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1 am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard
u11d inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing,
sensL1al curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my
country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the
ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves mal{e up
the en tire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein.

-
 Phaidon Press Limited
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Phaidon Press Inc.

1, 80 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014

www.phaidon .corn

First published in English 2000

Reprinted in paperback 2007
© 2000 Phaidon Press Limited
First published 1n Portuguese by Editora Hevan
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•
On re-reading tl1is bool{, I feel that it uncovers tvvo distinct personas.
011e Jool{s on the bright side of life and sees tl1e fun part of it that has
always att racted me. The otl1er has a pessin1istic vievv of life and
society in genera1, and is angered by tl1e injustices of tl1is world.
Both personas were profoundly influenced by architecture as an
inner calling, heeded so passionately tl1at it has engaged them both for
an entire lifetime.
• This explains the alternating instances of euphoria and unease that
have permeated my mediocre life. lt was in relation to my friendships
that these mood swings were most intense and heartfelt.
I have always cl1erished my friends and nurtured our friendships.
I toolz great pleasure from tal{ing tl1em alo11g on visits to the Old World.
What a joy it was to see some of them enjoying things they had never
imagined possible!
Then tl1ere was my family... I l1ave always loved them so! When­
ever I thought of them, from afar, I felt so moved, and when I was near
them, oh ho"'' I loved them! For them, I did my best and gave my ail.
That is tl1e way I l1ave lived my life.
I have 11ever been one to lool{ bacl{ and regret mistakes. I am a child
of Nature, a tiny and insignificant part of her, and in her lies the
credit or the blame - partly, at any rate - for botl1 my qualities and my
faults. This is the way she made me.

O. J_
Saturdays and Sundays are the days when I gel through the mosl
work al my office on Avenida AUanlica. 1 sil alone and brows,·
through books, Lake up some writing, draw, Lhink about life, or·
just look out on the beautiful ocean al Copacabana Beach.
They say thal Descartes stayed in bed unlil 11:00 A.�I. dreaminµ;
up his theories, and this is whal I Lry Lo do on days when mosl
people relax on the beach or watch a soccer game. During Lhis
apparent lull, 1 gel Lo know myself beller as I indulge in a kind or
self-criticism Lhal does me a world of good.
Today is Saturday. During one such idle moment I ligured 1
could wrile a book about my lil'e and issues as an architecl in Lhis
neeling passage thal fate alTords us. This book would sel out my
views and point out the innermost feelings that have influenced
this insignilicanl existence of mine as a human being. 1 would
wrile of my concern for the matters of life and or U1is fantaslic
universe we inhabit as uninvited guests. The book would show
how I have always sought Lo make Lime for the broader view, to
feel indignation againsl injustice, exploitation, and the neglect of'
U1e underprivileged members of our society.
1 would also write of' my origins, my raults and virtues, my
disbelief in the face of our paradoxical world, and my determinalion
Lo join U1e most valianl lighlers in an atlempt to improve il a litUe.
1 would also talk of U1e hidden being lurking within, a creation
of our genelic codes, that is parUy responsible for our actions
and attitudes. 1 would say Urnt il is a lubricious and imaginative
being that impels us toward sexuality, architectural creativity,
and fanLasy.
My dear friend Rodrigo M. F. de Andrade• once gave me some
advice: "Gel on with the writing, you can polish it up aflerward?'
So Urnt is what I intend to do, dear reader; 1 shall be spontaneous
and straighlf'orward, and my easy flow of language will not lax
your patience.
1 shall start by remembering my origins. My name ought to be
Oscar Ribeiro Soares or Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida de Niemeyer
Soares, but U1e foreign name prevailed and I became known as
Oscar Niemeyer. My ethnie roots are diverse, something I lind
particularly gratifying. Ribeiro and Soares are Portuguese names,
Almeida is Arabie, and Niemeyer is German. Nol to mention the
blacks or lndians who, unknown Lo us, may also have been part of'
OUI' family.
 The houses we live in leave some of U1e most lasting impressions
011 11s: the atmosphere of our family life, the issues we take on
throughout our lifetime. Behind Lhose old walls Lhal separate us
l'rom the world outside, U1e family grew up, and we lived Lhrough
joys and sorrows as the years went by so unrelenlingly.
The yearning to go back again and relive those bygone Limes
IJrings Lo mind U1e old houses U1at have sheltered me from youth
lhrough old age. Some have vanished, a few are still Lhere, and
many have been worn down-like myself-by U1e passing years: walls
drooping, floors sagging, roofs piereed by U1e inevitable leakages.
f?rom memory, 1 will revisit my childhood home in the district
of Laranjeiras. 1 will walk through it again, remembering just how
we lived in il, laughing or crying, as we lived our desliny.
1 was born and raised in Urnl house. 1 married Annita in Lhat
house, and Lhat is where our· daughter, Anna Maria, was also born.
IL was a two-slory house with six front windows and a fronlispiece
inscribed wilh the letters "RA," Lhe initiais of my grandfalher's
surname, Ribeiro de Almeida. The ground noor held the entrance
hall, studio, living room, dining room, U1e bedrooms of my Uncle
N honhô and Aunl Ziza, my grandparents' suite, balhrooms,
dineue, kilchen, backyard, and the servants' quarters. On the
upper floor were my parents' suite, cousin Milota's bedroom, the
bedrooms of my sisters Lilia, Leonor, and Judile, and our bedrooms­
those of' my broU1ers Carlos Augusto and Paulo, and mine.
Whal feelings of noslalgia Lhal house brings Lo mind! The
heavenly peace in which we lived, the large dining table around
which Lhe whole family gathered: my grandmother at U1e head,
my grandfather, aunt, and uncle on one side; and my parents,
broU1ers and sisters, cousin Mi Iota, and myself on Lhe 0U1er.
We children didn't talk al the table; we just lislened Lo the
conversation of our eiders. As soon as we had linished ealing, J
would run oulside. Whenever the front gate was shul, I would
jump over the iron fence al Lhe point where we had cul olT ils
spiked Lips.
Aller dinner the family gaU1ered on the veranda. Somelimes
Aunt Maria Eugênia, who lived down the streel, came over wilh
her husband, Nelson Cavalcanti, a medical doclor whose story­
Lelling and amusing laugh livened up the conversation. And il was in
this pleasurable environment Lhat my family drew the plans
that ail families nurlure, but life implacably interrupls.
 My grandfather had a sole concern: nol Lo become a burden 111
anyone. 1 remember my grandmother scolding me every Lime I wc11I
oul to skate on the veranda. "Won't you slop thal? You're dislurbi111(
your grandfaU1er!" she would say. Bul in no Lime he would show 11p
al U1e window and announce: "Skate ail you wanl, you wo11·1
bother me;'
Bul this arbitrary allilude Uial my grandmoLher undoubtedl,1
broughl with her !'rom her farm in Mal'icâ, and which by no mea11s
prevented her f'rom being a top-nolch housewil'e, manifesled ilscll'
now and U1en in her outbursts: "Take Uiat cloth off your heacl.
Colored folk don't wear such U1ings?' Even Uiough I was only six or
seven years old, Lhe way she talked to the housemaid parlicularl,1
upset me. My grandmolher was religious, as was our whole f'amily.
Mass was held regularly al our house, wilh family members and our
neighbor·s in aLLendance. On U1ose days, she opened one or U1e lïv<'
windows in U1e siLLing room-iLs windowsill served as oraLory-and
reciLed Lhe "Hail Mary" out loud. At Limes, when she was in one or
her parlicularly insolent moods, my grandfaU1er would say, very
genlly, "Heavcn help us, Lhat's one bossy woman;' Bul they were
always great l'riends. 1 remember him, in his old age, silling in Lhc
studio and ealing his lunch, wiU1 my grandmother keeping him
company and pampering him, forever concerned about his healU1.

t:::ccQ

L
 ' l'h<• f'arnily always received a great many guests. On sucl1 days,
11111· 111a11scrvant, André, served dinner al small tables set out on the
v1·1·1111da. Aller dinner, the party relired to the sitling room where
$11111eo11c playcd the piano, my mother sang, and our cousin 1 -leloisa
IH 0lled out her favorite aria from Rigolello. These were lilllc
µ;11llrerings typical of U1ose days, attended only by family members
1111d close friends, and delinitely quite dull.
llluslrious people paid f'requenl visits to our house, people such as
llrazil's former President Epitâcio Pessoa,, and Minister of State
André Cavalcanti, my grandfalher's professional colleague.
"Counselor," the latter said Lo him one day, "don't ever relire. The
µ;rass will grow high around your doorstep:'
My grandfalher was inLrinsically honest, and, having occupied
important positions such as Attorney General or U1e Republic and
Minister of U1e F'ederal Supreme Court, he died poor, leaving only
Lhat house in Laranjeiras as a legacy to his four children. This
example was always very important Lo me.
One day, as I looked out of U1e window (1 was only seven years old
lhen), 1 saw Lhe slreet atypically lilled wiU1 cars and people carrying
a coffin out Uirough our front gate. 1 didn't undersland whaL was
going on, or thaL I would never see my grandfalher aga in.

