The Story

Major Polycarpo Quaresma is a civil servant and a true believer. He thinks Brazil is the greatest country on earth, but that it's lost its way. He launches a series of grand, naive projects to fix it: first, he petitions the government to make Tupi-Guarani the official language. Then, he buys a farm to show how modern agriculture can save the nation. Each time, his pure-hearted plans are met with laughter, bureaucratic red tape, or outright sabotage. His journey takes him from a dusty office in Rio to the countryside, and eventually to a tragic end, as the gap between his beautiful dream of Brazil and its messy reality becomes impossible to ignore.

Why You Should Read It

This book hooked me because Polycarpo is one of the most relatable tragic heroes I've ever read. We've all had that moment of wanting to fix something big and feeling utterly powerless. Lima Barreto writes with a sharp, quiet wit that makes you laugh one moment and ache the next. He's not just poking fun at his main character; he's showing how a society can chew up and spit out its most sincere citizens. The satire of government, fads, and blind nationalism is so sharp it could have been written yesterday.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves character-driven stories or has ever felt like a well-meaning outsider. If you enjoy novels about dreamers colliding with reality—think Don Quixote or Catch-22—you'll find a kindred spirit in Polycarpo Quaresma. It's a classic of Brazilian literature that doesn't feel like homework; it feels like a conversation with a wise, witty friend about the country we live in and the ones we wish we had.