Two News Books

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents its TWO NEWS BOOKS:

• “GUILLERMO LEÓN VALENCIA, a leading historical presence”, by Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce, with a prologue by Paloma Valencia Laserna.

• “UNFORGETTABLE STORIES” by Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, with a prologue by Juan Esteban Constain.

GUILLERMO LEÓN VALENCIA, a leading historical presence

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents this biographical sketch of one of the most decisive former Presidents in the history of Colombia, written by the Payanese magistrate and poet Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce (died in 2011), recognized in Popayán and Cauca as one of its great writers and champions of their culture and traditions.

In the words of the writer Juan Esteban Constaín: “Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce is one of the greatest of our Language (…) and all writers owe a lot to his example, to his kindness and to his decorum forever.”

With a prologue by Senator Paloma Valencia Laserna, granddaughter of the former President of the Republic, Rodríguez Arce takes the reader, over 150 pages, to travel through Valencia’s life trajectory, in thirty chapters, from her origins to her death, passing for his training, influences, public positions, as well as for his contributions and his legacy to the country, while describing his multifaceted personality and different aspects of his family and professional life.

“I must have been a girl when I already knew about the oratorical ability and eloquence of Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce. I got to know him as a great friend of my dad, Ignacio Valencia. (…) My dad enjoyed his command of the language, and his attachment to the history and founding values ​​of our Colombia. He always highlighted the friendship he had with his father, my grandfather, President Guillermo León Valencia. (…) but the affinity is more than that coincidence, it was the vocation, the empathy in the principles and the fundamental purpose of their lives: both consecrated their lives to the service of a better Cauca and a better Colombia (…)”

PALOMA VALENCIA LASERNA

With these words, Paloma Valencia evokes both her paternal grandfather and Rodríguez Arce, whose main motivation for writing this profile – as the magistrate and poet himself expressed in writing – was because “in the last years of President Valencia’s life I had several and significant opportunities to enjoy their presence and conversation that ennobled all the time allotted to them.” Furthermore, he added, because Valencia “must be remembered and rescued with gratitude by the people who benefited from its paradigmatic conduct.”

DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT:

This biographical sketch, which Rodríguez Arce left handwritten with his unmistakable calligraphy, was written in April 2009, the year in which Colombia commemorated the centenary of the birth of former President Guillermo León Valencia (1909 – 1971) with different official acts led by the Government National, held especially in Popayán (Colombia – South America) , his hometown, among which Rodríguez Arce gave the Tribute speech at the Guillermo Valencia Theater in Popayán, before the President of the Republic, the Ministers of State, the delegates, family members and special guests , as well as the citizens present in the auditorium.

Valencia, who was born 114 years ago and died 52 years ago, is still present in Colombia’s memory for his fundamental role in the political solution to the bipartisan violence of the mid-20th century, when Colombia suffered one of the most complex moments in its history. and for his legacy that continues to contribute to the reflection of today’s Colombia.

The book, which remained unpublished, thus constitutes a double editorial contribution, by recovering, on the one hand, posthumously, this work by Rodríguez Arce, recognized for his writing elegance and knowledge of the country’s history; and on the other hand by bringing to the present the life and career of Guillermo León Valencia, one of the most decisive presidents in the history of Colombia.

With the weight and scriptural elegance that characterize the work of Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce, the text includes testimonies from renowned Colombian leaders and presidents of different ideologies who knew Valencia and who evoke his memorable personality and legacy.

POINTS OF SALE:

LIBRERÍA NACIONAL throughout Colombia and online with national and international shipments.

LIBRERÍA PENSAMIENTO ESCRITO Campanario Shopping Center – store L-74, in Popayán.

