I have the luck to possess Alex Danchev’s “The Letters of Paul Cezanne” book (“Thames&Hudson”).
In the titled book, I found a fascinating letter written by Emile Zola to Paul Cezanne. A famous French writer wrote the note on the 16th of April 1860. Zola pledged the French painter to write him letters as often as possible. He was curious about every thought, every new sensation that appeared in Cezanne’s mind and soul. Zola insisted that Paul put every idea on paper, and then, once he gets four pages, he should send it to him as a letter. I must admit that this activity is something that I do here on this blog. I write down my thoughts for myself, for my beloved ones, for the whole society and future generations.
In short, I write down all my thoughts, incentives, and sensations for all people to make them available to the public.
By the way, I like reading epistolography. I have read all of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s letters published in the Polish language (I highly recommend reading them).
Moreover, I read Paul Cezanne’s letters in “The Letters of Paul Cezanne” (also recommended). Also, I have excerpts from Vincent van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Theo. Why should we read written thoughts of worldwide recognizable geniuses? I am convinced that it is always worth knowing the insights of more intelligent people than me. Sometimes I regret a little bit that writing letters are an activity that probably already extinct. Hand-written letters are probably one of the most personal, intimate ways to leave thoughts for other people. As a blogger, I should avoid writing similar things. Still, writing and reading others’ ideas on paper is more crucial than something written on a virtual paper. On the other hand, managing a blog has one fundamental and vital advantage: if you write in English, there is a chance that millions of people will be able to read your thoughts.
