Coffee is the fuel of man, and writers are amongst some of its most loyal fans. Many of the literature masterpieces that we have read would not be what they are today without this incomparable drink.
We invite you to take a look at these phrases and works below in which famous authors made tributes to this universal drink that is rooted in Colombia.
Rubén Darío
The Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío was fond of coffee, so much so that he eloquently describes it in ‘The trip to Nicaragua’: “A good cup of its black liquor, well prepared, contains as many problems and as many poems as a bottle of ink.” – Ruben Dario
Anne Spencer Lindbergh
American author, Anne Spencer Lindbergh paid tribute to the drink with an inspiring comparison: “Good communication is as invigorating as black coffee, it is just as hard to forget about as sleep.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Voltaire
The philosopher Voltaire could not live without coffee; it is said that he drank between 40 and 50 cups every day. Clearly, he stated: “Of course coffee is a slow poison; I’ve been drinking it for forty years.” – Voltaire
Pope Clement VIII
Even the church has given in to the taste of coffee. Pope Clement VIII stated: “This drink is so delicious that it would be a sin to leave it only to unbelievers. Let us defeat Satan and give our blessing to this infusion to make it a truly Christian drink.” – Pope Clement VIII
Drinking coffee for breakfast, in a meeting, during a break at work or to stay awake, can be an everyday thing that goes unnoticed, but there is no doubt that this drink in its dierent presentations will always be good company, just as it was for these writers, inspiring them to describe the allure of its flavor.
Johann Sebastian Bach
The composer Johann Sebastian Bach, although not a writer, composed an opera about his obsession with drinking, called the Cantata al Café (‘the Song to the Coffee’). “Without my morning coffee I’m just like a dry, brown piece of mutton.” – Johann Sebastian Bach
T.S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot, the British poet, paid tribute to the drink in his poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”: “I have measured my life in teaspoons of coffee.” – T.S. Elliot
Honore de Balzac
Honore de Balzac, a French novelist drank about 50 cups of coffee per day and declared his love for the drink in his diaries: “As soon as coffee reaches the stomach, a general commotion arises. The ideas start moving, smiles emerge, and the paper fills up. Coffee is your ally and writing is no longer a struggle.” – Honore de Balzac
Benjamin Franklin
The American politician and scientist, Benjamin Franklin, is not far behind; he was one of the first to acquire the then expensive coffee bean and frequented the first cafes that existed in the United States.”Among the many luxuries of the table, coffee may be considered one of the most valuable. One glimpses joy without intoxication, and the pleasant flow of spirit that it causes is never followed by sadness, languor, or weakness.” – Benjamin Franklin
Gertrude Stein
Novelist, Gertrude Stein, couldn’t write or be productive without her coffee: “Coffee gives you time to think. It’s much more than a drink, it’s something that happens. Not as a fad, but as an event, a place to be, not as a place, but as something within you. It gives you time, but not hours or minutes, but rather a chance to be yourself…and have another cup.” -Gertrude Stein
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte could be said to have been obsessed with coffee: on his deathbed, Napoleon asked for a spoonful of coffee and in one of his works he stated: “Strong coffee resuscitates me, it makes me itch, a singular caterpillar, a pain that is not devoid of pleasure. Thus, I like to suer more than not to suer”. – Napoleon Bonaparte
