It is a novel by Carlos Campaniço who won the literary prize of the city of Almada, in 2012.
This book has a rich and enticing language that transports us to Medinas, deep inside the Alentejo, a village with no time where the days go by the wimps of the comings and goings of the sun, the moon and the seasons. The main character, Álvaro Cobra is an enormous man in every way, in an almost supernatural way which makes him the prime target for all sorts of strange phenomena, mishaps and misfortunes that feed the local legends and influence in various ways the lives of the villagers. But do not think that the unusual farmer is a single specimen, there is a gallery of characters that follow the route of this unusual giant, as is the case Lourença, the great-grandmother with almost 150 years old that insists on not dying, Branca Mariana , the sister, always burning in a fever permanent, as if it were an eternal fire that has to be constantly placated with water and the mother Maria Braz who can work differently task with both hands simultaneously, but there is more, this is just a taste to sharpen your curiosity. This entire bizarre universe filled with magic and demonic beings almost simultaneously described so well by Carlos Campaniço remind me somehow of the writing of South American writers. It is a type of literature is not very frequent in Portugal, which deserves my highlight precisely by its unusual narrative style, full of beautiful metaphors and high stylistic beauty with this does not mean that it is a difficult read, quite the contrary, is considerably more affordable than you might think, is above all a narrative that has a lot of music, reminiscent of an opera by Verdi, intense, with big tears of seduction, passion and drama that culminate in intense climax, but nothing unexpected. We know it will end badly, but do not how. Therefore, it is urgent to read this black novel, much to the like of the Portuguese; at least you cannot say I did not warn you. Good read.