1 remember Leasing my GrandmoU1er Mariquinhas for her locking up ail

the doors and windows every nighL with a bunch of keys she
carried al her waist. And il' 1 criticized her, may the dear old lady for­
give me. She and our friend TI·islào de Alhayde, who, in an article
published in U1e JornaL do BrasiL newspaper in which he praised my
unpretenlious language, described her as a wonderful individual, an
old friend of his family.
1 don'l know if you've ever heard il said Lhat marriages among
relatives don't work, and lhis may explain U1e unique ligures of my
uncle Nhonhô and my aunt Ziza, born out of my grandfather's
marriage to one of his nieces.
Anlônio Augusto Ribeiro de Almeida, Son (as he signed his
letlers), was my uncle Nhonhô's full name. How I loved U1is uncle!
His carefree allitude toward life, his inventive spirit, always trying to
do everyUiing differenUy. Somelimes I peered Lhrough the library
door and Uiere was 'honhô lying on U1e sofa, undoubtedly U1inking
of other U1ings, while U1e priesL, his private tutor from law school,
impassively drilled the day's lesson. My grandmoU,er allowed him Lo
inclulge ail his fantasies; with money in his pocke(, Nhonhô had ;111
"easy and miraculous" lifestyle, like that of oie! Bocage's ...
As a boy, he at limes hirecl a taxi to take his friends and himsPII,
sticks in hancl, to fight with the boys who livecl on neighbori1114
streets. As a grown man, he went on fighling in Uie soccer fields a11d
bars of Rio de Janeiro. One clay, so great was U1e ruckus al Bai·
Americano in U1e Cruzeiro shopping arcade, that nol one picture was
lell hanging on ils walls. Al Nhonhô's requesl I reproducecl the scern•
in a large gouache painting whose auU10rship I always concealccl
from my friencls. 1 have always looked al il out of the corner of m.1
eye, feeling guilty for having createcl such a terrible painting.
Aller he marriecl, my uncle cleciclecl Lo leave the cily. He bought a
small property in Jacarepaguâ, used the woocl from U1e bower al 011r
house to builcl a small cottage, and, accompaniecl by Eleonora, his
wife, settled there under the trees, not giving a clamn about the worlcl,
just like Robinson Crusoe. He wrote short stories as a paslime, and
even had a book published: Grcios que alimenlam o mu.ndo (Grains
thal F'eed Lhe Wol'icl).
Somelimes we wenl clo\vn Lo see him, and we always got a laugh
righL al the entrance. lnstead of a cloorbell, he had a light switch thal
announcecl the visitor's al'l'ival by turning off the radio Uiat was
always blasling away inside U1e house. Nhonhô would corne out to
greet us, swinging his arms and smiling happily. Then we would sil
and visit outside the house, which was so small that really only hc
and his wife fit in il.
"Look, l'm going Lo put in a litlle addition here. lt'II be great," he
would say. lnvariably we turned to look sympaLhelically al his wifc,
who once had led U1e standard sheltered life of the Brazilian upper
classes, accustomed to ail possible amenilies, and was now sharing
my uncle's fantasies. He ollen took me to the local bar for a beer.
Stopping al L11e gate, he called out to his eleven dogs, "You, you, and
you can come along," and those selected three dogs would follow us
and wait while we drank. Pinally, my uncle's friends would escort us
to L11e bar door and the dogs would follow us back home. How I loved
this uncle of mine! One day he got sick and my brother Paulo look
him to the hospital, Casa de Saûde Eiras. Thal same allernoon I went
to visit him. 1 found him sitting up in bed, submissively declaiming
one of his favorite mottos: "You can't fight nature'.'
A monL11 aller his death, wiL11 the dogs lying meekly under the
trees, neighborhood friends realized that everything was far too quiet
at L11e couple's home. When they went into Ll1e house, they round the
 hotly of' my uncle's wife, who possibly had died because she wished
10 f'ollow him as she had clone ail her lif'e. "Men go wherever is
1·011vc11ient to them, and women accompany Ll1eir husbands," my
1-1r11ndl'ather Ribeiro de Almeida used to say in those rare moments
whcn he played a macho role.

1 had just been speaking of our house in the Laranjeiras

ncighborhoocl of Rio, when in (to my studio) walked my cousin
Camargo carrying four old wall liles. Once he had lell and I was
alone, 1 looked at those tiles on my desk, al Ll1eir blue patterns on a
white background, and felt sentimental. 1-low Ll1ey brought back
memories! Such nostalgia for limes gone forever. They came from L11e
veranda wall fronling the living rooms and my grandparents'
bedrooms. Those tiles listened in on so many conversations; they
looked on as we held parties with the tables pushed back against L11e
tiled walls, and André served guests with the humility Lliat the ruling
classes have always f'avored in L11eir servants.
l lingered the tiles slowly and thought of Henry Miller running his
hand on the top of Balzac's desk and wonclering, like me, what il
couId tell of the great genius Ll1at had spent a lifelime hucldled over
il. What secrets are storecl in those tiles under L11e apparent inertia of
lirecl clay! 1 fell into a melancholy contemplation of thosc four lonc
tiles scattered on the clesk. Then I carefully collected them. This is ail
that remains of the years we livecl in Lliat house in Laranjeiras.

l open an old family album and a picture of Milota draws my

attention. She looks so sad, so embitterecl, Lliat I stop a bit to Ll1ink:
Couic! our cousin really have been as unhappy as she looks in this
photo? And! look on, moved by memories of how good she was to me
ail my lif'e. ln my earliest recollections she was alreacly old and fat,
fanning herself and leaning on a cane to walk around the house. And
if on the one hand I gave her a lot of trouble, il' sometimes I failecl to
grant her L11e attention and care she so cleserved, on U1e other hand 1
was L11e chilcl she hacl never had, and thus I servecl, Lo some extent, to
lill her empty, spinsterly life. 1 came to her wiL11 ail sorts of requests.
Upon arriving home from school, 1 woulcl go straight to her bedroom
before going out to play, munching on a bread-and-chocolale
sandwich she woulcl have waiting for me. At clinnertime, while I ale
she quielly mashed up avocaclo with sugar and lemon juice· for my
;;;
dessert, or discreeUy passed me sweets under the table, makin� ,111
no one else would notice.
F'or twenty years we lived in thal house in Laranjeiras. J ,;11, 1
however, aller my grandfather's death, we decidecl to make 011r Ill,
simpler. My faU1er, my sisters, and my brother Paulo went to li11· 111
lpanema. 1 movecl wiU1 Annita, Anna Maria, and Milota to a r1111
f
house on a cleacl-encl alley of l\ua Visconcle de Piraj{1.
Naturally, 1 am slill lillecl wiU1 an enormous sense of loss wli1·11 1
Ulink of Milota, but il comforls me Lo feel thal LogeU1er we li11•1l
U1rough some of the happiest moments of our lives.
Milola was removecl from the worlcl and from mundane Lhi,11-(�.
One day in 1945, Luis Carlos Prestes,, leader of the Brnzilim1
Communist Party, phoned me. Starllecl al hearing his name, slll'
asked, "Didn'L Lhey say this man was crazy?" Poor Milota! Sl11•
merely repeated whaL she hearcl from Lhe contemporary bourgeoisie·,
totally unaware of l11e more equitable world that Prestes, couragco11N
man that he was, desirecl.

