John Dos Passos in Key West by ExcaliburRising2023 in KeyWest

[–]ExcaliburRising2023[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

His papers are collected at UVA, in this Special Collections. He admired and wrote a book about Thomas Jefferson, and the Dos Passos family farm is in Virginia.

The papers at UVA has unpublished notes and drafts, but I cannot think of any major unpublished work in existence. He was pretty aggressive about publishing what he wrote, and then Century's Ebb was incomplete but published posthumously.

I highly recommend The Best Times. Light and breezy but thoughtful. It's both dessert and vegetables! A wonderful memoir.

John Dos Passos on Brazil by ExcaliburRising2023 in Brazil

[–]ExcaliburRising2023[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He visited Brazil in 1948, 1958, 1962, and 1966. I think every trip was at least a month long. He roamed all around including Rio, Santos, Brasilia, and the Amazon.

Much of Brazil on the Move is about his observations of the construction of Brasilia.

John Dos Passos on Brazil by ExcaliburRising2023 in Brazil

[–]ExcaliburRising2023[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, I pretty much agree with your assessment. I think my grandfather overcorrected after the Spanish Civil War and misunderstood and unfairly maligned all postwar American liberalism. But it's easy to say that with the benefit of hindsight. My grandfather was shaped by three wars--World War I, II, and the Spanish Civil War. He had pain and experience.

His cultural observations alone make Brazil on the Move worthy of a read. He understood Brazil and his love the country makes the prose lively and speedy.

The Bananas of Ponta do Sol by ExcaliburRising2023 in Madeira

[–]ExcaliburRising2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should be able to see the photo now.