I just finished Chatô, o rei do Brasil by Fernando Morais, the biography of the man who set up a Brazilian empire. Chateaubriand, or Chatô for short, was an incredible visionary and controversial figure. He brought to Brazil both the radio and television, but his passion was the newspaper, the printed word. This was all that mattered to him. Money was a simple obstacle in the way of buying more papers. Chatô became so powerful that he was a force to be reckonned with by any presidential candidate. Kubitschek’s bid for the office cost him the Brazilian embassy in the UK. Chateaubriand had it in his mind to personally greet the newly-crowned Elizabeth II, and as embassador to this kingdom he had a private meeting with the monarch, meeting which lasted twice the time afforded to him in the official protocol. Chatô was full of idiossyncracies and energy. He was never ignored; always loved or utterly and actively despised. A “Brazilian Hearst”? Hardly, that is my conclusion. From what I understand, Chatô was much more powerful. I don’t know of a published or ongoing English translation, but I can assure anyone interested that Morais structures his narration in a way both inspiring and thought-provoking. Lunacy and genius, being twins, seem to play with the reader, changing places as often as they like. Assis Chateaubriand belongs to a different class of dreamers and visionaries. What a great book, of a great time!