M y parents were such wonderful people. 1 never knew them 111

quarre! or heard their voices raised in anger. They livecl for ead1
oll,er and both of them were enlirely devoted to us chilclren. Thcir

, ;., 4 �

D D Z£ (l
ll11•N w1•1·1· so pleasanl, so uncomplicaLecl, and so humclrum thal I can
llil11k ol' 11olhing special Lo relate.
1 11111 �azing at olcl l'amily snapshots again, curious Lo see how we
l11ol11·d so 111a11y years ago, and how we have withstoocl l11e passing of
11111<· 1111d the tricks of life, with ils uncxpected and inevilable mishaps.
Now I am holding a photo of my mother, slill young, surely
1•11f,(11�ed 10 be married. At her sicle is my rallier with his l'orelocks and
))oots, wcaring a sliff shirtrront and ascol. A friencl or my mother,
l ,1·011or Aragào, is also sealecl, and my aunls Ziza and Maria Eugênia
111 'l' sta11di11g behind them. ly moU,er looks pretty and earnesl, her
'J

h11il· swcpl into a bun, and she is wearing a slender-waistecl

ili�h-ncckccl clress in l11e rashion or the day.
1 clig ouL more photos and lind one of her with my father,
npparcnlly now marriecl. lle has a muslache, and she is wearing a
plain dress and has Uial air of serenity thaL has always been one or
lier qualilies.
More photos: here is one Laken twenty years later. We are in the
garden al our house in Laranjeiras; my mother and father are
standing with Lilia, Carlos Augusto, and Leonor. Judil11, Paulo, and 1
are sitling in front or them. My mol11er has put on weight and my
l'al11er is losing his hair, but the family scene exudes shecr happiness.
Still more photos. Mother no longer has the same cheerful and
relaxecl countenance, and I sense a hint of sadness. Pcrhaps this was
the illness she was hiding from us; a l'ew months later il Look hcr
away forever. Aller U1at date, ail the photos of my l'ather are more
recent, as il' somel11ing had prevented him from being pholographed
during a long period or recovery.
There are more photos with chilclren and granclchildren, and
photos Laken al my Copacabana studio. 1 am struck by ll1e ract that
live or six photos like U1ese can cover an entire lifelime's advenlure
of- two people falling in love, having childrcn, growing old,
experiencing their share of happiness and misfortune, and U1en bol11
vanishing from this earl11 ... forever.

Occasionally I have Lo break off from my wriling to answer l11e

phone or recall somel11ing l11al strikes me or especially moves me.
My little book will surely be more up-lo-date on accounl or this
inlerlwining or past and present and, who knows, perhaps evcn a
lillle more readable.

).
Today, for instance, I have come Lo Uie office but have no app<'lil1• 1,
writing. I am not sure why, perhaps because the dull weather is h11ll1
ering me; U1e ocean and the sky meld in a cheerless hue or grn\ 1
f
wonder whal il is lhal has afected me so. My minci travels far bad1 I•
U1ose tJ"Oubled limes that we ail have al one period or anothcr.
Bitter memories come Lo minci against my will: relaliv<'s 1111�
f iends who have passed away, minor offenses magnified l,y th
r

passing or lime. I used Lo lhink lhal I could make up for Lhem al s1111I
point, but I was wrong. F'ortunately, there was no gI·111I
misdemeanor, rather a lack of consideration for Lhose who prcn·cll'tl
me and passed on Lo Uie void beyond. 1 feel the urge Lo go ba,-k 111
lime and embrace U1em warmly. Such a poignant reeling. Naveµ:111•
preciso (To sail is a need).• Yet Lhere are many people who depencl 1111
me, and architecture beckons with fresh challenges.
1 wander out Lo the balcony Lo dislracl myself and watch the on·111I
pounding on the beach, so deserted il seems U1at a huge wav1· 111
desolation has engulfed everyone.
My mind turns Lo my dear comrades or the Brazilian Commu11isl
Party, U1e PCB, and I can hear their voices echoing, "Away witll
pessimism, Oscar. This world is a wonderful place and our task is 111
make il even more joyful and happf' I have Lo agree with U1c111;
despile ail Lhe suffering, Ulis life is so full of beauty Lhat we mu,1
cherish il and have eyes only for the flowers scallcrcd across Lhb
rock-slrewn terrain.
1 hear a knock on the door; a few friends drop by. Eslelila yells l'or·
ice, Rômulo, has broughl along a couple of bolUes of someUiing. They
are followed by Renato Guimaràes, Sabino Barroso, Ivan Alvcs,
F'ernando Balbi, and Carlos Niemeyer.• They are onen joined by Joii11
Saldanha, Glauco Campelo, Montenegro,• and 0U1ers. Estelita loves 111
recall names and dates from the past, remembering our good olcl
limes al Sacha's and Night and Day. 00 Rômulo, who describes himsell'
as a progressive socialist while quoting Roberto Campos," harks back
to his exploits in Rio and Recife. Renato is more instructive and has
a penchant for righting past polilical wrongs, white Joào Saldanha
ranges from soccer lore and his world travels to U1e yarns of an old
Communisl Party activist. Ivan is a pleasanl and agreeable fellow; il"
anyone should ask, "Who played for F'lamengo in '1930?" he's always
ready Lo reel off Uie soccer team's lineup. Carlos Niemeyer is
unfailingly cheerrul and keeps our spirits up. How Lhese litUe get­
togelhers do wonclers for me!
l II11I 11 ""'11l1-1llll"onvarcl person. 1 Lake an interest in life in ail ils forms
,11111 11111 11IH·11 10 ail the changes Uiat new Limes may bring. Thal is
11 li\ 1 1•1111 1111clcrstancl why our family developecl the way il did, why
1111• "1111 11111 l11cvilable generation gap grew as young people demandecl
1111• l,·1•1·<I11111 10 l'orge Lheir own future. 1 nevertheless recall the past
111111 1"011cl 110sIalgia, while, of course, not rorgetting ils negative sicle.
'l'l11•n· wns the inward-looking family circle, sometimes generous
111 llll' l!-ss privilegccl, but always reacly to hold on to ils own favors
111111 pl"ivilcgcs as the first priori!)•. Parents did U1e talking and
1 1111(11·1•11 rcspcctfully obeyecl them. But U1ere was a lifelong bond or
l1'11•11tlship bctween U1em, as if togeU1er U1ey macle up a single and
l1111(•sIn1ctible whole. Such was home life with my parents and broU1ers
1111d sislcrs. l�ven toclay, afler so many years, we are very close... and
1111 we stick up for each other! We certainly nurture Uiat longstancling
1111d 1111dying bond of friendship.
'l'hcrc were six of us siblings: Lilia, Carlos Augusto, Leonor,
,)11clilc, Paulo, and myself. Carlos Augusto and Judite have passecl
11w11y. Lilia is married Lo musician Joào Nunes and has a son, two
d1111glllcrs, and Lhree grandchildren. Leonor has remained single.
1'1111l0 married Marisa and has nine children and five granclchildren.
1 11111 married Lo Annita and have a daughter, four grandchilclren, and
scvcn great-grandchildren.

