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My German Brother
An uproarious novel about a man's often sordid, lifelong search for his possibly imaginary half brother
My German Brother is the renowned Brazilian musician and author Chico Buarque's attempt to reconstruct through fiction his obsessive lifelong search for a lost sibling.
In 1960s S�o Paulo, the teenage car thief and budding lothario Ciccio comes home each day to a house stuffed with books. His father, a journalist and scholar, has spent his life acquiring them; his mother, by necessity, has spent her life organizing this library. Ciccio feels like an afterthought in his own family, largely left to his own criminal devices. Forbidden to touch any of these books, Ciccio sneaks off with The Golden Bough one day to discover a decades-old letter hidden inside. The letter reveals an illicit affair his father carried on while posted in Nazi-era Berlin, an affair that resulted in the birth of a baby boy. The child, along with his mother, vanished into the chaos of the Second World War. Ciccio develops a fascination for his mysterious German brother: a fixation that becomes a mission, both comical and courageous, pursued over decades, through dead ends and embarrassments and cases of mistaken identity.
My German Brother is the project of a lifetime, combining what was, what might have been, and outright fabrication, all in order to arrive at the truth.
My German Brother is the renowned Brazilian musician and author Chico Buarque's attempt to reconstruct through fiction his obsessive lifelong search for a lost sibling.
In 1960s S�o Paulo, the teenage car thief and budding lothario Ciccio comes home each day to a house stuffed with books. His father, a journalist and scholar, has spent his life acquiring them; his mother, by necessity, has spent her life organizing this library. Ciccio feels like an afterthought in his own family, largely left to his own criminal devices. Forbidden to touch any of these books, Ciccio sneaks off with The Golden Bough one day to discover a decades-old letter hidden inside. The letter reveals an illicit affair his father carried on while posted in Nazi-era Berlin, an affair that resulted in the birth of a baby boy. The child, along with his mother, vanished into the chaos of the Second World War. Ciccio develops a fascination for his mysterious German brother: a fixation that becomes a mission, both comical and courageous, pursued over decades, through dead ends and embarrassments and cases of mistaken identity.
My German Brother is the project of a lifetime, combining what was, what might have been, and outright fabrication, all in order to arrive at the truth.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
82 people are currently reading
1678 people want to read
About the author
Chico Buarque
36 books503 followersFrancisco Buarque de Hollanda is popularly known as Chico Buarque, is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic and cultural commentary on Brazil and Rio de Janeiro in particular.
Son of the academic Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived in several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Italy. He wrote and studied literature as a child and came to music through the bossa nova compositions of João Gilberto. He performed music throughout the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several of his fellow musicians, were threatened by the government and eventually left Brazil in 1970. He moved to Italy again. However, he came back to Brazil in 1971, one year before the others, and continued to record albums, perform, and write, though much of his material was not allowed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s, all of which were acclaimed critically.
Buarque came from a privileged intellectual family background—his father Sérgio Buarque de Holanda was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist and his mother Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim was a painter and pianist. He is also brother of the singer Miucha. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of bossa nova, specifically the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18 years old[1] and studying European literature, also at a young age.[2] One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing soccer, beginning at age four, which he still does today.[2] Though he was born in Rio de Janeiro, Buarque spent much of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Italy.
Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided at one point to study architecture at the University of São Paulo, but this choice did not lead to a career in that field; for Buarque often skipped classes.
He made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows when bossa nova rhythm came to light and Nara Leão recorded three of his songs.[3] His eponymous debut album exemplified his future work, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy. Buarque had his first hit with "A Banda" in 1966, written about a marching band, and soon released several more singles. Although playing bossa nova, during his career, samba and Música Popular Brasileira would also be widely explored. Despite that, Buarque was criticized by two of the leading musicians at the time,Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil as they believed his musical style was overly conservative.[3] However, an existentially themed play that Buarque wrote and composed in 1968, Roda Viva ("Live Cycle"), was frowned upon by the military government and Buarque served a short prison sentence because of it.[3] He left Brazil for Italy for 18 months in 1970, returning to write his first novel in 1972, which was not targeted by censors.
http://www.jobim.org/chico/
Son of the academic Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived in several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Italy. He wrote and studied literature as a child and came to music through the bossa nova compositions of João Gilberto. He performed music throughout the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several of his fellow musicians, were threatened by the government and eventually left Brazil in 1970. He moved to Italy again. However, he came back to Brazil in 1971, one year before the others, and continued to record albums, perform, and write, though much of his material was not allowed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s, all of which were acclaimed critically.
Buarque came from a privileged intellectual family background—his father Sérgio Buarque de Holanda was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist and his mother Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim was a painter and pianist. He is also brother of the singer Miucha. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of bossa nova, specifically the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18 years old[1] and studying European literature, also at a young age.[2] One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing soccer, beginning at age four, which he still does today.[2] Though he was born in Rio de Janeiro, Buarque spent much of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Italy.
Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided at one point to study architecture at the University of São Paulo, but this choice did not lead to a career in that field; for Buarque often skipped classes.
He made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows when bossa nova rhythm came to light and Nara Leão recorded three of his songs.[3] His eponymous debut album exemplified his future work, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy. Buarque had his first hit with "A Banda" in 1966, written about a marching band, and soon released several more singles. Although playing bossa nova, during his career, samba and Música Popular Brasileira would also be widely explored. Despite that, Buarque was criticized by two of the leading musicians at the time,Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil as they believed his musical style was overly conservative.[3] However, an existentially themed play that Buarque wrote and composed in 1968, Roda Viva ("Live Cycle"), was frowned upon by the military government and Buarque served a short prison sentence because of it.[3] He left Brazil for Italy for 18 months in 1970, returning to write his first novel in 1972, which was not targeted by censors.
http://www.jobim.org/chico/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
May 21, 2018
It is by coincidence that the Brazilian musician and author learns that his dad fathered a boy when he lived in Germany. Their house has always been full of books, his father a passionate historian and writer, horded them and, at times, forgot letters and other things in them. It is such a letter that Chico finds which indicates that his father had an affair with a certain Anne Ernst when he lived in Berlin as a journalist around 1930. Later, when the Nazi regime took over, he tried to bring his son to Brazil. Since father and son hardly talk to each other, it is not an option for Chico to ask him about the unknown half-brother, thus, Chico starts his research on his own.
Even though the book is classified as fiction, it is based on Chico Buarque’s life and the facts he reports about his father and German brother are actually true. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda spent some time in Berlin where Sergio Günther was born who later became a well-known artist in the German Democratic Republic. Unfortunately, the brothers never had the chance to meet.