CONCEPTS about VALENCIA extracted from the book:

“When the time for frankness comes to Colombia, it will be identified in the memory of Guillermo León Valencia.”
BELISARIO BETANCUR

“…his personal conditions were an immense strength. (…) a man whom no one could hate and in whom all Colombians, in one way or another, felt represented.”
ALFONSO LÓPEZ MICHELSEN

“When the violence and radicalism of negative positions made the establishment of the dictatorship possible, we once again saw Guillermo León Valencia wielding the banner of freedom. (…) He was able to serve Colombia and peace, with unsurpassed efficiency.”
ALVARO GÓMEZ HURTADO

“He knew how to fulfill his duties as First Magistrate with unsurpassed patriotism and dignity…”
CARLOS LLERAS RESTREPO

“If the entire Colombia has experienced a tremendous shock due to the death of Dr. Guillermo León Valencia, I can affirm that this feeling of pain becomes more poignant in the Liberal Party that followed him and hailed him as if he had been one of its great leaders. (…) Here closes the parable of a life of egregious human qualities that honored his race and that honored the Republic.”
GERMÁN ZEA HERNÁNDEZ

UNFORGETTABLE STORIES

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents “UNFORGETTABLE STORIES”, the most recent book by the journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, with a prologue by the renowned writer Juan Esteban Constain.

It is a publication that brings together fifty chronicles, interviews and reports on different topics (historical, literary, artistic, scientific, philosophical, educational, sociological) written with knowledge, research and entertainment from the practice of cultural journalism.

As the prominent writer Juan Esteban Constain expresses it, about this publication:

“Reading Sophia Rodríguez Pouget is both an enormous pleasure and an opportunity to learn, to discover, to broaden the horizon of thought and culture. Cultural journalism, in their hands, acquires an admirable meaning, worthy of that name. (…) one of the most versatile, enlightened and sensitive voices in the world of culture in Colombia.”

“…this book is eloquent proof of his rigor and charm, the seriousness with which he approaches all topics ––the most dissimilar, the most refined, the most important––, the beauty and elegance of his style, worthy of “equal to literature but also accessible and enjoyable, always at the service of texts that can be enjoyed equally, with the same amazement, by a painter of facades and a painter of landscapes.”

Profiles of extraordinary characters; interviews with great talents, personalities and thinkers of the contemporary world. Unforgettable stories to learn, be entertained, reflect on, or simply to enjoy great stories, as well as to delve deeper into the work of cultural journalism which, as the author explains, has a determining mission. “There has always been talk of a certain difficulty in defining cultural journalism, and yet it performs a broad and central task in the life of a society. A work that is even transversal to all genres and approaches of Social Communication.”

Like a Pandora’s box of nearly four hundred pages, the reader will be able to discover and enjoy in this book multiple stories on topics that include music, gastronomy, architecture, cinema, photography, painting, anniversaries, and dialogues or analyzes on topics of interest, worry or amaze today.

“I have divided the book into three chapters – comments the journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget –: anniversaries, which are mostly chronicles; interviews and characters, from which a special section for French thinkers emerges; and reports and other chronicles, because the chronicle is the transversal genre of the entire book. I have a special preference for the chronicle, as it is the most literary of the journalistic genres. It allows you to enjoy the writing, the beauty of the language, making the narrative much more pleasant for the reader. In addition, it involves extensive research, precision in the information and rigor in the content. There is no room for fiction, but there is room for multiple resources that add magic and charm to the story.”

Regarding the contribution or novelty of the book, he adds:

“I consider that what is relevant about this book is that, beyond being a compilation of already published articles, it recovers and presents their extensive and complete versions, that is, the unpublished versions, as well as their original titles that editors usually change at the time of publication. post. In addition, it includes articles not published to date, which may be of interest to readers.”

And finally, he invites all readers to purchase the book:

“They are all texts selected so as not to lose interest or relevance; articles whose protagonists or interviewees provide reflections that should not die in ‘yesterday’s newspaper’; ‘Unforgettable Stories’ for its validity beyond temporary situations, which I hope will accompany pleasant moments for readers and may be useful for the academy, for those who are trained in Cultural Journalism or for those who practice it, as well as for colleagues or professionals from different disciplines interested in preserving certain data and records.”

DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT:

“UNFORGETTABLE STORIES” is the most recent editorial launch from SABIA MENTE EDICIONES. An anthology of cultural stories, decisive conversations, interesting stories and journalistic coverage, carried out over twenty-two years, by Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, one of the cultural journalists with a long career in Colombia, who has been writing for more than two decades for prominent media outlets. national and foreign communication, such as the newspaper El Tiempo of which she has been a permanent collaborator since 2001.

