Time and the Wind     by Érico Veríssimo, Translated by L.L. Barrett Original title: O tempo e o vento Original language: Portuguese Country: Brazil   Publisher Unknown Not available for ordering

This translation forms the first part of Veríssimo’s huge trilogy O Tempo e o Vento, his hugely popular historical saga set in Rio Grande do Sul and spanning the period between 1745 and 1945. Over the course of its six hundred pages, Time and the Wind (1954) introduces the reader to a vast array of characters whose lives are played out in the shadow of historical events, from the days of Spanish and Portuguese rivalry over the control of the southernmost part of Brazil, until shortly after the declaration of the Republic in 1889. Running parallel to this human drama is the tale of the foundation and growth of the city of Santa Fé and its sobrado (mansion house) whose ownership symbolises the control of power in the region.

Veríssimo’s swashbuckling narrative vividly recounts a history of family feuds that span generations. Jumping back and forth in time, and utilising interlocking plot lines which connect the various families together, the novel creates a vast panorama of war, rebellion, and fierce struggles over land, which is contrasted on a more intimate level with the eternal human cycle of birth, marriage and death. Born and raised in Rio Grande do Sul, Verissímo’s work has been compared with that of Jorge Amado, in the sense that both writers set out to capture the essence of their native regions. In Veríssimo’s case this encompasses the gaúcho tradition with its often fatalistic code of honour and obdurate resistance in the face of danger. For all its romanticism, Time and the Wind also dwells on themes such as the growth of European immigration to Brazil, the abolitionist movement and the rise of Republicanism. Veríssimo did not consider himself a ‘writer’s writer’ and was the first to admit that his work was not innovative, yet his popularity within Brazil is an abiding testament to his skill as an old-fashioned storyteller.

The padre fell silent, folded the paper, and replaced it in his pocket.

‘But why have I spoken of Garibaldi, who apparently has nothing to do with the day?’ He made a brief pause, as if he expected some reply to his rhetorical question. He raised his right arm, the index finger aimed. ‘It is because the man who speaks to you is a priest, Italian by birth, who is beginning to be a Brazilian at heart; because in this same church today, seated among Brazilians, are Italian immigrants who nearly ten years ago arrived in this Province and founded in this very municipality of Santa Fé a colony which they called Garibaldina, in homage to the hero. And it is because those Italian colonists, just like the Germans of Nova Pomerânia, are working together with the Brazilians for the greatness of this municipality, this Province, this great nation. And in this land whose first conquerors bore names like Magalhães, Pereira, Fagundes, Xavier, Terra, live today men whose names are Bernardi, Nardini, Sorio, Conte, Bauermann, Schultz, Schneider, Schmidt, Kunz. And in this church I hope some day by the grace of God to unite in matrimony a Della Mea with a Pinto or a Spielvogel!’ 541