A 2.0 novel

Abstract

Hugo Almeida’s recently released book catches the reader’s attention in several aspects: on the one hand, it breaks down genre barriers, merging fiction with chronicle, art criticism and reflection on recent historical events; on the other hands, it breaks with the postulate of the novelistic plot: the narrative describes the protagonist’s relationship with several women – wives, lovers, friends , but it does not exactly have a plot: each relationship would serve as the basis for a separate novel; in several passages, the book is self-referential, that is, it refers to itself; in yet another dimension, the author constructs a protagonist who was a literature professor, which allows him to comment on important authors and their works; finally, it reflects on the human condition in the face of tragic historical events, such as the military dictatorship imposed on Brazil between 1964 and 1985 and, mainly, the Nazi occupation of Poland and the genocide of the Jews during the Second World War.