POINTS OF SALE:

LIBRERÍA NACIONAL throughout Colombia and online with national and international shipments.

LIBRERÍA PENSAMIENTO ESCRITO Campanario Shopping Center – store L-74, in Popayán (Colombia).

Editorial News

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents “PAYE, LIFE AND POETRY OF CARMEN PAREDES PARDO”, a beautiful and captivating book that narrates the life, and presents the work, of one of the pioneers of women’s poetry of the 20th century in Colombia, born in the city of Popayán (Colombia – South America)  in 1907 and died in the city of Pasto in 1980.

The book, which brings together the largest number of the author’s poems that have been recovered to date -except for those she wrote for her family-, constitutes the recovery of a legacy of enormous value for Colombian Literature, especially for the Feminine letters, even more so today when the gender issue has been acquiring special relevance due to the historical debt that society has had with Women, to claim their place and importance, as well as to exalt and make visible their work, value, rights, achievements and contributions over time.

This special edition, which is published on the occasion of the forty-year anniversary of the death of “Paye” – as he was familiarly known -, includes wonderful descriptions of personalities who knew her, such as the intellectual, politician, journalist and poet Juan Lozano and Lozano, the Colombian poet Gloria Cepeda Vargas, and the literary critic Octavio Gamboa, as well as one of his nephews, Darío Vicente Paredes Chará, who describes the image and childhood memories he retains of his “Aunt Paye.”

On the other hand, both the edition of the book and the presentation and analysis of the poetry of Carmen Paredes Pardo were in charge of the journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, who lets us see the importance of a work that remained stored for forty years. and that today comes to light thanks to the documentary recovery that Carmen’s family made of her manuscripts and original texts. In his analysis, he reveals “Paye” as a figure not only mysterious and captivating, due to the life he led and the poems he wrote, but also as a movie character who is well worth knowing and recovering for History and Literature. from Colombia and Latin America.

DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT:

“PAYE, LIFE AND POETRY OF CARMEN PAREDES PARDO”, is the special edition, published by SABIA MENTE EDICIONES on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the death of the Colombian poet CARMEN PAREDES PARDO (Popayán, 1907 – Pasto, 1980), which compiles her literary creation, materialized in 57 poems – between sonnets and free verses – that constitute the most relevant of his talent and original creation.

In the words of the journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget:

“The remarkable thing about this heritage of recovered verses is that we see how Carmen Paredes Pardo wrote not only in an intuitive and solitary way, but with a quality that deserves to recognize her place today among the most relevant figures of women’s literature of the 20th century in Colombia. particularly among the select group of pioneering poets, such as Matilde Espinosa de Pérez and Isabel Lleras Restrepo -contemporaries of hers-, which also includes recognized voices such as Maruja Vieira and Meira del Mar.”

“This book is without a doubt a jewel, a beauty, not only because of the wonderful texts of the authors who described Carmen at the time and that allow us to “see” her and “get to know her” in great detail, discover her as a figure to whom human, sensitive, mysterious, singular and talented, worthy of being a character in a film not only because of her unique life path, but also because of the originality and quality of her poems, which surprise with their desolation, their depth of thought, their capacity of synthesis to capture human reflections in long-meditated and worked verses, most of which have short versification in their meter and invoice.”

“Carmen’s poetic universe is overwhelming due to the originality of her voice, her vision and feeling of the feminine, so avant-garde for the time, the experience she transmits of love, heartbreak, emptiness, loneliness, boredom, so typical of human condition. She was a deeply lyrical and introspective writer, romantic and expressionist in her writing, a woman who represents not only the existential burden that every human being can experience in many moments of her life, but also the silence and historical ‘confinement’ that she has suffered. the woman; that “reduced space” – as Gloria Cepeda so aptly called it in her text – of which little by little the boundaries have been expanded despite so much sociocultural resistance.”

