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Dec. 15, 2005 In answer to the article just posted by Juana Espíritu, let me say that I would be much gratified if Dennis Siluk could write even half as well as Juana does. It is unusual for a Peruvian or anyone else who is a native of a country where English is not the official language to write such faultless English. I’m equally surprised, since she writes English so well and must understand English quite well too, that she doesn’t grasp the tenor of the arguments put forth by Thomas Pain and myself and now Frederick Smith as well. Failing or pretending to fail to notice the atrocious English that Siluk continually scribbles, she accuses Pain and me of envy and resentment. That is not the point at all. I posted three or four articles critical of Siluk’s writings months ago, long before I even imagined there was going to be a run-off. So it simply is not tenable to suggest that I was motivated by envy or resentment. Please let Juana note also that when I wrote my first article on the run-off, there were still four contestants in the running: Siluk, Ramsook, Stelly and Grimes. I did not utter a single syllable against the other three. It’s not because I find them perfect either, but in their cases, I felt that I simply did have any objections more than perhaps a quibble or two. In fact, had the winner been anyone but Siluk, Hughes or Makama, I would not have said a word. For example, Michael McCrae might have been the winner, and though he has insulted me personally and has opinions that I disagree with wholeheartedly, I would not have objected, because, after all, he is an articulate writer. The same might be said of Skip Toomaloo and Brooks Mick. I disagree with both, and they’ve both insulted me, but, nevertheless, they are articulate writers, and that is what the contest was about, as far as I know. A strange thing happened recently. I received e-mail from Perú written in Spanish by one Minerva Peñaloza extolling her praises of Siluk’s writings. Assuming that perhaps she didn’t read English very well, I tried to explain to her that Siluk was really and truly an inferior writer, but she insisted that she and her husband and their friends loved Siluk’s writings, though she said she didn’t know Siluk personally. However, going through some of Siluk’s doggerel, I found that one of his little ‘poems’ had been translated into Spanish by one Nancy Peñaloza. Now, after all, ‘Nancy’ is not a Spanish name, and she might be the same person as ‘Minerva’. Nancy denied it, and I certainly can’t prove anything. But my guess is that the e-mail was a ‘plant’, written by a friend of Siluk’s. He didn’t write himself, because I put a block on e-mail from his address. Now I ask myself if Juana Espíritu is a genuine aficionada of Dennis Siluk. Is she a Peruvian lady at all? She writes English only too well for a Peruvian. After all, Siluk has been trying for years to write decent English, and has never managed, so it must not be that easy. How is it Juana Espíritu can manage so beautifully and still fail to comprehend how deplorable Siluk’s writings are? How can she lower herself to praise someone who makes 28 grammatical mistakes in an eleven-line poem. Come, come, now! This letter must be a hoax! Or is it the mere fact that a lot of Siluk’s illiterate limericks and ditties have to do with Perú? I don’t know, but I’m inclined to think that Juana’s letter is a ‘plant’ also, arranged by Siluk himself. Obviously, he didn’t write it; it’s too good. Maybe his wife or his son wrote it. Maybe he hired someone. ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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