Books

Some of the books on the shelves in my home are by the greatest writers ever. One of them, who I've devoted a special attention to was Ernest Hemingway. I've read two biographies about him and read almost all his books.

Another one about whom my interest is beyond reading not only his works but also about his life was Oscar Wilde, one of the most cynical and delightful writers ever. His maxims are often hilarious, but always sharp and critical.

I was recently introduced to William Faulkner with Intruder in the Dust. In the beginning, it was hard to get the pace along such long phrases, but soon the story started involving me and the reading became easier.

Olavo de Carvalho is a great philosopher whom I had the honor to meet and to study with. His vast work, derived from his life-long studies on philosophers from Aristotle to Ortega y Gasset, is now becoming widely available, yet mostly unpublished. He focuses on subjects that go beyond just Philosophy, ranging from Astrology to Politics. Nevertheless, he has been a light in the darkness to those who have had the opportunity to get to know him, either in person or through his books, essays and articles. His relentless pursue of truth and freedom even puts his physical life in danger (in Portuguese), but the tenacy he pours in that quest defies those for whom both are nothing but obstacles to their thirst for power.

The historical and biographic books draw my attention too. The last one I read was Memoirs of the Second World War, by Winston S. Churchill. A testimony by one of the greatest men of the 20^th century about his role and personal experience in the greatest battle against tyrany, the World War II.

I also appreciate Frederick Forsyth's books. He is a writer who mastered a genre like nobody else. Thanks to his knowledge of the hidden muscles governments exercise when defending themselves against their enemies, even when they are the people they are supposed to serve, the verisimilitude he achieves is unparalleled.

About Evandro Menezes