Pereira Declares: A Testimony

Pereira Declares is set in Lisbon as Portugal is sliding into an oppressive state. Pereira is the editor of a cultural page where his work reflects not what he would wish to write but rather what is acceptable to write. He life revolves around his dead wife, food and his dream of writing a book. After seeing a piece by Monteiro Rossi, a recent university graduate in philsophy, he hires Rossi to write a column for the cultural page. Rossi is as politically aware and active as Pereira is blinded and inactive. The story is of the growing relationship between the two men and the choices Pereira is forced to make as he starts participating in life.While the plot is predictable in the sense that people are predictable, the writing and wit of the novel not only is entertaining but also forces the reader to consider their own stance regarding death, religion and politics.This novel is well worth your time.

The inevitable descent of the prematurely old journalist from the ethereal heights of romantic literature to the brutality of the late 30's fascism and a political statement. However, I believe Tabucchi's greatest achievements are the beautiful structure of the novel, the interweaved use of humor and tragedy, and the portrait of a beautiful and stagnant Lisbon. My urge after reading the last sentence was to read Pereira's declaration again and again. Delightful masterpiece. A must.

Tabucchi adoptó Portugal como patria de sus sueños, anhelos y alucinaciones. Quien desee saber acerca de la vida de ese país, habrá de leer no sólo esta obra maestra del italiano, sino otras ficciones anteriores dirigidas al alma a través de reflexiones acerca de la muerte. Pereira es un viejo periodista al que un diario de medio pelo le ofrece hacerse cargo del suplemento cultural. Pereira, a su vez, le encarga a un joven nervioso la sección necrológica. La hsitoria ocurre durante la dictadura de Salazar. Pronto, Pereira, hombre solitario cuyo interlocutor es un retrato de su mujer difunta, se va involucrando en los avatares del joven colaborador y de la novia de éste: ambos mantienen en secreto operaciones clandestinas que se oponen a las condiciones sociales y políticas del país. Es el momento crucial de la vida del viejo Pereira: la vida le proporciona la oportunidad de encauzar sus dudas y deseos. La novela está narrada a la manera de una declaración judicial. Es por esta razón que la narración enuncia a cada tanto "Sostiene Pereira", que es el título del libro. Inspirado por sus propios viajes y por los que realizó su amado Fernado Pessoa, Tabucchi consigue hacer sentir al lector el calor agobiante de Lisboa, los encantos de los cafés y la materialidad gozosa de la comida regional. Hay que probar las omelettes elaboradas con la receta que da Tabicchi en este fascinante libro que honra a la tercera edad cifrada en su entrañable personaje.

Antonio Tabucch's short (136 pgs.) and magnificant 1994 novel Declares Pereira is a devistating study of the coming of totalitarianism. Set in Portugal in 1938, Tabucchi's tale, originally written in Italian, is the story of an overweight, fading, and ill newspaper reporter now editing the culture page of a mediocre Lisbon newspaper who befriends, and then helps, a young writer with unacceptable political views. Pereira steadfastly tries to avoid any political involvement whatsoever, but the nature of the coming Nazi state makes neutrality impossible. Pereira must choose, and this choice involves either betrayal of his young comrade or his own political suicide. I will not disclose how or why Pereira exercises his option. Read this book and find out!

This charming "testimony" is the perfect example of the the light and profund way of writing that Tabucchi ahieves. Pereira, an experinced journalist, guides the reader through a journey where ideals and politics topple. Portugal's society during the Spanish civil war is the frame for this intimate account. The hot summer of Lisboa mirrors the situation of Europe at the time, but Pereira gets a glass of lemeonde every so often to fight the heat and refresh the reader