CONCEPTS from those who knew PAYE and his work:

“…this is very important poetry, very original, tremendously human, integrally authentic and lived; It makes one wish for an expansion and a change of horizon for those who feel so deeply and express so clearly; and claims for the author a place in the best contemporary poetry.”
JUAN LOZANO Y LOZANO

“His was an original voice. His word is pure lyricism. The work grows on a concise landscape that, despite its brevity, has shadow and leaves its mark. (…) his innate knowledge of harmony and his aesthetic clairvoyance are today, when time begins to say the last word, a product of selection of this “Popayán of thoughtful stone.”
GLORIA CEPEDA VARGAS

“I think his writings were a way of existing. “A way to transmute the melancholy, frustration and sadness that overwhelmed her into a universe of beauty.”
DARIO VICENTE PAREDES CHARÁ

“It is a cause for celebration for Paye’s family that the dissemination of her work is encouraged and expanded through a study as original as that of Sophia, who classifies her as “one of the pioneers of women’s poetry of the 20th century in Colombia” and reveals the main features of his work through a dialogue with the attributes of the muses of the classical tradition.”
SANTIAGO PAREDES CISNEROS

“Imaginary life, at least for sensitive, reflective and intelligent creatures, is usually more extensive and intense and even much more extraordinary, than many of those lives of those many beings that seem to pass without having stopped to reflect on their purpose and on its meaning. (…) In one of his poems, he says: “Life is sad behind the balconies.” But it was more fruitful and intense than sad, its mission was written.”
VICTOR PAZ OTERO

“It is true that many words synonymous with fear or anguish frequently arise in his poems. (…) Paye had knowledge of meters that allowed him to write excellent sonnets and a deep sense of verse music.”
DANIELLE MARSAULT
French writer

“I read Paye’s poems and he truly had a very clear and concise way of transmitting his emotions through writing, beautiful… Having them published has been a great gift for lovers of poetry and writing in our country. Likewise, I learned a lot from Sophia’s deep and detailed analysis of her poetic construction. So many interesting facts about Paye’s work, his life, his roots. I congratulate Sophia once again for having revealed the work and life of this writer and above all highlighting her importance within the literature of our country.”
MARCELA BARRETO BERNAL

“I have been reading Paye, who I find… an intelligent woman, but very sad, lonely and perhaps misunderstood, without this detracting from the beauty and depth of her poetic work. I appreciate Sophia’s presentation of her life and work in all its literary value. Work that has cost him a lot of research to transcend his life to contemporary times.”
CARLOS ENRIQUE RUIZ QUIÑONES

 
“Wonderful description of the emotional instances -one can say- of PAYE in his writings using the figures of the Parnassian Muses. “Sophia makes magic and skill in the selection of each of those mental and emotional stays, which seem to be only one – desolation – in the poetess’s verses.”
FERNANDO GARCÍA AMEZQUITA

Editorial novelty

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents “POETIC WORKS AND ESSAYS”, a posthumous book by the Colombian Magistrate and Poet Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce, who died in 2011, recognized in the city of Popayán and the department of Cauca as one of their great writers and champions of their culture and traditions.

This special edition, which is published on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death, also includes four books by the author: ‘Words like Spikes’ (a work of poetry that was unpublished), ‘Profile of a City – Evocation of Popayán’ ‘ (work of poetry whose first edition was carried out in 1986, with the sponsorship of the Cauca Lottery, under the management of its Manager Dr. Cesar Negret Mosquera), ‘The Holy Week Processions in Popayán -Their Characters-‘ (work of poetic prose whose first edition was made in 1977, with the sponsorship of the Cauca Lottery, under the management of its Manager Dr. Carlos Holguín Valenzuela and with illustrations by Maestro Hernando Arboleda Ayerbe) and ‘Essays’ (a work of prose that compiles his most emblematic articles and studies published in different years, books, magazines and special editions.

THIS TRIBUTE, which is paid to RODRÍGUEZ ARCE and his work, aims to leave for the memory of Popayán, Cauca, and Colombia, the legacy and cultural, historical, artistic and literary contribution of one of the most outstanding Colombian writers of the second half of the 20th century.

Four books, in a single large-format book, with prologues and comments by renowned writers, authors, academics and personalities from national life who referred at the time to Rodríguez Arce and his work.