I really appreciate Buarque’s tone of narration, especially at the beginning, the light-heartedness with which the young men move around town is well transferred into the language the author uses. Interesting to observe are the family structures. Even though the father’s main occupation is closely linked to language in all shapes and forms, the family members hardly find a way to communicate with each other and the most important things remain unsaid. A third aspect which struck me was the part in the novel which gives insight in the time of the military regime. Hardly do I know anything about the country’s history, therefore those glimpses are most fascinating.
Sometimes life itself invents the best stories. Even though some of it is fictional, I found Chico Buarque’s story about his mysterious brother most intriguing and a perfect example of how complicated families and our lives can be.
Even though the book is classified as fiction, it is based on Chico Buarque’s life and the facts he reports about his father and German brother are actually true. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda spent some time in Berlin where Sergio Günther was born who later became a well-known artist in the German Democratic Republic. Unfortunately, the brothers never had the chance to meet.
I really appreciate Buarque’s tone of narration, especially at the beginning, the light-heartedness with which the young men move around town is well transferred into the language the author uses. Interesting to observe are the family structures. Even though the father’s main occupation is closely linked to language in all shapes and forms, the family members hardly find a way to communicate with each other and the most important things remain unsaid. A third aspect which struck me was the part in the novel which gives insight in the time of the military regime. Hardly do I know anything about the country’s history, therefore those glimpses are most fascinating.
Sometimes life itself invents the best stories. Even though some of it is fictional, I found Chico Buarque’s story about his mysterious brother most intriguing and a perfect example of how complicated families and our lives can be.
December 12, 2014
Estava determinada a levar o jogo da amarelinha do cortazar, mas acabei optando pelo irmão alemão. Leitura fluida, daquelas que lhe faz terminar o livro em pouco tempo. Só li mais devagar porque tinha responsabilidades a cumprir.
Chico, faz um pouco parte da minha história. Desde criança que ouvia sua música, pois ele era admirado pelo meu pai e minha mãe talvez na mesma intensidade, mas por motivos diferentes. Foi muito bom conhecer pelo romance um pouco do que foi a vida desse personagem.
Espero que com esse livro Chico tenha superado seus traumas de ser filho de um dos intelectuais mais importantes do Brasil.
Chico, faz um pouco parte da minha história. Desde criança que ouvia sua música, pois ele era admirado pelo meu pai e minha mãe talvez na mesma intensidade, mas por motivos diferentes. Foi muito bom conhecer pelo romance um pouco do que foi a vida desse personagem.
Espero que com esse livro Chico tenha superado seus traumas de ser filho de um dos intelectuais mais importantes do Brasil.
July 16, 2015
Ainda vou fazer uma resenha deste livro no blog. Considero esse o "bildungsroman" do Chico. Mistura ficção e autobiografia, descrevendo pelas beiradas a vida na São Paulo dos anos de chumbo. Tem um retrato nada favorável do Sérgio Buarque de Holanda. Mas também não é muito favorável o retrato do jovem "Ciccio" - na verdade o próprio Chico vertido em personagem ficcional. Segundo a matéria da Piauí, muito bem feita sobre a saga real do encontro de Sérgio Ernst, Chico afirma que não tem nada de autobiografia. "Só sei fazer ficção", teria dito o autor. Na verdade, me parece que ele sabe amarrar muito bem umas histórias reais que parecem inverossímeis demais até para ficção.
March 8, 2015
Chico Buarque nunca nos desilude. Este é um livro fabulosamente maravilhoso cuja leitura muito recomendo.
"Os livros que lemos também nos leem".
"Os livros que lemos também nos leem".
July 26, 2016
Quelle histoire ! Quelle écriture (& traduction) ! Un très beau texte qui m'a emporté au Brésil et dans son histoire particulière. A mettre tout en haut de sa PAL!
July 13, 2018
Io proprio non so perche', ma questo libro di Chico Buarque mi e' piaciuto proprio tanto, me lo sono divorato.
La storia e' molto interessante, i personaggi vivi e ben delineati,la scrittura fluida e molto colloquiale ma mai fastidiosa, e sullo sfondo gli anni della dittatura militare brasiliana dove la gente veniva arrestata, torturata e spariva nel nulla, spesso senza un motivo ma solo per una spiata o un sospetto.
Conoscevo Chico Buarque De Hollanda solo come compositore, da quando un mio amico brasiliano mi aveva tradotto le parole della sua bellissima "O Que sera'", colonna sonora del film "Dona Flor ed i suoi due mariti" tratto dall'altrettanto bellissimo libro di Jorge Amado, e poi interpretata, stavolta malissimo secondo me, anche da Fiorella Mannoia.
Adesso mi mettero' alla ricerca del suo altro libro tradotto in italiano, Budapest: bravo Chico, bravo bravo bravo.
P.S. Ho canticchiato "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt" per una settimana, ed ancora non riesco a levarmela dalla testa.
La storia e' molto interessante, i personaggi vivi e ben delineati,la scrittura fluida e molto colloquiale ma mai fastidiosa, e sullo sfondo gli anni della dittatura militare brasiliana dove la gente veniva arrestata, torturata e spariva nel nulla, spesso senza un motivo ma solo per una spiata o un sospetto.
Conoscevo Chico Buarque De Hollanda solo come compositore, da quando un mio amico brasiliano mi aveva tradotto le parole della sua bellissima "O Que sera'", colonna sonora del film "Dona Flor ed i suoi due mariti" tratto dall'altrettanto bellissimo libro di Jorge Amado, e poi interpretata, stavolta malissimo secondo me, anche da Fiorella Mannoia.
Adesso mi mettero' alla ricerca del suo altro libro tradotto in italiano, Budapest: bravo Chico, bravo bravo bravo.
P.S. Ho canticchiato "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt" per una settimana, ed ancora non riesco a levarmela dalla testa.
December 4, 2023
I primarily know Chico Buarque for his musical work, particularly in popularising bossa nova throughout his career. His 1967 debut LP, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, is known for its album art that has become a popular internet meme featuring "happy" and "sad" Chico. Yet my literary encounter with Chico Buarque comes through this novel, O Irmão Alemão, or My German Brother, translated from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin. This novel marks my first exploration of Chico's literary work, and its vibe resonates with Graham Greene's The Honorary Consul, sharing a setting in Latin America and weaving elements of historical fiction that make them both compelling page-turners.
