A Death In Brazil

Peter Robb
(Duffy & Snellgrove) $45.00 HB

First of all, don't let this book undersell itself: there is not just 'a death' - there are thousands of them, millions maybe. This book is so dripping with death, the title can only be explained as some kind of marketing modesty.

The book is definitely about Brazil, but beyond that things get confusing. On some pages it's about politics and corruption, on other pages it's about prawns. Tales of nineteenth-century massacres cut suddenly into passages of laid-back, floridly descriptive travel-writing. Robb is particularly keen on telling us about some of the stews he has eaten in Brazil, and perhaps he has carried this fascination into the composition of his book: there are different things in it, in roughly measured quantities.

One ingredient is the story of the current Brazilian president. Luis Inacio da Silva sold things in the streets when he was seven. Later, his family migrated to São Paolo, where he became a metal worker. Since October 27th 2002, 'Lula', as he is generally known (like a Brazilian soccer star, his full name is publicly replaced with a cute pet-name) has been the President of Brazil, the fifth-largest democratic nation in the world. Looking anxiously back at the title, I thought Lula was going to die, since he is the real star of Robb's book. But he is not dead; he is alive, and kicking. A scan through recent newspapers showed that he is out there battling against Bush's plans for new trade agreements with South America, making significant inroads against hunger and poverty, while simultaneously trying to fend off pressure from the more radical elements of his Workers Party.

And that's not all. The stories that precede Lula are equally dramatic. In his unsuccessful election bid of 1989, he was defeated by the winning smile of Fernando Collor de Mello (no pet-name), and his shady money-man Paulo Cesar Cavalcanti de Farias (the not-so-cute 'PC'). These two turned out to be world-class crooks, and, as certain evidence suggests, world-class cocaine dealers. Somehow, after years of corruption, seemingly entrenched by golden handshakes in all the right directions, Lula wins out over his crooked opponents, who are now all dead or disgraced (or both).

Lula, Fernando and PC make one hell of a story, and Robb tells it well. I am not sure how much of it has previously been revealed in the English language, as most of the research seems to be Robb's own, through a combination of legwork and Brazilian journalistic sources. What is not so clear, is where the stews fit in to all this. Why is everything being turned into a 'lifestyle' piece? Isn't it still OK to write a book without throwing in a few recipes and a description of the gorgeous local beach?

Review by John Mansfield