Official Book Presentation Ceremony

The University of Cauca, Alma Mater of the Magistrate and Poet, where he graduated with a Doctorate in Law and Political and Social Sciences, and of which he was also its General Secretary and Rector (e) – will host the Official Presentation Ceremony of its book “POETIC WORKS AND ESSAYS”, in a ceremony presided over by the current Rector Dr. Deibar René Hurtado Herrera.

The University of Cauca, Alma Mater of the Magistrate and Poet, where he graduated with a Doctorate in Law and Political and Social Sciences, and of which he was also its General Secretary and Rector (e) – will host the Official Presentation Ceremony of its book “POETIC WORKS AND ESSAYS”, in a ceremony presided over by the current Rector Dr. Deibar René Hurtado Herrera.

With the presence of the Rector and university directives, the City and Department Authorities, and special guests, the ceremony will be held in the Francisco José de Caldas Auditorium, next Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at five in the morning. afternoon, and will be broadcast live through the institutional channel of the University of Cauca on its YouTube platform.

The emblematic Paraninfo, in which Rodríguez Arce gave so many memorable speeches, will be the academic and cultural framework where the compilation of his literary production will be formally presented to his hometown and the department, and where the entry of a series of copies will be formalized. of the same to the collections of Archives and Public Libraries of Popayán and department of Cauca, thanks to the donation that will be made by the Poet’s wife and children: Dr. Alice Pouget de Rodríguez, French citizen, Parisian, Hispanist from the Sorbonne University, who came to live in Popayán due to her marriage, and who was co-founder of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Cauca and a full professor there for thirty-six years until her retirement, and her children: Juan Manuel Rodríguez Pouget, surgeon. and epidemiologist, and Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, journalist and writer.

SOME CONCEPTS about the author and his work:

‘Poetic Works and Essays’ has prologues and comments from numerous personalities from the country and abroad, who at the time referred to the work and its author with phrases such as the following:

“Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce is one of the greatest writers of our Language. (…) and this book even exists! ”
 JUAN ESTEBAN CONSTAÍN
Writer

“Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce is an intellectual personality of the first order to be claimed in the history of Latin American literature.”
CARLOS ENRIQUE RUIZ
Director of Aleph Magazine

“I knew from the first moment that I was facing a lighthouse man, one of those who few remain, of those who no longer exist, but of those who with the art of words and knowledge manage to illuminate and guide.”
 JUAN CARLOS LÓPEZ CASTRILLÓN
Municipal Mayor of Popayán

“It is a true honor to have the opportunity to present the literary work of Maestro Rodríguez Arce today. (…) We are honored that this House of Studies, which is now 195 years old, can pay him this tribute. (…) The special commemorative edition entitled ‘Poetic Works and Essays’, published by Sabia Mente Ediciones on the occasion of the ten years since the death of this illustrious of Popayán, brings together four works that reflect the enlightened spirit of someone who worked in different areas of the legal life without this preventing him from encouraging his artistic and literary vocation at the same time.”
CÉSAR ALFARO MOSQUERA
Rector (E) of the University of Cauca

“This work by Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce comes to enrich the cultural works of the city of Popayán, the artistic legacy of its poets and its writers. (…) His family must be congratulated for making this work a reality and for making it possible for the good of Popayán and future generations of Colombian whom I invite to learn in detail about the work of Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce.”
CÉSAR NEGRET MOSQUERA
Former Governor of Cauca

“We hope that the work of Dr. Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce encourages the knowledge and spirit of many and transcends the territories of the city and the Department as a vestige of a memory and essence that makes Colombian people proud.”
ELÍAS LARRAHONDO CARABALÍ
Governor of Cauca

“This is a work of enormous historical and heritage value; of a legacy that every people from Popayán,  department of Cauca, and Colombian can feel proud of. (…) It is a work whose original creation by the author stands out for its quality in Colombian Literature; dignifies aspects of the material and intangible heritage of Popayán and Cauca; and constitutes a contribution to the legacy and memory of the Nation.”
SOPHIA RODRÍGUEZ POUGET
Journalist And Writer