O Irmão Alemão unfolds as a roman à clef, drawing inspiration from Chico’s personal history. The protagonist, Ciccio de Holanda, bearing uncanny resemblances to Chico, stumbles upon a letter written in German addressed to his father, Sergio de Holanda, from Anne Ernst, his father's ex-girlfriend who lives in Berlin. Dated 21 December 1930, the letter raises complex questions about Sergio Senior's responsibility to provide for their son, Sergio Ernst. The situation is further complicated by the rise of the Nazis in 1933 and the need to prove the child's Aryan roots.
Ciccio's quest to trace his lost German brother becomes the narrative's backdrop, offering more than a conventional detective story. Instead, Ciccio's journey blends historical facts, speculative musings, and imaginative fabrications that blur the lines between truth and fiction. The novel explores what happened, what might have happened, and the myriad fabrications within Ciccio's mind, all indiscernible from the truth.
Ciccio as the main character cum narrator presents various theories and speculations, ranging from funny and comical to outright dumb. His obsession with his lost German brother adds an intriguing layer to the narrative. Chico weaves a tale that surpasses a simple search, delving into familial ties, historical complexities, and the unreliability of memory. I believe it’s also part of Chico’s attempt to make peace with himself for the fact that he was unable to meet his German brother in real life, due to his early death from cancer in the 1980s. The narrative captures the essence of a mind grappling with uncertainties, delivering a story that is thought-provoking and entertaining.
In my view, this novel is a testament to Chico’s versatility as both a musician and a novelist. The seamless blend of historical elements, familial dynamics, and the protagonist's whimsical introspections offers a compelling exploration of truth, memory, and the enduring impact of the past.
O Irmão Alemão unfolds as a roman à clef, drawing inspiration from Chico’s personal history. The protagonist, Ciccio de Holanda, bearing uncanny resemblances to Chico, stumbles upon a letter written in German addressed to his father, Sergio de Holanda, from Anne Ernst, his father's ex-girlfriend who lives in Berlin. Dated 21 December 1930, the letter raises complex questions about Sergio Senior's responsibility to provide for their son, Sergio Ernst. The situation is further complicated by the rise of the Nazis in 1933 and the need to prove the child's Aryan roots.
Ciccio's quest to trace his lost German brother becomes the narrative's backdrop, offering more than a conventional detective story. Instead, Ciccio's journey blends historical facts, speculative musings, and imaginative fabrications that blur the lines between truth and fiction. The novel explores what happened, what might have happened, and the myriad fabrications within Ciccio's mind, all indiscernible from the truth.
Ciccio as the main character cum narrator presents various theories and speculations, ranging from funny and comical to outright dumb. His obsession with his lost German brother adds an intriguing layer to the narrative. Chico weaves a tale that surpasses a simple search, delving into familial ties, historical complexities, and the unreliability of memory. I believe it’s also part of Chico’s attempt to make peace with himself for the fact that he was unable to meet his German brother in real life, due to his early death from cancer in the 1980s. The narrative captures the essence of a mind grappling with uncertainties, delivering a story that is thought-provoking and entertaining.
In my view, this novel is a testament to Chico’s versatility as both a musician and a novelist. The seamless blend of historical elements, familial dynamics, and the protagonist's whimsical introspections offers a compelling exploration of truth, memory, and the enduring impact of the past.
June 20, 2016
"O Irmão Alemão" não é, ao contrário do que possa parecer à primeira vista, uma obra biográfica. É um misto de realidade com ficção, mas Chico Buarque teve efectivamente um irmão alemão, Sergio Günther (Para mais informações: http://www.dw.com/pt/historiador-reve... ) e andou a investigar sobre a sua vida.
Chico Buarque tem um estilo meio musical quando escreve. As palavras, as frases, os parágrafos e as páginas parece que dançam e cantam. Dá gosto lê-lo. Por outro lado, os livros de Buarque têm em mim sempre o mesmo efeito: começam muito interessantes no início, mas chegados a meio sinto uma sensação misto de desencontro, desorientação e confusão. Não sei se sou eu que me perco na forma e, portanto, se é defeito meu, ou se é Buarque que se perde... No fim, quando termino o livro, quero mais. Porém, os livros dele não me conseguem levar a abstrair totalmente e "entrar" na história, pelo que fico com uma sensação imensa de falta de qualquer coisa.
Nesta obra em particular, Chico Buarque divaga muito sobre o que foi ou que não foi, o que poderia ter sido e o que foi a história do seu pai com a alemã e do irmão alemão nascido dessa relação que ele não chegou a conhecer. No entanto, não se percebe muitas vezes se o que escreve foi passado acontecido ou se tudo não passa de uma mera hipótese sonhadora. Há, de igual modo, referências à imensa biblioteca do pai e ao gosto sensual do músico escritor pelos livros, que se traduzem em muito belas passagens, dignas de nota e merecedoras de uma leitura e releitura.
No geral, posso dizer que gostei, sem ter adorado. Sinto que lhe falta qualquer coisa. Talvez tenha ficado a meio caminho. A meio caminho, saído de um cruzamento com várias hipóteses possíveis. Porque há partes na obra, com argumento mais do que suficiente, que bem podiam dar para escrever outro livro que nada tivesse a ver com "O Irmão Alemão"...
*
"Até então, para mim, paredes eram feitos de livros, sem o seu suporte desabariam casas como a minha, que até no banheiro e na cozinha tinha estantes do teto ao chão. E era nos livros que eu me escorava, desde muito pequeno, nos momentos de perigo real ou imaginário, como ainda hoje nas alturas grudo as costas na parede ao sentir vertigem. E quando não havia ninguém por perto, eu passava horas a andar de lado rente às estantes, sentia certo prazer em roçar a espinha de livro em livro. Também gostava de esfregar as bochechas nas lombadas de couro de uma coleção que, mais tarde, quando já me batiam no peito, identifiquei como os Sermões do Padre Antônio Vieira. (...) durante toda a minha infância mantive essa ligação sensual com os livros. (...)" (Buarque,2015, p.15).
Chico Buarque tem um estilo meio musical quando escreve. As palavras, as frases, os parágrafos e as páginas parece que dançam e cantam. Dá gosto lê-lo. Por outro lado, os livros de Buarque têm em mim sempre o mesmo efeito: começam muito interessantes no início, mas chegados a meio sinto uma sensação misto de desencontro, desorientação e confusão. Não sei se sou eu que me perco na forma e, portanto, se é defeito meu, ou se é Buarque que se perde... No fim, quando termino o livro, quero mais. Porém, os livros dele não me conseguem levar a abstrair totalmente e "entrar" na história, pelo que fico com uma sensação imensa de falta de qualquer coisa.
