The Novel “Never-Ending Youth” as Seen by a Survivor of the Brazilian Dictatorship

By Urariano Mota

I am now publishing in English Guanaíra Amaral’s moving account of the novel ““Never-Ending Youth”. She is a psychiatrist, poet, and survivor of the dictatorship. She was the sister-in-law of Jarbas Pereira Marques, the person who inspired my creation of the character Vargas in the novel. These are the words of Guanaíra Amaral:

“I just finished reading the book! I’m speechless! It was unsettling! I'm still feeling the impact of what I read.

When I say “speechless,” what I really mean is that I’m at a loss for words. I felt a little lost amid all that poetry. And to think—I’m the one who’s used to poets and madmen. Your writing style left me dizzy, in a trance. It felt like I was right there with you in every scene you described. The romanticism and beauty you infuse into the characters’ souls, actions, and words is nothing short of superb. Undoubtedly lyrical.

I’m grateful for the romantic, poetic, and gentle way you portray Vargas. I’m envious of that platonic love and the comings and goings between the past and the present for all of us who, in one way or another, lived through that era—that Recife, with Portuguesa, the bars of Água Fria, and Olinda!

Yes, you did it! You brought back from the depths of our being—from our hearts and souls—everything we thought we’d left behind back then. Yes, you did it. You brought the past into the present, and as I read “Never-Ending Youth” I relived our days as young, romantic, anarchist, revolutionary, socialist, communists, rebels with or without a cause—yes, all of us together among the bridges, bars, and our dreams! Comrade, we will be eternal! Thank you for bringing me to life! On a day like so many others—today, eternal!”

Urariano Mota is a Brazilian writer and journalist, born in Recife on September 29, 1950. He is the author of novels about the horrors of the Brazilian dictatorship, such as “Soledad no Recife” and “Never-Ending Youth”