My lirst school was on Rua Soares Cabral and the headmislress was
Dona 1 lerminia
- Lyra da Silva.IL was a small, semicletached, one-story
house wiUi a garden on one side.
1 recall walking Lo school with our housemaid along Rua das
Laranjeiras, carrying my schoolbag. One day my mother tolcl us Lo
walk on Uie opposite sidewalk because il was said Uiat somebody
who lived on our side or U1e st.reet had come down with diphU1eria;
such was U1e fear of in rection U1at her concern was only reasonable.
My only recollections of those limes are of my drawings of coffee
pots, cups, and figurines, and of always gelling top marks for Lhem.
My moU1er proudly kept U1em, nol realizing that they someday would
lead me on Lo architecture.
Afler schooling wiUi Dona Herminia, I allended the Barnabite
l"aU1ers' school on Rua do Catete. This was an excellent school with a
fine tradition or inslrnction, although il had ils goocl and bad
teachers like anywhere else. 1 remember Uiat I was top of the class in
my lirst year U1ere and Olavo Bahia was second; U1e following year
he was first and I was second. But aller Uiat I lost i1111·1·1•"I 1
everything excepl soccer and dropped to the bottorn or the ria.SN,
There were three soccer fields al U1e school and I was s11 ,·111
about U1e garne that 1-loracio Werne, the history teacher, ba11111·d 111
frorn U1e lield for two or three days as punishrnent. 1 guess I was q11ll
a good player.1 recall Uiat sorne lime later Amado Benigno, 1111· 1411 "
Flarnengo goalkeeper and a friend of mine, asked me Lo turn 0111 11 Ill
his team.
There was no class on Thursdays, so on Wednesday evc11i1111• I
met up wiU1 schoolmates and a whole bunch of us would go dm\ 11
town to ogle U1e ladies. One day my uncle clued me in: "Tlw l .11p •
district is not righl for you; come by my office on Thursdaf' 111· 111111
me Lo a downtown rendezvous and sat me clown al a table. A w111111111
came up and said: "So what do you think you're doing here, my lro) 1
1 caught a dose of gonorrhea and the doclor prescribed lll<'llr\l
blue, so I was able to impress my classmates by rnagically p1·1·l11
blue urine.
One day, some red blotches appeared on my hand and willr 11
frightened voice I asked FaU1er Victor, the assistant dean, if I cou Id 1411
home. He shouled angrily thal il was just paint. Since I paid no 111·,·11
he added, "Go home Uien, and don'l come back until your faU1er 1111
had a talk wiUl me:'
Il was indeed paint. But I nevcr did go back Lo that school. lnsll'acl,
1 linished my schooling at another school, the French Lyceum.

Between leaving the French Lyceum and enrolling al the School 111
Fine Arts, my life was eventful but mostly trouble-free and full 111
leisure. Frorn Ule age or seventeen until I married at twenty-one 1
lived a carerree life; it seemed Urnl Ume had stood slill for a while s11
that I could play around a liltle. 1 remember staying out on U1e towrr
one night, and the next morning mother and father were posted at th1•
gate anxiously awailing my return. "Let me be the one to scold him!"
my mother pleaded. But then she ran up and only hugged me.
Aflerward, she told my old man how she had been al a loss for words
rrorn being so overjoyed that I was back.
When not at Ule Café Larnas, U1e Fluminense Futebol Clube or the
Clube de l{egalas Guanabara, 1 was Lo be found in Lapa, then a famed
red-light district symbolized by the madam Laurinha Tinguassu."
This recollecUon brings Lo minci old rriends now gone rorever:
Antônio Jacobina, Joiio Brandào, Horacio de Carvalho, Silvio
 1 111111♦ 111111, Alfh·clo and Casemiro Rodrigues, Tico Liberal, Oyama
11111 ' , Wlr111 l'orrd memories of lhal halcyon youlh of friendships
111111 Mlt111'1'fi vl.�inns or the future!
t 1111' 1,1111111s was our cafeteria-cum-oITTce, our daily meeting place
1111,I •t111•tl111( pni11l for nightlirne adventmes. There we lalked, played
11111,I, 1111(1 1111,�hcd U1e nighl away.
'-,111111·1lr11es wc would go to U1e movie theater on Avenida Rio
111·11111•0, 1,ive musicians played along with Ule movies, among Ulem a
, 11111111' elcferly violinist. lt used to bother me Uiat an old man was
11ltll1,i,1I 10 pcrform such exertions just for our enterlainment. Or we
11111rltl /,!O slraighl Lo U1e Lapa and wander around the bars, chalting
111th 1111d cmbracing U1e wornen we met there unUI Ule night
1111• l1111Jly drcw lo ils orgiastic finale.
S1111day was our day for a soccer game ... or maybe U1e Politeama
111ovlc lhcaler. Oyama would rush over Lo Ule pianist and ask him to
pl11y Ille aria "Cuore lngrato" (Ungraleful 1-leart) as the "soundlrack,"
so wc could joke and amuse ourselves watching "heroic" movies
s1111Ting Tom Mix or William Hart.•-•
For a long lime, I was a regular al a recrealional club called Clube
de Hcgatas Guanabara. Many an evening was spent in fondly
r·crncmbered samba sessions wiU1 Siri Bucela (Crab U1e Cunl),
Micarema Ule Boatman, and Dog's Life Gaslào, a young and jobless

�
 ' I

guilarisl who pracLically lived al the club, day and night, pla) 111
ravorite samba:

Where's that money 1 gave you

I Ta lœepfor me, you son Qf a bitch

Thal money f gave you
You spent it, son of a bitch

He and the resl of U1em were ail good people, however, a11tl 11 1
never forgel U1em.
Occasionally, a bunch or us rrom the club, including Serpil. 111,
played on U1e Brazilian waterpolo leam, would go dancing al ,1111! 1,
school arenas or al the Caprichosos da Eslopa dancehall in 130111111 ,
The mulallo women were beauLil"ul and Serpa's broU1er, who wils 1111
masler or ceremonies and ensured lhe family atmosphere 111' lh
venue, always greeled us proudly.
We were fascinated by Rio's nighUife, in which we mad,· 11111
débul al the Politicos cabarel on lh1a do Passeio, U1ough we w1 111
oflen barred from enlry for being underage. We loved ils prn l1
environmenl, the pretty women, the wildly changing forlu1u·s 111
roulelle and baccarat
Afierward, we would walk along the slJ•eets back lo Laranjl'i1·11
regretfully saying goodbye as rriends reached lheir doors. 0111
earneslly prou·acled conversations seemed more inlimale i11tll
fralernal in the silence of the nighl, on U,e slumbering cily su·eets, 11
if life were fair for one and ail.

ln 1928, 1 married Annita Baldo, the prelly daughler of llaliilll

immigrants originally from Padua, near Venice. Al the Lime I had 1111
clear idea of whal I wanled lo do with myself. On U1e conu·ary, 1 was
leading lhe nonchalant life of a bohemian, wilhoul a care in tlw
world. Bul once married I began lo realize the responsibility 1 111111
assumed, and I went to work al my l"ather's typeselling business
before enrolling in the National School of F'ine Arts.
I recall the early days of our marriage, when Annila helped m,·
with school projecls and I was always divided between architecture
and typeselling.
My daughler Anna Maria was born. My mother underwent

ill[
surgety and was laken lo recover al a house on Avenida AUântica, in
Copacabana, with my father and my sislers. We were shorl of money
111111 111111, 1111110111 111y parents and sislers, the Laranjeiras house
, , 1111 il 11111 hl!( l'or us. There was an atmosphere of decadence and
111111, 1 111 lts 1·111p1y rooms. Il was only aller the deaths of my aunl
1111I 1111 l',l"1111d111olhcr lhal we decided lo make U1ings easier by
111111l111411111. My parents and sislers remained in Copacabana while 1
1111l11tl 11 N1111tll house in Leblon for my wife and myself, my daughler
\111111 �1111·111, 1111d my cousin Milota.
Il 111111 11 small two-bedroom bouse. Milola slepl in one bedroom
1111tl \111111 Maria in the other. My wire and I slepl on a folding sofa bed
1t1 1h11 llvl11f( roorn wiU1 a veranda opening onlo a small garden. The
l11111�1• w11s simple, friendly, and quiet We practically lived off U1e renl
1111111 11 Ilonse owned by Milota. We ale at a boarding house and we
111,tl 110 IH111scmaid, bul U1e whole world seemed lo smile on us.
Our 11ccds were minimal in comparison lo the normal standards
111 1•1111sumcr sociely. We had no icebox or household appliances. We
dl1I 1101 evcn own a car. Our only indulgence was the occasional pair
111' 111·w shoes, a shil"l, or a dress. We were young and happy,
11p1l111lstic aboul life and lhe world.
011 Su11days we visited with rny father and U1en stayed home al
1111-(111, hnppily challing lo whoever was around: Hélio Uchôa, Millon
l\olJcrlo, José Reis, or our friend and neighbor Paulo Werneck.•'•
As lime passed, 1 met with some professional success and buill a
ho11sc on 1,ua Carvalho de Azevedo, and later anoU1er one on EsU·ada
dus Canoas. Bul those limes of hardship al the lillle house in Leblon
nlways broughl back our fondesl memories. "IL was so much beller!"
A1111ila used lo say for rnany years allerward.