Nesta obra em particular, Chico Buarque divaga muito sobre o que foi ou que não foi, o que poderia ter sido e o que foi a história do seu pai com a alemã e do irmão alemão nascido dessa relação que ele não chegou a conhecer. No entanto, não se percebe muitas vezes se o que escreve foi passado acontecido ou se tudo não passa de uma mera hipótese sonhadora. Há, de igual modo, referências à imensa biblioteca do pai e ao gosto sensual do músico escritor pelos livros, que se traduzem em muito belas passagens, dignas de nota e merecedoras de uma leitura e releitura.
No geral, posso dizer que gostei, sem ter adorado. Sinto que lhe falta qualquer coisa. Talvez tenha ficado a meio caminho. A meio caminho, saído de um cruzamento com várias hipóteses possíveis. Porque há partes na obra, com argumento mais do que suficiente, que bem podiam dar para escrever outro livro que nada tivesse a ver com "O Irmão Alemão"...
*
"Até então, para mim, paredes eram feitos de livros, sem o seu suporte desabariam casas como a minha, que até no banheiro e na cozinha tinha estantes do teto ao chão. E era nos livros que eu me escorava, desde muito pequeno, nos momentos de perigo real ou imaginário, como ainda hoje nas alturas grudo as costas na parede ao sentir vertigem. E quando não havia ninguém por perto, eu passava horas a andar de lado rente às estantes, sentia certo prazer em roçar a espinha de livro em livro. Também gostava de esfregar as bochechas nas lombadas de couro de uma coleção que, mais tarde, quando já me batiam no peito, identifiquei como os Sermões do Padre Antônio Vieira. (...) durante toda a minha infância mantive essa ligação sensual com os livros. (...)" (Buarque,2015, p.15).
February 22, 2022
This book was very interesting to me, because it reminded me of my own journey in writing Boy Soldiers.
It is excitement of the disappointments of researching information from the time of Nazi Germany and later.
I grew up in Brazil and always knew Chico Buarque as a musician. I never realized what an accomplished writer he is. The extend of his European roots and education was also fascinating as I have perceived him always as a Brazilian.
It is excitement of the disappointments of researching information from the time of Nazi Germany and later.
I grew up in Brazil and always knew Chico Buarque as a musician. I never realized what an accomplished writer he is. The extend of his European roots and education was also fascinating as I have perceived him always as a Brazilian.
March 21, 2022
O irmão alemão
Que bonita maneira de escrever tem Chico Buarque .
Parece ser em verso e a melodia que consegue com as palavras dá a impressão de ser acompanhada de música para ser cantada .
Só lhe falta o violão a acompanhar …
A realidade e o sonho se misturam e a nossa língua portuguesa sai cantada à moda do Brasil.
É o primeiro livro que leio do autor e cantor brasileiro.
Ficou-me uma agradável surpresa .
Que bonita maneira de escrever tem Chico Buarque .
Parece ser em verso e a melodia que consegue com as palavras dá a impressão de ser acompanhada de música para ser cantada .
Só lhe falta o violão a acompanhar …
A realidade e o sonho se misturam e a nossa língua portuguesa sai cantada à moda do Brasil.
É o primeiro livro que leio do autor e cantor brasileiro.
Ficou-me uma agradável surpresa .
April 30, 2020
Antes de mais nada, é preciso que se diga: a escrita de Chico Buarque é muito gostosa. Ok, as letras também, os poemas idem, imagino que cozinhe bem e alguma coisa muito incrível na cama esse homem deve fazer na cama, ainda hoje, mas aí saímos do assunto.
Não espanta, óbvio, que Chico seja bom, aliás, ótimo escritor, já que passou a vida fazendo isso mesmo, escrevendo. Assim, ele nos traz esse livro, por sinal um tanto curto e bastante autobiográfico. Nele, um rapaz descobre, por acaso, que tem um irmão alemão, de antes do casamento do pai com sua mãe. Daí se desenrola a trama, com o protagonista e narrador de tudo fazendo para descobrir o tal irmão, por ele se obcecando.
O melhor do livro é a própria escrita de Chico, já que é um livro tranquilo, plácido, onde bem dizer não acontece muita coisa. O protagonista tem lá seus problemas, inseguranças e idiossincrasias, não é lá uma pessoa de muita moral e que te faça torcer para que se dê bem. Mas Chico escreve muito bem (já mencionei isso) e acaba sendo um prazer ir acompanhando a história, especialmente por descrever um pouco do Brasil, mais especificamente São Paulo, ali pelos anos 1960, com alguns dos horrores da ditadura respingando na família Hollander. Para quem ama livros, as frequentes referências são divertidas, sem chegar a ser didáticas.
No final, que se passa já na época atual, a cosia fica um tanto apressada e atropelada, com bastante infodumping e correlações entre pessoas, sobrenomes e parentescos. Confuso mesmo. Some-se a isso o estilo de Chico, com parágrafos enormes, por vezes durando duas, três páginas, e a leitura sai um tanto prejudicada. Algo, aliás, que ele mesmo tira onda em um momento da história.
Mas é um livro bom de ler, melancólico em alguns momentos, engraçado em outros e (ok, última vez) muito bem escrito. Leva um 3,75, arredondado com gosto para 4 estrelas.
Não espanta, óbvio, que Chico seja bom, aliás, ótimo escritor, já que passou a vida fazendo isso mesmo, escrevendo. Assim, ele nos traz esse livro, por sinal um tanto curto e bastante autobiográfico. Nele, um rapaz descobre, por acaso, que tem um irmão alemão, de antes do casamento do pai com sua mãe. Daí se desenrola a trama, com o protagonista e narrador de tudo fazendo para descobrir o tal irmão, por ele se obcecando.
O melhor do livro é a própria escrita de Chico, já que é um livro tranquilo, plácido, onde bem dizer não acontece muita coisa. O protagonista tem lá seus problemas, inseguranças e idiossincrasias, não é lá uma pessoa de muita moral e que te faça torcer para que se dê bem. Mas Chico escreve muito bem (já mencionei isso) e acaba sendo um prazer ir acompanhando a história, especialmente por descrever um pouco do Brasil, mais especificamente São Paulo, ali pelos anos 1960, com alguns dos horrores da ditadura respingando na família Hollander. Para quem ama livros, as frequentes referências são divertidas, sem chegar a ser didáticas.
No final, que se passa já na época atual, a cosia fica um tanto apressada e atropelada, com bastante infodumping e correlações entre pessoas, sobrenomes e parentescos. Confuso mesmo. Some-se a isso o estilo de Chico, com parágrafos enormes, por vezes durando duas, três páginas, e a leitura sai um tanto prejudicada. Algo, aliás, que ele mesmo tira onda em um momento da história.
