This book is for those who live in Porto Alegre and those who simply want to know more about the soul of the city. It is for those who are interested in fond memories of the most important Brazilian cities, and for those who have a penchant for the joyful and humorous literature of Moacyr Scliar. Illustrated with photographs by Beto Scliar, the author’s son and photographer, (Stories of Porto Alegre) consists of short and engaging texts about different facets of the city and its inhabitants.
It is a sentimental journey through Porto Alegre, and the guide is none other than one of Porto Alegre’s most illustrious natives: Moacyr Scliar. In addition to his skills as an excellent writer, which gives lightness and flavor to the texts, Scliar as public health expert, makes use of other lesser-known qualities to better understand the soul of his hometown and fellow citizens. He is a bit of an art history expert when it comes to the city’s historical buildings and architectural styles; an anthropologist when scrutinizing the habits (dietary, sexual, soccer-related…) of the Gauchos; a geographer when discussing the Guaíba (is it river, lake, estuary or what); a linguist when commenting on the idiosyncrasies of “Gauchês” (the Southern Brazilian dialect) and “Portoalegrês” (the Porto Alegre way of speaking); a mixture of political scientist and historian when recalling the state’s political past and its emblematic figures; and also a cook, delving into the eating habits and providing the recipe for one of the most typical dishes of southern Brazilian cuisine. Famous Gauchos permeate these pages (Elis Regina, Lupicínio Rodrigues, Getúlio, Simões Lopes Neto, Lya Luft, Borges de Medeiros, Erico Verissimo), and other famous non-Gauchos, such as Albert Camus, Barão de Itararé and Di Cavalcanti, also pay a visit to the southernmost capital of Brazil.
In the style of a true sentimental journey, Scliar visits the four corners of Porto Alegre, accompanied by his son Beto. Father and son put themselves in the position of residents of Porto Alegre, but with the detachment of observers, which makes (Stories of Porto Alegre) as informative as it is a pleasure to read.