We ollen wenl lo the Botanical Gardens, where I loved lo walk along

the grave! paU1s and admire the lush u·opical vegelalion, or pause by
plants Lo read U1e complicaled scienlilïc names, or look al the pond
and U1e huge water lilies and everlastings bloorning everywhere.
Every so ollen I slopped lo draw a planl, allempting lo capture il wiU1
a rew su·okes of rny arcl1ileclural perspective.
Annita followed along happily, and Anna Maria cheerfully ran
ahead of us. Sornelirnes il was lhe imperial palms thal caughl my
attention wiU1 their lall, eleganl, and slalely trunks reaching
skyward. Or I was su·uck by the unusual shape of an exolic planl 1
hadn'l seen before.
Nature is so beautiful! How it multiplies everywhere and
rnainlains strnclural logic in ail ils secrets!
1 1

Few people walked around the Botanical Gardens as n111d1 11

did, or were as doggedly curious as we were. We used Lo /.\t'I 1111
early, al aboul l1 :00 A.M., as Lhe golden lighl lïllered Lhro111,d1 Il
branches of U1e enormous trees and tell shadowed patlel'lls 1111 Il
ground. We ecslatically sensed Lhe perfection of Nalure, wh1·11 \1
treals il wilh respect IL would be so wonderful if we cou Id pn'NI 1
Ule sponlaneity U1al is so ollen sacrilïced when U10se supp11•1111
responsible for prolecling nature do nol undersland il!
Oh, the old gardens of Rio! The Passeio Pùblico, Ca111p11 11
Santana, and Floresla da Tijuca, ail of lhem beaulifully laid 11111 11
Don .Joào VI,•• who imporled special seedlings thal evenluail.l' 11111
rool here, producing trees Ulal Loday are parl of our extraordi11111
nora. 1-low welcoming are Lhe graveled paU1s ofTijuca, shaded h.1 1111
tropical vegelalion! Occasional smail delails enhance Ulesr pull!
U1rough Lheir exaggeraled conlrasl wilh the exuberanl vegelali1111,
Jusl look al whal has happened Lo ail Lhe lh1il-bearing Lrecs 111' 111
childhood years! Banana, mango, jaboticaba, avocado Lrees ... 1111
uprooted and replaced by slreets jammed wiU1 vehicles and expn••
ways wilh concrele parapets. Yel I mean no crilicism of our lands1·11p1
designers, with Lheir excellent professional approach 111111
underslanding, who were influenced by the leJTaced garclens ol' 1111
Portuguese tradition and by Ule Japanese school, which is based 1111
allowing Nalme Lo grow freely, as if unlouchecl by human hand.
I have long been U1inking of one day paying a visil Lo Ule Botani,·111
Gardens Lo relive Ule same rapt.ure of fort.y or lïlly years ago.

Afler lislening Lo the Lapes recordecl for Ulis book I have concludl'tl
Urnl ail Lhis Lalk of family members, one aller the olher, will bore 111y
readers. So let me tell you I jusl had a conversation wilh Darl'y
Ribeiro•, and he was so exciled over Lhe forlhcoming inauguration ol
U1e Samb6clromo [a slaclium buill for carnival parades] and lh1•
Cenlros lnlegrados de Educaçao Pùblica (Integrated Cenlers of Pub li,·
Education), or CIEPs.•• And my dear old friend was righl Lo feel so
exciled, because these two projecls have triumphed againsl ail odds
T
aller a whole bunch of lies were invenled in an allempl to snuf U1em
out F'irsl il was said Urnl U1e Sam b6dromo would nol be buill on lime.
Then, word wenl around Ulal Ulere were engineering problems wilh
a river channel under Lhe stands Ulal would overflow wiU1 heavy
rains. Even SL Peter [patron saint of weather] was dragged inlo
U1e fray!
 1111I 1111111· or the Lhrealened scenarios acluaily malerialized. José
,11 l11N H11ssl'kind's•11 architectural work was nawless. There were no
ll11111IN 1 1111 prnhlcms with the river-which lurned out Lo be jusl a
1 11 1•11 und lhc job was beaulifully lïnished on Lime, wiU1in the
• , 111•!11111· sri by Brizola'" and Darcy.
Ho 1111w wc have the Samb6clromo, ail ready Lo receive 120,000
pt•l' t/11111',s; wc have the Apoleose Plaza, the area for U1e concluding
1 111111,, or the parade (U1is was Darcy Ribeiro's idea), which rounds
11111 1111· <'nmposilion with a beautiful concrele curve. One feature Lhal
1111N 11111 p11blicized al U1e lime-because il would have meanl praising
t h11•1·y l\ibciro-was his idea or having classrooms buill under U1e
11 1 11111''s blcachers and boxes. A stadium-school for '15,000 pupils!
l•'1•1111(•t•'s 1linisler of Culture Jacques Lang" enUrnsed, "I have never seen
1111y1hi11µ; likc lhis!"
Wilal about Ule new CIEPs schools program? The opposition [Lo
1111' llrizula slale governmenl] cannol stomach having Lo see lhese
11t·w schools springing up everywhere! Suspended from lheir
(•011crclc supports and brighUy painled, U1ey cerlainly stand out from
lhe surrounding buildings, as we inlended U1e111 Lo. They provide an
t•11tircly ncw kind of educalion thal involves nol jusl schooling but
11lso kccping U1e kids ofT U1e sl.r eels-wilh meals, study periods, and
sports, ail good preparalion for Lhe han! life ahead of lhese sludenls.
1 11

Darcy is bearing a confident smile of salisfaclion al scC'i111( 11 l11h

clone. 1 have known him for a long lime, since Lhe days wh,·11 111 .,
struggled to have a new university built in Brasilia, a11d 1111 ,
companion had as much enlhusiasm and success tlw11 1is 111 1
today. Darcy eventually got involved in polilics, and was 11pp111i,
minister of educalion and head or President Joào Goulart\ 01111
fact, he was the lasl man out of the presidenlial buildi111( "111'11,
coup look place in 1964. He is not. only the intelligent a11d ,·11111•
person known to ail, but also a loyal friencl through thiek ;111d 11111,
Aller Darcy lefl the room I remained gazing al Lhe shrll" "lllt Il
many books he published which put Brazilian
culture on display for the whole worlcl Lo see.

