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Brazilian Journal
A memory of Brazil and its natural beauty evokes calm, and a strange benediction, as poet P. K. Page recalls (for example) two coloured birds which alight on her husband, Arthur, at dusk, in Rio de Janeiro. Page's three years in Brazil, from 1957 to 1959, retain this luminous, slightly surreal quality in the poet's memory, `baroque' she once called its landscape and culture.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
P.K. Page
47 books17 followersPatricia Kathleen Page, CC, OBC, FRSC, commonly known as P. K. Page, was a Canadian poet. She was born in Swanage, Dorset, England and moved with her family to Canada in 1919. She spent the last years of her life in Victoria, British Columbia. P.K. Page was an author of many published books of poetry, fiction, travel diaries, essays and children's books. Her poems were translated into other languages. By special resolution of the United Nations, in 2001 her poem Planet Earth was read simultaneously in New York, the Antarctic and the South Pacific to celebrate the International Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations.
She was also known as a visual artist, having exhibited her work at a number of venues in and out of Canada. Her works are in permanent collections of National Gallery of Canada and Art Gallery of Ontario.
She was also known as a visual artist, having exhibited her work at a number of venues in and out of Canada. Her works are in permanent collections of National Gallery of Canada and Art Gallery of Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 22, 2025
Idk what I expected from this given when it was written but less racism and classism would have been a nice touch 🥰
October 24, 2014
I don't usually get tired of books but this one was disappointing . The Canadian author was a very well known diplomat' s wife and one would think, her getting the chance to live in an exotic palace in an exotic country ( Brazil)would result in fascinating narrative.
No, quite frankly.
She was an artist, first and foremost but somehow hadn't the talent to translate into words that which her artist's eye saw.
In the book, we find that she name drops about people who are long forgotten and spends a lot of time droning on about how the native Brazilians are childlike and stupid.
It might be the era, ( 1950's) but she also comes across as rather racist .
Sadly, she dismisses events which the reader might have found fascinating; dinner parties are glossed over but trivial events are dwelled upon and often repeated a few pages later..did she have a proof reader?
Not recommended for a travel narrative and barely recommended as a cultural piece..
No, quite frankly.
She was an artist, first and foremost but somehow hadn't the talent to translate into words that which her artist's eye saw.
In the book, we find that she name drops about people who are long forgotten and spends a lot of time droning on about how the native Brazilians are childlike and stupid.
It might be the era, ( 1950's) but she also comes across as rather racist .
Sadly, she dismisses events which the reader might have found fascinating; dinner parties are glossed over but trivial events are dwelled upon and often repeated a few pages later..did she have a proof reader?
Not recommended for a travel narrative and barely recommended as a cultural piece..
gave-up
November 19, 2019Gave up on this one, too much in the "well-meaning but deeply biased white Canadian goes to an exotic land" vein for me.
June 15, 2019
Loved this book. Found it by accident after discovering her poetry, which I find endlessly involving. Page is a wonderful writer and she's local.
August 11, 2024
This is a lovely snapshot in time, written with very a very expressive tone where you can easily imagine what she is seeing, you can feel the heavy heat of the tropics, and you can hear the songs of all the tropical birds that all new and exciting for her. It reads as it is titled, as if you have picked up someone’s personal journal and learn about their life during this time.
December 5, 2014
This book is a journal of a Canadian artist who was also a diplomat`s wife about the two years they stayed in Brazil.
I got it out of curiosity, because I also lived in Brazil for two years and my parents were friends with diplomats. At the same time I was a child and it was about 35 years after P.K. Page. It was interesting to compare experiences.
While I liked the book there was something that stood a bit in the way of me liking it more. The author was an artist and one thing about journals is that when one writes them one usually concentrates on things that one cares personally about. So many of those entries were about her drawings, which I understand nothing about and was a bit bored by. She also loves to describe plants and birds, but the thing is she didn`t do it in a way they are usually described for the reader, but in her own sort of poetic way. So I personally couldn`t picture it very well. Hr tone is a bit too calm, it seems to not be fitting with Brazil especially when she refers to energy and happiness of the place.