“…one of the most outstanding intellectuals from Popayán, of recent times.”
GUILLERMO ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ MOSQUERA

“…possessor of a broad and sonorous poetic vein, with a rhythm that is often slow and calm as suits the world that is reflected in his poetry (…).”
ALAN S. TRUEBLOOD
Professor – Brown University, USA

“Neoclassical and neoromantic, in the best context of apparently contradictory words (…) his poems are children of the humanist and the historian, of the jurist and the sleepless goldsmith.”
HELCÍAS MARTÁN GÓNGORA

“I find in his verses air, light, the atmosphere of the fields, fresh evocations of dawn, twilight longings, the breathing of flowers, bells and old roofs, distances from the past, the presence of death (…) all things hurt his sensitivity and urge your imagination. (…) Receive the testimony of my friendship and my appreciation for those who continue the glorious tradition of my beloved land.”
RAFAEL MAYA

“When the university honor led us to meet the young professional dedicated – this one full-time – to the severe legal disciplines at the Faculty of Law of the meritorious Cloister of Santo Domingo, our objective was to discover in him, to the maximum degree, intelligence, lordship and style refined by classical readings. He felt deeply, thought loudly and spoke clearly, following the advice of the Duke of Rivas. (…) He was a universal poet, like Mozart, without following artistic conventions. (…)… like Valencia, Maya, Bustamante, they make up the beautiful ARCOS QUARTET, which is the highest musical manifestation to sing and praise our beloved and long-suffering town.”
BENJAMÍN IRAGORRI DÍEZ

“(…) Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce, dean of authors, major poet.”
ALVARO BURGOS PALACIOS

“In its pages the objective beauty is sung and, sometimes, the very threshold of the legendary with which time has known how to weave the destiny of the chosen city.”
GIOVANNI QUESSEPS

“…excellent attributes place him in the forefront among the most distinguished intellectuals of the time. (…) is the unison chorus of all worthy people who proclaim to the four winds their inspiration, their talent and their knowledge.”
MERCEDES URIBE DE MARTÍNEZ

“Rodríguez Arce’s poetry is music above all. Music of feeling and music of ideas. A hidden elegy that always leaves a deep mark.”
JOSÉ IGNACIO BUSTAMANTE

“…dazzled by the word that is projected in her book to infinity, crowning Popayán with poetry.”
ALINA MUÑOZ DE ZAMBRANO

“…an intense love for culture; a first-rate literary work without stridency; a natural lordship, carried with the ease and modesty of authenticity; a generous and deep sense of friendship. It leaves consistent traces of its passage through life. A beautiful family, a solid and rigorous judicial career, pages of good literature; and friends, many friends who will always remember him.”
EDGAR BUSTAMANTE DELGADO

Editorial novelty

SABIA MENTE EDICIONES presents its first book “The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its Pedestal”, a historical chronicle of the journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget about the life and work of the Wise man Francisco José de Caldas, one of the most unique and notable characters of the history of Colombia during its process of Independence between the 18th and 19th centuries, of which extraordinary finds continue to be revealed today. (Available in THREE LANGUAGES)

Renowned philosopher and semiotician Armando Silva, PhD comments the book “The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its Pedestal”, by the journalist and writer Sophia Rodriguez Pouget

SYNOPSIS

An artist, a lawyer and a statue that comes down from its pedestal come together in this unforgettable historical chronicle about the LIFE and WORK of the so-called “the Wise man of Colombia”: FRANCISCO JOSÉ DE CALDAS, hero and precursor of the Independence of Colombia, pioneer of the science made in the American continent in the 18th and 19th centuries, and whose emblematic statue presides over the main park of Popayán and two important squares in Manizales and Bogotá.

An unforgettable HISTORICAL STORY recommended for all audiences, with a foreword by the renowned biographer and writer Víctor Paz Otero.