We always admire people who are whal we ourselves wo11ld 11111 1

be, so my brolher Carlos Augusto was a mode! for me. 1 was '" l,11
of him! Always easygoing, always taking an interesl in tl1ings, ,.,,.Il f,
passing concerns, and carefully guarding his own bitter disapp11l111
ments; il seemed he avoided menlioning them so as not 10 1I I1si•1 11
Carlos Augusto began his professional career al the al-(1' 11
seventeen, al U1e Bank of London of South America, on l\1111 1I
Alfàndega, where he held a position for many ycars, since a bad11°I,,,
cou I d live reasonably on the salary al that Lime.
Somelimes I felt that he went unnoliced, and unfairly �,,
Whenever newspapers praised my brother Paulo [who beca1111•
renowned neurologisl] or me, 1 felt like protesling thal they had il 1111
wrong: our broLher Carlos Augusto was Lhe besl of us. AL olher Li1111•
seeing Lhat Paulo and 1, bccause of our successful careers, enjoy, 01I
amenilies thal Carlos lacked, il made me sad to U1ink about hl•
financial conslraints.
llow wrong I was! Although my brother led a rather modest lil'1• 1
he experiencecl neiU1er the inevitable mood swings nor tilt·
alternaling periods of leisure or crisis tlial conslanlly a!Tectecl us. w,,
worriecl about Lhe superfluous, while he focused on U1e small tl1in;;�
he hoped to obtain and thal, once acquired, representecl 11<·11
highlights in his hermelic and orclerly existence. He was an arlisa11,
and as such he organized his lire carefully, crafling il wiU1 tlw
palience and love Uial we somelimes lacked, and Lhus lending il a
more auU1enlic and fair meaning.
He look great pleasure in buying his lilUe house in lpanema,
which he never left, and in paying olT U1e monU1ly installments. 111·
Ili 11 , il N111•1i 1·111llusiasm !"rom graclually rebuilding il witll his
1111 11, 1 �111 l1114s. 1,atcr thcre was Uie counlJ•y house in Mendes Lhat he
1,,., Il 11•1111111t!'cl. lie himself plantecl U1e grass and Lrees, wailing
li,q1 11ll1 1111• Il 1111 to grow like a long-cherished, almosl impossible
1111 ,1111 111111 \\'IIS IIOW coming lrue.
111 n1�lo1111lly I eallecl him from Europe for no parlicular reason
, .1, 111 11111 pl<•as11rc of our greal frienclship, Lo hear his voice and
l 111111 111111 1111 w11s well with him. Upon my return to Brazil, despite
111 11114 "" m·111· Lly, we hardly ever saw each other. 1-le was al home in
11111111•11111, 1111d I was Lied clown by work Lo my Copacabana studio.
t 1111• 111111·11i11g my brother awoke feeling ill. Paulo called me and
11111111 t'o1·(•wurning, "Come quickly. lt's quite serious, Lhere's nolhing
111 111• 11011(':'
Now I h11vc only my sisters Lilia and Leonor, and my brother Paulo.
1'111110 is my best fr iencl. Somelimes I visit wilh him al his home in
llt11·1•11 11 splcndid house surrounded by gardens, wiLh a swimming
1111111 1111d a socccr field. His chilclren and granclchilclren are always
1111•1•1• 1 pl1111gccl in an enviable atmosphere of Logelherness. 1
1 p11H·r11bcr Lhat years ago il was harcl even Lo talk to him since he was
11lw11ys carrying a chilcl in his arms, and Lhere woulcl be a couple of
11101'l' kicls hanging on to him. But the fruit of all Uiat a!Teclion and
<·11rl11� is Lhere Lo see in Lhe beautil"ul frienclships he nurlurecl.
 We sil by the pool and recall the old Limes wh1·11 111 1
neighboring offices in Llie Porto Alegre building, and Llw prn11I
played on each oLher, and his becoming a physician ilS 11111111 ,
predeslined mission in life. Everybody admired him; he 11as "' I'',
and devotecl to his palients, as his profession requirecl. l le li·II tl11,
for Lhe anguish of Ll10se who came from ail over Brazil lo "'l'� 1
care. "IL's not L11e surgeries thal wear me out," he once told 1111•, 1
seeing Lhe sick on Lhe operaling table, and being pari "' Ili
sulTering and Ll1eir hopes?'
Il was Lhen 1988. 1 fell unease at Lhe ways of Lhe wol 'lcl i111d 111 11
life fading away, but il impressecl me lo see him so serene, •"·1·1•pllt•
his l'ale as if' life were jusL a fine, leisurely slroll, completed "'"' 111111
etemal only by L11e succession of new generaLions.

1 spenl live trouble-free years al Lhe alional School of Fine ill'ls 111111
macle some goocl f'rienclships Ll1ere: lifelong f'riencls such as I INI
Uchôa, Milton Roberto, Carlos Bittencoul'l, Joiio Caval1·111111
Fernando Saturnino de Brilo," and 0L11ers. Aller L11e Lhird year, lilw 11ll
my classmates I felL Lhe need to gel a job wiLh a constrnctio11 11,111
This kincl of' work enabled Lhe stuclenls lo learn more abo111 11ti
proression-ancl Lhe salary woulcl also bring new opportuniLies.
Like most of my l'ellow stuclents, 1 was relucLant to aclapt lo litt
commercial architecture that surrounded us. Despite lina111'111I
difficulties, 1 prel'erred working without pay for Lûcio Costa a111I
Carlos Leào,,, who I hopecl woulcl assuage some of my cloubls as u11
architecture student. Actually, they were cloing me a rm "'
F'urLhermore, my choice showed Lhal I was nol hollow-heaclecl illlll
hasty: my goal was lo become a good architecl.
I-low I benelilecl f'rom my early clays wil11 Lhose clear f'riencls! Willt
L11cm I lcarned to respect our colonial history, lo appreciate beaulil'ttl
old Portuguese buildings, so sober and rigid, with their thick walls ol
stone or laipa de pilcîo [gravel-clay wallle], their genlly sloping sli1l1·
liles contrasling with Lheir whitewashecl walls. As far as architecturl'
was concernecl these buildings had noll1ing to oll'er but a go(l(I
example. They were honesl beyond reproach, as we ail should be.
1 remember Leiio drawing beautiful women and talking about llw
worlcl of the arts, laughing readily like L11e goocl companion he was;
and Lûcio, a litlle more reservecl, cautious and polile as always.
Of' course, 1 was nol really of much use lo them. Even so, 1 alreacl)
had the feeling thal my calling was lo be an architect. As I remember,
11 ,111� i1111'111p; lhis period al Lûcio's office lllat I graduated as an
,111 11111•1•1 1111d was lirsl in L11e class togel11er with Milton Roberto. 1
111 .111 111111 whcn wc hacl finished work on the lirsl stage or the
111111,1111•!1·11 1111ivcrsily campus wilh Lûcio, he lurned lo Jorge

. .
11111 11°11" 1111cl said, "Jorge, you shoulcl nol be earning more than
11 , 111', \'V1• shall have lo combine ll1e two amounts and share evenly?'
\11 l111111t·11i11lc response was, "l woulcl rather add up the thrcc
II111111'h•s, ,lorp;c's, Reis's, and my own, and divide by l11ree?' My f' iend
r

111•1� 1111s P111·11ing the same salary as I was. Lûcio concludecl, "Oscar
1� 11 1,1011d f'cllow?'
()11 sevenil occasions Lûcio gave me support and encouragement
1l1111 1 111•v1·r f'orgol and always soughl lo repay. When the chairman or
1111• llt 'llzili1111 lnslitule of Architecture, sent to me by Israel Pinheiro,,,
�1 1141,11·sled in the presence of Joào Cavalcanti l11at they cancel the
1•1111tpl'lilio11 to choose a design for Brasilia's master plan and inslead
111'111!( i11 11 team of urban planners, 1 did nol hesilale Lo reply, "I will
clu 1111 1 rnn Lo keep thal idea from going through?' The proposai was
tliH('11rdccl, and Lûcio Costa was chosen for the job.
Il givcs me particular satisfaction lo recall Lucio's fine character:
llis 1111w11vering professional verve, his apprecialion of our coloni,lf
11rd1itecture, his enlllusiasm for L11e work or Le Corbusier, his fine
designs, the firsl-rale sketches thal marked his talent as an architect,
1111d his work on Brasilia, which made him a discerning urban
planner overnight.

1 now have a portrait or Gustavo Capanema,0 in front of me, and,

gazing al il, 1 am prompled to say somell1ing about this clear friend,
about his cultivated learning and intelligence, his politeness-llle
scrnpulous correclness cullivaled by men in the public eye. The
piclure shows him looking at ll1e Ministry of Education and lleallh
building as il neared complelion. He has a satislied smile on his face,
and wiLh good reason, too. With this building and L11e opportune
presence of Le Corbusier, Capanema gave Brazilian architecture the
initial momenlum il needed, dissolving misconceptions and
demonslrating to everyone l11at modern techniques had imposecl
Modern architecture.
Capanema is gazing at L11e high, monumental pilotis ll1al creale
rree spaces, llie brise-soleil, L11e funclionally independenl complex of '
exhibition spaces and auditorium between the columns. 1 sense that
he was taking pleasure in ail or L11is as he eyed the complelion of the
work that had brought him so many troubles.!lis was the s11Il,I11 1,
or a job well clone, his U1e certainty U1at he had never laek,·tl ,·11111
or determination, or unwavering optimism. N everthelcss, ll1m1
long and hard years, when he met wiU1 lierce opposition. So111 1
the building was "communist'.' Little did they know-s11d1 1111
depU1 of their ignorance-that the Soviet Union had co1111i•1111
Modernist architecture as a decadent expression or thr .-11pltul
bourgeoisie. Others accused him of' betraying the cus1011i. ,
traditions of' our own nation, as if' life never moved on, as il" \1111111 1
Nature were not constanUy evolving.
My friend Capanema was able to withstand the pressuIT lw1•11I1
he apprecialed U1e importance of'U1e work in the context or llr111ill
architecture and the plastic arts. There were, of course, pi,,1111
supporters Loo: Rodrigo, Lùcio, Drnmmond, Manuel B1111tl1•h
Abgard Renault, Alonso Arinos, Prudente, Mârio AndradP," ;1111I
many 0U1ers understood and encouraged him. Nevertheless, il 11,
no easy task!
Capanema was a perfectionist; he not only attended to Lill' gloh ,,
aspect of' the work but also detailed the linishings, the colors ol 11!
walls, and U1e furniturc. Even works of art were brought in 111 lh
right stage; U1is was a long-forgotten practice that he enU1usiaslirnll1
revived. To him we owe the magnilicent murais by Cil11tllth
Portinari and the sculptures by Jacques Lipchitz, Celso Antônio, 111111
Bruno Giorgi.,• 1 remember him visiting Portinari's honw l11
Laranjeiras and Celso Antônio's on-site atelier, and I recnll Id
ecslatic admiration of lheir works in progress, his awe as he talk1•1I
about U1em aflerward.
His interests ranged lar beyond the Ministry of' Education a111I
Health building. He also gave U1e best of himsell' to teaching, Il11·
plastic arts, and the preservation of our monuments. Ir it were 1101 1'111
Capanema, our historical and artistic legacy would have detcrioral1·1I
and many historical building complexes in Ouro Preto; Congonh;",
and Olinda would have been lost forever. He set up the atio1111I
Hislorical and Artistic Heritage Service (SPHAN), ably managed Il)
Rodrigo, which repaired existing works and put an end to U1e looti111<
that had decimated Brazil's historie churches.
1 was ollen summoned to Capanema's omce and shared his
friendship with Drummond, Leal Cosla, Joào Massot, Carlos Cruz,,,,
and so many 0U1ers. F'rom there we would go on to see the work­
Celso Antônio's O homem brasileiro (Brazilian Man)-or lunch at thl'
Cristal, or peruse minor renovations al his house in Santa Teresa.
 \11 1 •111 lll'll, l'or several years we met in Brasilia and recalled the
11111 111111•� 1111d lhc pressures he had endured. We talked or U1e book
Il, 1,111•1Hll'd 10 wrilc about his experience as minister of education,
11111 l1I� l11ili11I enthusiasm for writing soon waned due to his
11 1111•11•111l11� perrectionism.
li 11lv('S 111c particular pleasure to recall how, unprompted, he
l11l1•11·1·<1ed wilh the mayor of Brasilia, a hidebound reactionary who
111111 l11sls1rd on liring me from 'ovacap,,0 the organization charged
11 lllt h11ildi11g the new capital. This was during the period of' police
11•1 11·1·ssion 1111der the Médich• military government, and I was away in
1°;1 1,·11pt• whcn I learned or his supportive geslure. He was no longer
llit· 1ili11islcr or education and healU1 1 had met years before; now he
Il IIS l)IIC or my best friends.
ol so long ago, in J985, 1 wrote to U1e minister of educalion,
�l11rc·o Maciel, to suggest that the ministry building be named aller
ll11s111vo Capanema. My fricnd Maciel replied, "This tribute does
j11slil"c Lo the man who made il 1 1ossible to build that magnilicent
work, that unique manifestation or creative freeclom and the
l'1111Jlcmalic landmark of the new Brnzilian architecture'.'
Jorge [Moreirn], Reidy," Hélio, and I moved out or our s1dI1• 111
Pecanha and set up offices in the Porto Alegre block, "i'I'"""'
Ministry or Education. This was the most intens,· 111• 1 1111I
professional involvemenl we had ever experienced, bul w,· ,11, 1 1 .,
wildly bohemian-which only goes to show, my friend, 111111 11111
no clash between these two lifestyles. We worked hard, bttl '"' 111
found lime to have run.
The office was always packed: there was Carlos Leâo, Vi11l l 'i11 t
Moraes, Echenique, Luiz Jardim, Eça, Galdino DuJHitl," 11 1,
Cavalcanti ...There was also my brother Paulo, who had itis ,11,•1l1t
oflïce in the same building and shared a wailing room "1111 111,
office. At U1c end of the day everybody got together as il' il ,11•1,
Saturday or Sunday. We "had a real good lime," in the ,1111·,I" 11
Damaso, a character in Eça de Queiroz's nove! A ilus/re rn.,,, 1,
Ramires (The lllustrious House of Ramires).
Oh, what memories! We were ait the besl ol' friends ;111tl 11,
certainly understood U1e importance of laughing at life, forge li i11111111
precariousness of things, and imagining a better world Lo live i 11. \\
had no respect for prejudice and were not at ail conccrrwd "1th
bourgeois society and ils dogmas.
One night, Leâo got drunk and made a huge erolic drawing 1111 1111
office watt Uiat remained Lhere for several days, to the astonisit,111•111
or visitors. We cared very litlle about what people might Lhink 111' '"
we werc too young for thal. Come evening, we would head Ior s111111·
bar to talk wilh friends, go over the day's problems and review w11 1·I,"
in progress, or chat wiU1 the women who appeared as the l"il_l''•
nighllife got underway.

1 had a house built in the Mendes area for my father, but the place•
won me over, too. IL was a quiet location in the Rio de Janeiro
mountains, free from unexpected encounters and the impertine11I
beach-going socialite set. 1 picked a small lot on the road Lo Vassour,is
through which nowed a pleasant str eam that, at that lime, w.is
swollen by seasonal rains. ln just one monU1 I built the house.
making use or an old chicken coop Uiat I split up into living room,
bedrooms, kitchen, and so forlh. The rooling was made of asbestos
liles and the facade was covered by a wooden trellis. The litlle house
shaped up nicely as the creepers llowered, becoming almost an
extension of U1e garden, homey and picluresque.
As I had intended, I spent carnival and other holidays t11ere for
sevcral years. Through U1e low, horizontal living-room window, wc
 ,,1,1 11 litt• 1•11pldly 1-1rnwi11g garden: the lawn, U1e clumps of bamboo

11!1 11 1 l1114 ,• ov,•r lite slream, Ll1e enormous tecomas-a gifl from
,1o111 111111 lt,•1'1 1 1 1 11· our national tree-and U1e path winding up to U1e

