as we remember their names they are still alive and not yet gone to the shadows. Blessed be the one who can sing the song of his heroic ancestors for more than just two generations.

[Surenas]

Double posting due to correction. My fault, sorry.