Mas é um livro bom de ler, melancólico em alguns momentos, engraçado em outros e (ok, última vez) muito bem escrito. Leva um 3,75, arredondado com gosto para 4 estrelas.
February 10, 2015
Meu primeiro Chico. O entusiasmo das páginas iniciais se dissipou para só retornar nas finais. Chico se perde no miolo. Ainda acho um bom livro*, mas cheio de problemas incontornáveis. Vejamos a questão cronológica, por exemplo. Ela corre aos saltos, certo, o narrador é particularmente hábil nos flashforwards** e na mistura de realidade onírica com realidade palpável, mas faltam rejuntes entre as cenas, e num parágrafo dois personagens conversam descendo a ladeira para num próximo um rangido no assoalho nos colocar num novo cenário, com um novo interlocutor, e o outro personagem simplesmente se esfumaçar sem a devida transição, numa não linearidade arrítmica e capenga. Pode ser detalhismo meu (embora eu ache que aqui Chico cochilou e os editores não tiveram moral de corrigir), mas vamos pra outro problema, esse de ordem metafórica, ainda mais ilustrativo. Página 22. Num rompante de violência (desproporcional, a meu ver), dois personagens obrigam o protagonista a mostrar a tal carta comprobatória do irmão alemão. O protagonista pensa ver um soco-inglês na mão direita de um dos oponentes, mas é só "um chaveiro prateado que ele tem entre os dedos". Oquei, vamos guardar a imagem. Página 60. Num outro rompante de violência (ainda mais despropositado), o protagonista é surpreendido na mureta de uma casa pelo dono da casa, um "moreno de gravata vermelha" que empunha o quê, vocês conseguem adivinhar? "um soco-inglês". O protagonista tira os óculos, na iminência do murro, mas o que tilinta nas mãos do moreno não é um soco-inglês, é o quê? Isso mesmo: "um molho de chaves". Me lembro dos ótimos casos de autoplágio listados pelo James Wood em livros diferentes de um mesmo autor. Esse é um péssimo caso, em um mesmo livro. Tem outros amadorismos gritantes, como quando há um rebuliço no consulado e uma funcionária mal-humorada, que pouco antes se recusava a prestar informações, começa a se desesperar pela confusão. "Com pena dela, ofereço a maçã que mamãe me deu" (a maçã é um elemento completamente aleatório, parece cena do Chaves). Ou quando o Holocausto é comparado à morte de uma barata por inseticida (tive que recorrer a Kafka pra perdoar essa). Ou ainda quando o protagonista tem uma conversa anódina com uma mulher, pela primeira vez, ao telefone: "(...)e d. Dalila me fala de seus cantores prediletos, começa até a cantarolar uma balada romântica quando corto a ligação" (Hem? Como assim? Repito: é uma conversa anódina, uma mulher que atende pra dizer que o marido não está em casa). Ou ainda uma última***, quando presenciamos uma execução a tiros na rua e somos brindados com essa pérola de vulgaridade: "o rapaz ainda foge, mas sem cabeça, é um corpo sem cabeça que corre uns dez metros, botando sangue pelo pescoço, pela barriga e pelo cu" (Haja hipérbole! Haja tiro! Desnecessário, Chico, não menos que a flautista que, nessa mesma cena, anda despreocupada, tocando seu instrumento entre os camburões). Não vou procurar aqui os trechos em que Chico derrapa por incorporar, na autoficção, um personagem que assume ter parcos conhecimentos musicais e se trai o tempo todo dando aula de teoria musical quando narra as cenas do professor de piano. Vai ficar ainda mais difícil de provar que, no fundo, eu ainda acho o livro bom. Ou sei lá. Talvez não ache mesmo o livro tão bom assim. Talvez sejam só os olhos azuis do autor na foto.
...
* A avaliação fala por si.
** Por que mesmo o flashback já foi tão esgotado e um recurso tão belo e de matriz tão próxima ainda não?
*** Texto grande pra cacete e com nota de rodapé: provavelmente porque li no primeiro interlúdio que o Foster Wallace me ofereceu.
...
* A avaliação fala por si.
** Por que mesmo o flashback já foi tão esgotado e um recurso tão belo e de matriz tão próxima ainda não?
*** Texto grande pra cacete e com nota de rodapé: provavelmente porque li no primeiro interlúdio que o Foster Wallace me ofereceu.
July 7, 2018
Review originally posted on The Bibliophile Chronicles.
This is a fascinating book about a young Brazilian man who discovers a letter suggesting that his father might have had another son whilst he was in Germany. The story follows his life as he becomes obsessed with this idea, imagining the life of his half brother.
The book was told in a really interesting way, My German Brother is an interesting come of age tale and one of the aspects I really enjoyed was that although the book is fiction it is partly based on the author’s life and his experience of finding out his father had a child in Germany. I found the idea so interesting as he imagined the endless possibilities of his brother’s life, especially at a time when Europe was dealing with the horrific events of the Second World War.
The author has a really great writing style and I loved some of the light-hearted aspects that counteracted some of the more heavy topics, they are quite a few sordid moments as well which I found a little off putting. Overall the book is a really fascinating read and at just over 200 pages it’s definitely worth picking up.
This is a fascinating book about a young Brazilian man who discovers a letter suggesting that his father might have had another son whilst he was in Germany. The story follows his life as he becomes obsessed with this idea, imagining the life of his half brother.
The book was told in a really interesting way, My German Brother is an interesting come of age tale and one of the aspects I really enjoyed was that although the book is fiction it is partly based on the author’s life and his experience of finding out his father had a child in Germany. I found the idea so interesting as he imagined the endless possibilities of his brother’s life, especially at a time when Europe was dealing with the horrific events of the Second World War.
The author has a really great writing style and I loved some of the light-hearted aspects that counteracted some of the more heavy topics, they are quite a few sordid moments as well which I found a little off putting. Overall the book is a really fascinating read and at just over 200 pages it’s definitely worth picking up.
December 7, 2018
É o segundo que leio dele, após Budapeste. Mesmo sendo muito diferentes na premissa, difícil não comparar, e nesse sentido achei O Irmão inferior. Me desagradou um pouco um recurso que ele usa muito, ao imaginar como seriam determinados eventos. Ao longo do livro há várias passagens longas com a imaginação do tipo "eu então entraria e ela estaria lá, fazendo o almoço" etc. Acho interessante em se tratando de algo que o Chico deve ter feito muito quando encasquetou com o irmão germânico, imaginar como ele seria, como era sua história, mas achei que recorre a isso muitas vezes, e nessas a história dá uma atravancada. Ainda assim, acho que ele transmite bem sua inquietação ao querer saber a história do parente, e gostei bastante do capítulo final. Talvez por ter visto o vídeo com o momento real que ele retrata nessa parte, achei emocionante o final da busca pela pessoa que ele tanto procurou, em especial pelos versos que finalizam o livro.
June 12, 2016
A canção do malandro.... Em Chico Buarque nada é preto e branco, o malandro é preso mas afinal é preso político, a menina certinha transforma-se em ninfa, os malandros juntam-se para atrair raparigas mas também para fazerem bombas. Interessante como o sono e os sonhos afinal não são sonhos mas contam a história e fazem avançar o tempo. Interessante tambem como o segredo familiar nunca é contado e que quem o descobre continua a alimentar o segredo, investigando pequenos indícios, partes de frases, fotos perdidas, sem o confronto cara a cra que destruiria o segredo. Depois pensei em quantos irmãos perdidos pelo mundo deve de haver: só pensando nos Portugueses, com as nossas andanças pelo mundo, quantos irmãos africanos, indianos, chineses, japoneses, sul-americanos, irmãos desconhecidos e para sempre em segredo com ou sem o nome de outro pai.
January 8, 2019
My German Brother.
~
Thank you for the review copy @fsgbooks :)
~
This was my first read by Chico Buarque and I was taken aback by his unabashed style of writing. Chico is a famous Brazilian writer - musician who is considered a democratic hero. His work, My German Brother revolves around his own life and gives us a peek into his complicated family history.
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The protagonist is a man called Ciccio, who is the son of a famous journalist and historian, Sergio Buarque de Holanda (same name as the author's real father). They reside in Sao Paulo where their house is covered with walls of bookshelves, the priced possession of his father. One fine day, hidden inside the pages of a 1922 edition of The Golden Bough, Ciccio discovers a letter from Berlin that reveals the news of his illegitimate brother.
~
The life of Ciccio is painted colourfully as he steals cars with his friends and moves from one heartbreak to another. Ciccio, post finding the letter, sets off on a journey to find his half brother. The author talks about Ciccio's own brother who was on a path of wooing all the girls with his good looks. What Ciccio missed on the looks side, he made up with his intelligence. This book is intense with references to Nazi administration, military systems and familial matters.
~
It was clever of the author to add parts of his own life in this book including the brother's search as well as few references like how he let his father's name stay the same. This book is not a complete chart of his life yet majority of it does talk about Chico. The language used is not simple ; it's sophisticated, and has the power of leaving an imprint on one's mind. I'm sure I'll be picking up Spilt Milk very soon.
~
The book has pictures of the letter that was written to Sergio from his estranged lover, Anne about his son. Though few parts of the story is related to Chico, the fact that how Ciccio never got married and also never became the famous musician and writer like Chico, shows that My German Brother isn't a complete revelation of his own life.
~
I would rate this book 3.8/5.
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Thank you for the review copy @fsgbooks :)
~
This was my first read by Chico Buarque and I was taken aback by his unabashed style of writing. Chico is a famous Brazilian writer - musician who is considered a democratic hero. His work, My German Brother revolves around his own life and gives us a peek into his complicated family history.
~
The protagonist is a man called Ciccio, who is the son of a famous journalist and historian, Sergio Buarque de Holanda (same name as the author's real father). They reside in Sao Paulo where their house is covered with walls of bookshelves, the priced possession of his father. One fine day, hidden inside the pages of a 1922 edition of The Golden Bough, Ciccio discovers a letter from Berlin that reveals the news of his illegitimate brother.
~
The life of Ciccio is painted colourfully as he steals cars with his friends and moves from one heartbreak to another. Ciccio, post finding the letter, sets off on a journey to find his half brother. The author talks about Ciccio's own brother who was on a path of wooing all the girls with his good looks. What Ciccio missed on the looks side, he made up with his intelligence. This book is intense with references to Nazi administration, military systems and familial matters.
~
It was clever of the author to add parts of his own life in this book including the brother's search as well as few references like how he let his father's name stay the same. This book is not a complete chart of his life yet majority of it does talk about Chico. The language used is not simple ; it's sophisticated, and has the power of leaving an imprint on one's mind. I'm sure I'll be picking up Spilt Milk very soon.
~
The book has pictures of the letter that was written to Sergio from his estranged lover, Anne about his son. Though few parts of the story is related to Chico, the fact that how Ciccio never got married and also never became the famous musician and writer like Chico, shows that My German Brother isn't a complete revelation of his own life.
~
I would rate this book 3.8/5.
March 22, 2018
via my blog:https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'It wasn’t an arugument between parents, which a child never forgets; rather, it was like a whisper behind a wall, a quick exhange of words that, by rights, I couldn’t have heard, or couldn’t have heard right.'
When Ciccio filched a book, The Golden Bough, from his father’s precious, forbidden library he found a letter inside. He can’t read the German words, only understand the beginning and the end. It is written to his father, from a German woman named Anne. He must return the book, before his mother catches him, the person who tends the library like a garden. The letter will slip from his mind but only for a short time. Then he is off to his friend Thelonious’s house, where they will meet, roam the streets of San Paola, steal a car and slip into the houses of wealthy people. No one loves books as much as his father, whose collection in the end, was over 20,000. Distanced from his father, he spends most of us time getting up to criminal activity, chasing women, hanging with troublesom friends because he gets the same thrill from his antics as his father must get when he opens a book.While coming of age in 1960’s Brazil, his imagined or real half-brother is always haunting the edges of his mind. He spends most of his life trying to understand his father, and missing so much.
Did his father have a child when he worked in Germany, before the Nazi’s took power? Who was his father before he was Ciccio’s dad? Who is Anne? It is in his imagination he attempts to understand what happened during the love affair, where a son (his nameless half-brother) was created? Did his father abandon the woman and child, did she simply give up on him when he married someone else (his mother) and deny him his child? What of that brother, is he like their father, consumed by books, literature? Ciccio mixes up fact with fiction, even telling his friends he has a German brother, but embellishing the details with fanciful stories. His friend Udo, translates the mysterious communication. Just how close to the truth is he?
His father is an intellectual, Ciccio flirts with it, bragging about the writers his father has met, the signed books. He tries to dig into great literary works, he finds himself during political upheavals amongst students who take part in anti-dictatorship protests (though never one to carry a banner himself, he ‘acquires a taste for it.’) He attempts to nudge his father or mother to reveal tidbits about this German brother, but they never fall for it, and he can’t come right out and ask. Surely his mother must know something, as nothing gets past her, she manages his father’s life, he’d be lost without her. Does she know about the love child? How could she not, she knows his father better than anyone. He fears his father a little, an aloof man who takes little notice of him, ‘shipwrecked’ in his books, rather than tending to the bonds of his family. His brother Mimmo lives for comic books and soon does voice-overs. His friend gets busted for crimes.Ciccio comes of age, gets better looking, fancies women, but never stops longing for his German brother.
His life becomes a puzzle, he is just as consumed with this phantom brother as his father is by his literature. The novel is fiction flavored with the autobiography of its author (be sure to read the Author’s Note). The ending itself is tender, ‘ And perhaps my eyes will mist over as they fix on the black and white image…’. Toward his mother’s end, she let’s slip her own comment that confirms she knew everything. It was an engaging novel, about the curious sins of the father and while focused on the mystery of Sergio (his half-brother), Mimmo( the only brother he shared his life with) slips through Ciccio’s fingers. Years pass and with age some questions are answered while others remain.
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
'It wasn’t an arugument between parents, which a child never forgets; rather, it was like a whisper behind a wall, a quick exhange of words that, by rights, I couldn’t have heard, or couldn’t have heard right.'
When Ciccio filched a book, The Golden Bough, from his father’s precious, forbidden library he found a letter inside. He can’t read the German words, only understand the beginning and the end. It is written to his father, from a German woman named Anne. He must return the book, before his mother catches him, the person who tends the library like a garden. The letter will slip from his mind but only for a short time. Then he is off to his friend Thelonious’s house, where they will meet, roam the streets of San Paola, steal a car and slip into the houses of wealthy people. No one loves books as much as his father, whose collection in the end, was over 20,000. Distanced from his father, he spends most of us time getting up to criminal activity, chasing women, hanging with troublesom friends because he gets the same thrill from his antics as his father must get when he opens a book.While coming of age in 1960’s Brazil, his imagined or real half-brother is always haunting the edges of his mind. He spends most of his life trying to understand his father, and missing so much.
Did his father have a child when he worked in Germany, before the Nazi’s took power? Who was his father before he was Ciccio’s dad? Who is Anne? It is in his imagination he attempts to understand what happened during the love affair, where a son (his nameless half-brother) was created? Did his father abandon the woman and child, did she simply give up on him when he married someone else (his mother) and deny him his child? What of that brother, is he like their father, consumed by books, literature? Ciccio mixes up fact with fiction, even telling his friends he has a German brother, but embellishing the details with fanciful stories. His friend Udo, translates the mysterious communication. Just how close to the truth is he?
His father is an intellectual, Ciccio flirts with it, bragging about the writers his father has met, the signed books. He tries to dig into great literary works, he finds himself during political upheavals amongst students who take part in anti-dictatorship protests (though never one to carry a banner himself, he ‘acquires a taste for it.’) He attempts to nudge his father or mother to reveal tidbits about this German brother, but they never fall for it, and he can’t come right out and ask. Surely his mother must know something, as nothing gets past her, she manages his father’s life, he’d be lost without her. Does she know about the love child? How could she not, she knows his father better than anyone. He fears his father a little, an aloof man who takes little notice of him, ‘shipwrecked’ in his books, rather than tending to the bonds of his family. His brother Mimmo lives for comic books and soon does voice-overs. His friend gets busted for crimes.Ciccio comes of age, gets better looking, fancies women, but never stops longing for his German brother.
His life becomes a puzzle, he is just as consumed with this phantom brother as his father is by his literature. The novel is fiction flavored with the autobiography of its author (be sure to read the Author’s Note). The ending itself is tender, ‘ And perhaps my eyes will mist over as they fix on the black and white image…’. Toward his mother’s end, she let’s slip her own comment that confirms she knew everything. It was an engaging novel, about the curious sins of the father and while focused on the mystery of Sergio (his half-brother), Mimmo( the only brother he shared his life with) slips through Ciccio’s fingers. Years pass and with age some questions are answered while others remain.
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
February 8, 2026
4 ★★★★
Como admiradora confessa de Chico Buarque, a expectativa para o meu primeiro livro dele era imensa. Para mim, o Chico é um génio e a confiança no seu pensamento é tal que compraria qualquer obra sua de olhos fechados. Esta leitura confirmou que o seu talento transcende a música e domina a literatura com a mesma mestria.
A história é boa, equilibrando-se num jogo subtil entre a realidade autobiográfica e a ficção pura. Partindo de uma descoberta real na biblioteca do pai do autor (o historiador Sérgio Buarque de Holanda), o livro mergulha numa busca obsessiva por um irmão desconhecido. É um misto de investigação familiar e reconstrução de uma época, onde a memória e a invenção se fundem de forma brilhante.
Embora a história seja envolvente, foi a qualidade da escrita que mais me cativou. A prosa do Chico é densa, elegante e musical. É um livro que não se lê à pressa; pelo contrário, obriga-nos a ler lentamente, saboreando a construção de cada frase e a riqueza dos detalhes.
livro físico, em português do Brasil
Como admiradora confessa de Chico Buarque, a expectativa para o meu primeiro livro dele era imensa. Para mim, o Chico é um génio e a confiança no seu pensamento é tal que compraria qualquer obra sua de olhos fechados. Esta leitura confirmou que o seu talento transcende a música e domina a literatura com a mesma mestria.
A história é boa, equilibrando-se num jogo subtil entre a realidade autobiográfica e a ficção pura. Partindo de uma descoberta real na biblioteca do pai do autor (o historiador Sérgio Buarque de Holanda), o livro mergulha numa busca obsessiva por um irmão desconhecido. É um misto de investigação familiar e reconstrução de uma época, onde a memória e a invenção se fundem de forma brilhante.
Embora a história seja envolvente, foi a qualidade da escrita que mais me cativou. A prosa do Chico é densa, elegante e musical. É um livro que não se lê à pressa; pelo contrário, obriga-nos a ler lentamente, saboreando a construção de cada frase e a riqueza dos detalhes.
"E eu que nunca morri de amores por aquele irmão, eu que o teria trocado por um irmão alemão sem pestanejar, passei a me inquietar com a ameaça de ficar sem irmão nenhum."
livro físico, em português do Brasil
August 17, 2015
De maneira breve, a história é linear mas se atrapalha com personagens e eventos extremamentes irrelevantes e desisteressantes. A relação intrafamiliar é mal desenvolvida e certos encontros entre personagens ficaram faltando. Por fim, entrecortado por uma profusão quase obsessiva de referências culturais, a narrativa é bem escrita mas monótona,fechando deselegantemente e de maneira confusa.
O personagem principal e os imediatos são superficiais o bastante para o leitor não se importar, é um livro essencialmente sem entrelacamentos emocionais relevantes. Vazio e raso, não vale a pena ler e tentar se imergir na histõria. Chico destruiu a oportunidade de mesclar essa realidada e ficção competentemente. 2 de 5.
O personagem principal e os imediatos são superficiais o bastante para o leitor não se importar, é um livro essencialmente sem entrelacamentos emocionais relevantes. Vazio e raso, não vale a pena ler e tentar se imergir na histõria. Chico destruiu a oportunidade de mesclar essa realidada e ficção competentemente. 2 de 5.
October 28, 2019
Já gostei muito de outros livros de Chico, mas esse deixou a desejar. O autor mistura ficção e realidade para contar a história de um homem obcecado em saber mais sobre a existência de um filho de seu pai na Alemanha. Ao longo dos anos coleta informações até que consegue reunir o suficiente para desvendar o mistério sobre o caminho que teria percorrido o "irmão". As descrições de São Paulo em meados do século XX são muito bem feitas, mas uma história que em uma biografia seria interessante, como ficção nao passa de monótona.
April 21, 2015
Não me agradou. Nem a história, nem a personagem principal, nem as voltas e voltinhas dadas por Chico Buarque ao longo do livro. Tanta volta que acabou por me fazer perder o interesse. Tenho de salientar que gostei da forma como escreveu mas cansou-me. Ficaram algumas páginas para ler, lá para o final. Tinha o Leite Derramado em ebook para ler mas ficará para o futuro, no momento em que decidir dar outra oportunidade a Chico Buarque.
2/5
2/5
January 24, 2015
Livro envolvente do início ao fim. E do início ao fim ficam dúvidas sobre em que momento se está na história. A cronologia pode ser confusa, uma vez que há um vai e volta constante entre pensamento, hipótese e realidade. As constantes digressões são estilo de escrita ou reflexo de pausas no processo? Independente da razão, vale a pena ler.
November 5, 2018
Although there is much to admire about this novel from the writing tone to the creation of a house full of books, I just couldn't get into it. Perhaps the flavour is too masculine for my taste. I should have liked it - I enjoy reading about new places (Brazil) and the politics of different periods in the 20th century but I couldn't engage with the story.
September 6, 2015
Livro fascinante! Cheio de referências a eventos e obras verdadeiros, criando uma espécie de história informal da segunda metade do século XX. Altamente recomendado.
March 7, 2016
Quantas vidas se cruzam e descruzam, na procura de uma só pessoa. Que bom que tenho minhas irmãs, e quantas coisas boas vivemos juntas. Chico é Chico: único, provocador, sensível.
December 9, 2021
O Irmão Alemão é um romance curioso, pois mistura fatos autobiográficos a uma história fictícia. Era uma excelente ideia e tinha tudo para dar certo, mas o resultado final deixa a desejar, já que existem algumas tomadas de decisões confusas no desenvolvimento da trama. A impressão que eu tive é que o Chico Buarque começou a escrever o livro, ficou alguns meses parado e retomou a escrita sem observer e analisar o que tinha produzido até então. Em um determinado momento a história é abruptamente acelerada e parte do que havia sido construído se perde na solução encontrada pelo autor no final. Não entendi a utilização do regime militar como pano de fundo de boa parte do romance sem um propósito bem definido. No fim houve uma fraca conexão deste tema com o desfecho apresentado pelo escritor. Mais uma vez ressalto a escrita poética e sedutora de Chico Buarque, mas que peca em grande parte de sua obra romanesca pela condução confusa de suas tramas.
November 28, 2018
I read "My German Brother," by Chico Buarque, after reading a Sam Sachs review in a Saturday WSJ published earlier this year about the book. I am not going to attempt to review it like a professional book reviewer would, but I will note that what drew me to it had to do with the final three words in Sam Sachs's review, which were something like "My German Brother" has a "forceful, emotional impact."
And after reading "My German Brother," I can attest to the book's "forceful, emotional impact." And I can say that I am proud of myself for reading it because it is a work of literature. Let's face it, some of the books that Sam Sachs reviews can be intimidating to consider reading, high concept novels, not Earthy mysteries/crime novels etc.
Not that Earthy mysteries/crime novels/horror do not have a place. But come on: aren't we amusing ourselves to death? Do we really need another Stephen King horror novel?
I set out to read 31 books this year in my Goodreads Challenge, and God willing, I will make it. But next year, no way. I think that I will read 10 books, and "War and Peace" will be one of them, as will Westad's "The Cold War." And all the rest of my time will be devoted to keeping up with the newspapers and magazines that I have subscribed to, in addition to paying some serious attention to my new hobby, golf.
So what I say to anyone who reads this review is to do what we fear; that we cannot do wrong by lining up our ship along side that of the enemy shooting all of our canons at him full blast. Go straight at him, straight for the throat. We win, he loses. End of story.
So read those Sam Sachs books, hit the links, get that private pilot's license, and aim for the top. GO FOR IT!
And after reading "My German Brother," I can attest to the book's "forceful, emotional impact." And I can say that I am proud of myself for reading it because it is a work of literature. Let's face it, some of the books that Sam Sachs reviews can be intimidating to consider reading, high concept novels, not Earthy mysteries/crime novels etc.
Not that Earthy mysteries/crime novels/horror do not have a place. But come on: aren't we amusing ourselves to death? Do we really need another Stephen King horror novel?
I set out to read 31 books this year in my Goodreads Challenge, and God willing, I will make it. But next year, no way. I think that I will read 10 books, and "War and Peace" will be one of them, as will Westad's "The Cold War." And all the rest of my time will be devoted to keeping up with the newspapers and magazines that I have subscribed to, in addition to paying some serious attention to my new hobby, golf.
So what I say to anyone who reads this review is to do what we fear; that we cannot do wrong by lining up our ship along side that of the enemy shooting all of our canons at him full blast. Go straight at him, straight for the throat. We win, he loses. End of story.
So read those Sam Sachs books, hit the links, get that private pilot's license, and aim for the top. GO FOR IT!
May 29, 2022
La première partie a été difficile à appréhender car l'écriture bien que vivante et poétique est trop compacte (quasiment aucun paragraphe). Mais le dernier tiers devient vraiment fascinant.
December 2, 2018
Um livro bom mas nao o melhor do chico que ja li.
Tema interessante mas acho que ele se perde um pouco no plot o que deixar a historia um pouco lenta.
Tema interessante mas acho que ele se perde um pouco no plot o que deixar a historia um pouco lenta.
April 1, 2025
uma grande fantasia, que segue pra outra e quando se vê já não há mais realidade. já gostei mais das ideias de Chico, mas a nostalgia pela alemanha e todas as referencias usadas me fizeram feliz.
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