Joel is the protagonist of this novel that mixes realism and fantasy. He recalls his childhood as a Jewish boy living with his family in 1940s Porto Alegre, in the heart of the Bom Fim neighborhood, the Jewish quarter of the capital of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul State.
Revisiting his early years, Joel delves into his memories of a time when, amidst the news of war in Europe and an immigrant community arriving from there, he played with friends and explored the neighborhood sidewalks, learning the facts of life. The images and fears of renowned writer Franz Kafka are a specter that hovers over Joel’s past and present. Like his family, he struggles to adapt to a society that is and isn’t his own.
Originally published in 1972 during the military dictatorship, The War in Bom Fim is Moacyr Scliar’s first novel and a coming-of-age story. Like other books of its generation, it testifies to the need for contemporary Brazilian writers to shed new light on the past and national identity.
