Some time before Carnival of Hope was
published, I had a few scenes from the novel posted on a Brazilian website. It
was the carnival scene where Thereza, the woman who my protagonist Tomas is in
love with, wins a place on a bus going to the South, to what she believes is a
job and a better future. Distraught, Tomas is only able to watch her leave,
leading to their separation. In order to stop him suffocating in his own grief,
his mother takes him to the house of candomblé,
a religion which she believes in but Tomas has rejected, in order to
witness a religious ceremony which she believes will purge him of his desire
for Thereza.
I was not prepared for the barrage of attacks
which came in once the scenes had been posted, many of them with a religious
bent, but I am also sure that many had to do with the fact that I had depicted
what real poverty was like in the North of the country. Tribal; 3RD World; Creepy; Uncivilized; anti-Christian and ignorant;
… were some of the comments. One commentator remonstrated with me for having
depicted the candomblé ceremony in
one of the scenes. I explained that millions in Brazil practise it. In fact, on
New Year’s Eve, up to 2 million Brazilians flock to the beaches in Rio, and many
perform aspects of a candomblé ritual
when they float offerings out to sea for Yemanja,
goddess of the sea. “… although there is
no possible way to stop ignorance in Brasil, there is no reason to glorify it,”
I was tersely told.
I had not yet grown my writer’s armour
of a thick skin, and I was devastated by the response. That caused me to put
the novel away for a while, to try and work out what I had done wrong. I
couldn’t even look at the comments about the scene again for some time. But as
I started to learn more about the evangelical Pentecostal churches sweeping
through the country to challenge the old faiths, of Brazilians uncertainty
about whether they were a modern country (pre President Lula and rapid economic
growth), it started to dawn on me: the commentators were not saying that the
writing was bad, what they were saying was that I was embarrassing them and
their country by revealing these aspects of Brazilian culture. But my intention
of writing about it was not to embarrass, but to reveal the truth about a part
of the underbelly of the society, which is part of what writing should be
about.
With my new realization, I was able to
return to the novel. I did not remove the scenes that the commentators had
criticized. Instead, Tomas’ rejection of his mother’s candomblé religion was intensified, to become as critical as the
Brazilian commentators on my scenes. In addition, in one of the final scenes,
Tomas is in a struggle for survival, and like many who are not religious at
these moments, he considers calling on his mother’s faith for help. Due to the
comments my scenes had received and the intensification of Tomas’ views on
religion in earlier scenes, I felt it was necessary to change the decision
Tomas took at that moment. But you’ll just have to read Carnival of Hope to
find out what that decision was.
In your country, would there be outrage at the
depiction of religious ceremonies in a novel? Say, in India from the Hindu
or Sikh faith? Why do you think the response may be different to that in
Brazil?
About the Book
A poor idealist forced to teach in
secret, and reluctant to abandon his mother. A determined young woman, desperate
to escape the struggles and tragedies of a dangerous Brazilian shantytown. A
carnival competition offering hope of a better future in the South...
But what lies behind the sinister
practices of carnival?
What’s become of former winners who have
disappeared?
The route out to a new life is not as
easy as it appears, and as the competition spirals into a corrupt and perilous
deception, it plunges the young loves into a fight for their lives.
Reviews
"Compelling and intelligently written." - Marilou George (Confessions Of A Reader)
"Heartbreaking in its portrayal of just how poor these people are" - Joo (KUF Reviewer)
"CARNIVAL OF HOPE is a love story that examines a society, warts and all, with an ending that allows room for the reader’s imagination and sense of wonder." - Susan Anderson, Author of Serfina Florio Series
"It was a heartbreaking story, but also a story showing the toughness of people in really awful conditions. The ending is perfect." - Julie Evett
About
the Author
George Hamilton studied at the
University of East London, majoring in development economics. He likes to know
what’s going on around the world, to delve into the customs and practices of
different cultures, and in Carnival of Hope, he turns his sights on the Nordestinos of North-Eastern Brazil. He
currently lives in London, England.
Carnival of Hope is currently available
at all Amazon online stores.
Connect
with George Hamilton
I love books that teach me about other cultures. Even if I could afford to travel the world, I would never have enough time to see it all.
ReplyDeleteI count on writers to show me the world I'll never see and help me grow.
Anna @ http://emaginette.wordpress.com