What I did like though were her interactions with Brazilian people. Now this is where I could totally remember my own life in Brazil. People are of course never the same wherever you live, but a culture usually influences certain behavior that is associated with one`s culture. So even though I lived much later than her I could recognize Brazilians. Their sort of carelessness about finishing the work they had to do, extreme friendliness and showing big interest in you as well as many compliments and hugs and kisses, lots of energy and happiness. It is one of the cultures I met where I can say they really enjoy life and don`t let unpleasant things get in between.
It was very interesting to read about the social issues of Brazil at that time, although there weren`t too many passages about it. She mainly attended diplomatic events which seemed a bit boring to me but yet still had a sort of interesting value for the book as it describes the kind of experience she had at this country.
I got it out of curiosity, because I also lived in Brazil for two years and my parents were friends with diplomats. At the same time I was a child and it was about 35 years after P.K. Page. It was interesting to compare experiences.
While I liked the book there was something that stood a bit in the way of me liking it more. The author was an artist and one thing about journals is that when one writes them one usually concentrates on things that one cares personally about. So many of those entries were about her drawings, which I understand nothing about and was a bit bored by. She also loves to describe plants and birds, but the thing is she didn`t do it in a way they are usually described for the reader, but in her own sort of poetic way. So I personally couldn`t picture it very well. Hr tone is a bit too calm, it seems to not be fitting with Brazil especially when she refers to energy and happiness of the place.
What I did like though were her interactions with Brazilian people. Now this is where I could totally remember my own life in Brazil. People are of course never the same wherever you live, but a culture usually influences certain behavior that is associated with one`s culture. So even though I lived much later than her I could recognize Brazilians. Their sort of carelessness about finishing the work they had to do, extreme friendliness and showing big interest in you as well as many compliments and hugs and kisses, lots of energy and happiness. It is one of the cultures I met where I can say they really enjoy life and don`t let unpleasant things get in between.
It was very interesting to read about the social issues of Brazil at that time, although there weren`t too many passages about it. She mainly attended diplomatic events which seemed a bit boring to me but yet still had a sort of interesting value for the book as it describes the kind of experience she had at this country.
January 4, 2020
"How could I have imagined so surrealist and seductive a world? One does not like the heat, yet its constancy, its all surroundingness, is as fascinating as the smell of musk. Every moment is slow, as if under warm greenish water."
A beautifully written snapshot of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s by the late Canadian poet and artist P. K. Page who was married to the Canadian ambassador to Brazil. Page is initially uneasy about a posting to Latin America after her time in Australia and experiences culture shock but she eventually learns Portuguese and falls in love with the people and landscapes of Brazil. I would have liked a little more detail about the politicians, royalty and other prominent people she met during her posting, including Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and Princess Alexandra, but the book provides an absorbing account what it was like to live in the diplomatic world of mid 20th century Brazil. Excellent travel literature.
A beautifully written snapshot of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s by the late Canadian poet and artist P. K. Page who was married to the Canadian ambassador to Brazil. Page is initially uneasy about a posting to Latin America after her time in Australia and experiences culture shock but she eventually learns Portuguese and falls in love with the people and landscapes of Brazil. I would have liked a little more detail about the politicians, royalty and other prominent people she met during her posting, including Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and Princess Alexandra, but the book provides an absorbing account what it was like to live in the diplomatic world of mid 20th century Brazil. Excellent travel literature.
April 25, 2012
See my review on my blog "Jo's Bookshelf"
http://joanndionne.wordpress.com/2012...
http://joanndionne.wordpress.com/2012...
March 31, 2014
A charming and funny look at diplomatic life and being a foreigner in Brazil. The events took place in the late 50s, but her reactions and humour and compassion are timeless.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews