Edyr Augusto Brazil

© Janjo Proença

Edyr Augusto Proença was born in Belém do Pará in 1954. He is a journalist, though he also writes poems and plays. Additionally, he works for the radio and in advertising. His novels Os éguas (“The Éguas“) and Moscow will soon be adapted for the movies by Daniel Gomez.

Mosqueiro, also called Moscow, is an idyllic island and holiday resort, often visited by inhabitants of the city of Belém, near the Amazonas delta. Overcrowded by holiday-makers in the summer, it is also a scene of brutal violence. Where holiday-makers sunbathe during the day, a group of young people live in a contrasting and different world at night. Tinho Santo, the main character and narrator of Moscow, kills a little girl, but hardly remembers later. In short and clipped sentences, giving the text a speedy rhythm, and using the slang of teenage gang members, he gives an icy account of the occurences of every night, but he is unable to express his feelings, let alone recognise them. Anger and envy of those kids who are better off shimmer through, as well as a hidden desire of acceptance. This short novel leaves its reader in dismay and with many unanswered questions, perplexed by the unimaginable scale of violence, for which the guilty cannot easily be found.

The novel Casa de Caba (“The Hornets’ Nest”) tells a story about revenge, North American rock stars and political scandals in the Amazon region. Isabela Pastri has been following the career of Wladimir Turvil since the day he attacked her father, made him a cripple and took his sawmill from him. He is now governor of the state and one of the most important agents in the drug business around the Amazon. Isabela, his lover, is expecting a child from him and she knows his secrets all too well. The hour of revenge has come. Following this gripping story is like watching a thriller. Edyr Augusto, who seemingly writes about Northern Brazil, really means a Brazil, where behind a façade of cheerful carnival spirit, there lie the fiercest power struggles. A true hornets’ nest.

Represented for Boitempo, Brazil

Novels:

Os éguas, São Paulo: Boitempo 1998, 197 p.

Film rights sold

Moscow, São Paulo: Boitempo 2001, 65 p.

Film rights sold

Casa de Caba, São Paulo: Boitempo 2004, 88 p.

UK: Aflame Books 2007

Stories:

Um sol para cada um, São Paulo: Boitempo 2008, 167 p.