Harmada.

Reviewed by Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah -- Críticas, 9/1/2008

Noll, João Gilberto.
tr. by Claudia Solans. Argentina: Adriana Hidalgo editora. 2008. 126p. ISBN 978-987-1156-87-0. pap. $21.95. FICTION

Noll is an important active Brazilian novelist and literary critic. Born in 1946 in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, he studied literature during the early years of the military regime (1964-1985), and worked as a newspaper reporter in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. He began publishing short stories and novels in 1980 during the period called the “abertura,” (opening) which was a time of increased political freedom and easing of censorship in anticipation of the complete return to democracy in 1985. He was a severe critic of the political left-connected literary production called “romance reportagem” (journalistic novel), which were literary accounts of the military period whose purpose was to describe through fiction and in great detail the military’s crimes and torture methods in literary works, in part to exploit the curiosity of middle-class readers. Noll advocated disconnecting literature from politics so the writer could freely explore both literary styles and the issues of society without ideological intrusion. Published in Portuguese in 1993, Harmada combines his belief in the exploration of societal issues with literary investigation by looking at the life of an unidentified ex-actor and writer. Noll describes several episodes in his life related to coming to grips with life. He combines the importance of the past symbolized in his home town, Harmada, the value of serving humanity through opening a shelter for homeless children, and the role of art in resolving personal conflicts. The book is a subtle criticism of Brazilian middle-class values. The book is well done but because of the sophisticated literary techniques is recommended for large literature collections.

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