DATA SHEET

• Title: “The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its Pedestal”
• Author: Sophia Rodríguez Pouget
• Publisher: Sabia Mente Ediciones
• Genre: History / Chronicle/ Journalistic research
• ISBN 9798566542829
• First edition: September 2020

FOREWORD

The book has a foreword by the renowned writer VÍCTOR PAZ OTERO, who invites to read with the following words:

“Sophia surprises and records with a delicate gaze the immobile figure of Caldas turned into a statue and, with precious and minute details, tells us of some features and multiple details of this somewhat strange and taciturn character who, curiously in his condition as a statue, no longer he walks around exploring the stars, not lost in the infinite spaces that shook Pascal, but on the contrary, with his gaze already unchangeable due to his status as a statue, we find him listening to the nearby realities of his native land”.  “(…) it reminds us of the symbols of his arduous and indefatigable intellectual work, which is what has allowed the Colombian nation to designate the hero as the Wise Man par excellence in the uncertain future of our cultural heritage.”

“The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its Pedestal” is a text written with an agile and entertaining narration that allows audiences of all ages to enjoy the life and work journey of The Wise man Caldas, one of the most valuable and interesting characters of the history of Colombia.

COMMENTS ABOUT THE BOOK

“The journalist and writer Sophia Rodríguez Pouget, who we have praised several times in “The W Radio” for the magnificent chronicles she has published in the newspaper El Tiempo, has done an investigation on what "the Wise man Caldas" meant, an absolutely wonderful character”.
  
ALBERTO CASAS SANTAMARÍA
Politician - Journalist 
( La W ) 

 

“Another good example of memory revitalization: Sophia Rodríguez Pouget has just published the book "The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its pedestal". The journalist put the stone statue to play with another living statue being that speaks and tells the citizens that one day they had him shot for doing science for the people of the Nueva Granada. ‘Decolonial’ history of Caldas updated by a performance that brings a statue back to life”.
  
ARMANDO SILVA
Semiotician and Philosopher
(EL TIEMPO) 

 

“Thanks to Sophia for her beautiful and delicate text, which will give us all many pleasant moments”.
  
VICTOR PAZ OTERO
Writer - Historian

 

"A real pleasure and honor to have been one of the first readers of this story about the Wise man Caldas".
  
JUAN FERNANDO MERINO
Writer 

 

"A story that makes us see how the statue and many statues were human beings who lived, acted, suffered and they earned a monument so as not to be forgotten. If many characters approached people telling their story as Sophia does, perhaps they would be seen and valued in a different way”.
  
MARTHA HUBACH VALENCIA 

 

"It is here that we recognize in Sophia the talented journalist, her fluid and even playful style, without hiding the enormous work she has done, takes the reader from beginning to end. And the actuality matches her. In a moment of vandalized or retired statues, Caldas, a "positive" hero, a precursor of independence but also a Wise man, armed with a pen and not a sword, brings an appreciable counterpoint to the slave owners and conquerors".
  
JEAN-MICHEL MARLAUD
Ex Ambassador of France in Colombia

 

"Starting of verses from her father, the poet Ricardo León Rodríguez Arce, Sophia begins an interesting journey and recovers fundamental facts of History. Very sensitive and sincere approach. Reveals the man, the hero, the universal and superior intelligence. A beautiful experience in every way”.
  
LUZ ANGELA CALDAS
Poet – Art critic

 

“Something I have learned from the photography course that I am taking and is that we do not see the world in all its beauty and complexity. Sophia makes a book about what is seen and what is not seen. Congratulations again. I would not have imagined the end not even living several lives".
  
JAIME ARANGO
Mathematician - Researcher 

 

"Making an ephemeris of such a well-known and loved character seemed very difficult to me. But Sophia manages to catch the reader from the cover, the photograph, the statue in the gloom, the title that raises questions. Whoever has the book in their hands has to start reading. Then comes that suggestive page, the Milky Way... Orion... exposes the scene... deciphers Caldas from his statue... brings together and adds data in the reportage... makes the title known... "
 
CARMENZA PARRA
Philosophy professor 

 

“Just as the themes for good novels and films are not exhausted, neither are the writings and biographies about characters who left an important mark on the country's history. Such is the case of the most recent book entitled ‘The Day the Statue of Caldas got off its pedestal’, by the Colombian-French writer and journalist Sophia Rodríguez Pouget".
  
RICHARD HERNÁNDEZ
Journalist RTVC Colombia