1,1 1 1 111111 11111 lite itnuse was somewhat lacking in terms of

1 11111 , 1111 111�, �1wh ns .i swimming pool; fun at Mendes was limited to
,111,, 11 n11 1 11t1• lto11se to the bamboo trees and back," as our friend
, , u1111111•1 1 H·d joki11p;ly. But the bamboos were pretty and I would
111 11t, 11· 1 11 11 lt 111111nock, peering between the branches at U1e inlinite
p,11, 111,)1111(1, imagining myself in the deserl like Saint-Exupéry,
, 1111111 1111 ll 1 t· IJ11dt of this old plane[, roaming among the stars.
1 llh1•(1 k 11dcs for U1e privacy thal Rio no longer olîered. I liked
i,, 1 1 111\ f'111lwr happily riding his palomino-color horse there. 1-le
l o11111t111I 1111cl lold his stories of a peaceful life that fate was to eut
111111 111111·1t 100 shorl, we lhought. And I enjoyed seeing my family
,11111 1411111cld1ildrcn running around on the grass or driving L11e cart
lit 111,•ly (lt'llggcd along by Mimoso U1e goal.
( 1t•1·11slo11ally we had company U1ere; a friend was invited or
111111,ho<iy droppcd by as they were going down the road. Abrecht or
�111111• olitt·r ncighbor would come over for the unpretentious and
11111h•1 111 1ndi11g small-town chatter Uiat required litlle response and
1111� ll111i1cd to U1e minor troubles or Lhose modesl, resigned follt.
li11111climes we visitecl the home of my broll1er Carlos Augusto, our
l1 •1 1 d(•r 11ncl counselor; or we would go to Aunt Alzira's whitewashed
111<1 C'Olonial house, with ils blue window frames and genlly sloping
1 '(101 ' in the Portuguese tradition, to ball1e in L11e pool or walk around
litt lakc or talk on the veranda, which was covered in enormous
violet meadow saxifrage.
But the l\io state government decided to build a new highway
nlongside the old road. EarU1movers blocked the river, and over the
ycars the small house al Mendes was nooded and was cventually
clcslroyed. There was noU1ing we could do about il; Lhis was during
lhc dark years of Médici's rule.
Warm memories from our past were left behind in those
da111p-rotted walls.

1 macle several ocean voyages belween Brazil, Europe, and U1e United
States, si11ce J did not like to lly. The voyage was a ten-day vacation
on the wide ocean; no phone calls, no commilJ11ents whatsoevcr. 1
loved Lo gaze al the ocean, which changed from day to day; U1e
� vaslness broughl Lo my minci elernity. I likecl Lhose lcis11r .. I1 h
slrelchecl out on a cleck chair, reacling or challing, with 1 10 ""' 1
One ofthese trips lecl me Lo Moscow, and on the way l 1 11ul ,
and my rriencl Eça Lo see the Old Worlcl. We sloppccl off i 11 1111 1
saw Rome, F'lorence, Venice; Lhen Lo Portugal to sec l ,i,h 1 111 ,
Lravelecl Lo Paris, where Vinicius de Mornes met us al tlw ,11111! 11,
spent Lhree clays in Paris, a week in Czechoslovaki,1, ;1 111111111
Berlin, and finally reachecl Moscow.
War coulcl still be felt everywhere: half-destroyecl cili l's. hl�h
being rebuilt, the faces of indivicluals who coulcl nevN r,11�11
orcleal. But everywhere Lhere was a neecl for hope, ;i cl,·,1 1 ,
recovery. Czechoslovakia reminclecl me or the war and or nid 11111
whose books I hacl so appreciated, but ow· main desli11;i1i 1111
Moscow. Wc were eager Lo observe the October lkvoluti 1111 111111
principles of justice and brotherhood Lhat capitalism was d!'l1· 1·111h
Lo combat. And Moscow was nol to disappoinl us. v\lhat pl t·11,111,
gave us to walk around Red Square, impressed by the mo11 11I111w
Kremlin and the graceful vivadty of St. Basil's CaU 1 eclral "1111 ,
golden clomes!
We were happy to see Uial Lhe people were gelting ovc1· 11 11 • 11
and building a society Lhat would be fair and fraternal li 11· ,
according Lo the precepls of Marx and Lenin. We joinecl the 1 111111 lit

t::-rco
·, --------
 ,11111111111 St'l' the bodies of Lenin and Stalin, who were responsible
t,,, tli1 1 11(•10 1·y ur socialism and who now rested peacefully in their
, l,1 1·11�1t1·ts.
\ 111•l'I\ laler wc lefl for Brazil wiU1 ou,· memories of Paris, the
1 h 111 1 1 j1H 1,;Iysé'cs, the Lert Bank, U1e ancient River Seine; Rome and ils
1 111111111111•11ts; Vcnicc, U1e piazza of San Marco packed as if il were a

1111111• dl'llwing room; Berlin, the Hotel Van Zoo, U1e Kaiser Wilhelm
1 li1111•h still standing; East Berlin, Stalin Avenue, U1e New Orcier
1 1 111•1·1;! 1 11.t;; nncl Moscow, the land of men who loved peace and liberty.
1 "ns happy to see how Annita was enjoying lhe journey as she
l11111;lll'd 111 the pigeons covering her in the piazza of San Marco and
11•11 1, 1 1 1·111ly welcomed in the land of her forera th ers. 1 was pleasecl to
ltl' 11hlc· 10 give Eça-ancl [Galdino) Duprat, too-U1e opportunity to
111111• 11 journcy Uiat U1ey couId only clrearn of. But whenever we askecl
1 1111 l•:�•11 what he thought of Moscow, he coulcl nol resisl answering,
"\lr11/11reira sem bacanidadè' ("Lilte Maclureira, but without ils
l'IIH)'Wlillg charm"). ><

ly problem wilh air Lravel can cause significant clislress: the

1lls11ppointrnent or rnissing professional engagements-orten
I111portanl ones, too-and the inevitable inner frustration. Usually,
wlwn I commit Lo a trip I have every honest intention ofrullilling my
promise. I pack my bag and leave early for the airporl, but I tend to
<'hnngc my minci on the way Lhere. Aller firsl seeing the trip as useful
I\Jr the work involvecl, or as represenling a kind and Lrusling
l11vitalion, I begin Lo rejecl il as an unnecessary and unbearable im­
position. I become irritated with myself and anxiously wonder, "Why
shoulcl I fly if il troubles me? Because it's important professionally?"
Ancl I begin Lo see the journey as a U1real Lo my physical prerogatives
T
and individual liberty, a clespicable af air ruled by power and money.
So I don't go. 1 return home quite calmly. Later I tell my l'riencls
pcremptorily, ''l'II never fly again'.'
Later, however, chatling al U1e office, I will admit to U1e
importance of the skippecl journey, and I am overcome wiU1 a feeling
or guilt and f rustration. The next invitation sees me forgetling ail
about the problem and commitling myself to plane travel once aga in,
making a reservation and purchasing a Licket. Then U1e whole story
is repeated. 1 can recall a rew good examples of Lhis contradictory
slate of minci.
 ,,
On one occasion, Juscelino Kubitschek" was wailing lo 1111•1'1 1
the airport and I hacl to sencl a laconic but lirm m1·ss11�I
President, l'm not on U1e plane. Coming by roacl. Apoloi;l1••
Castro, aller a long and fruiUess waiL, jokecl wiU1 visiIi11i. 1th
i
"Tell Niemeyer 1'11 sencl a ship to pick him up f'rom Brazil." M
1

friencl Agilclo Barata,,o ever an oplimist, once tolcl his PCH ,·111111,
"l've talkecl with Oscar. This lime he is going to the co111'1·r1•II1
Europe'.' Assis Chateaubriand," whom I once lell waiting 1'111' 1111
Recife, later smilecl and tolcl me: "You behavecl lilu· 11
Communist'.' And the same story repeatecl itself' over the y,·I11·• 1
only lime I will unhesilalingly gel on a plane is when I am i11 J•:111 ,
and neecl Lo gel back Lo Brazil, but U1ere is no ship sailing.
Another lime, 1 receivecl a commission to clcsi l(11
Administrative Center for Pernambuco in Recife f'ro111 1
consiclerate, cordial friencl Marco Marcie!, and I accepI,•ol
invitation to visit the site. 1 clic! nol want to fly Lilere. Thcn· 1111
norU1bouncl ltalian ship that callecl at Salvador, so I planncd 111 lt11
U1ere and spencl a few clays wiU1 LeJé,s seeing the beautif'ul booihllo,
he was execuling in the city. Then Maciel woulcl send a car 1'111· 11,
and I would Lake the coastal road, stopping for an occasional dlp
U1e ocean and a sip of coconut water. Eventually I would sho" 1111
U1e capital of' Pernambuco.
Everylhing went off qui te wcll. The ocean voyage was pJp;,-111
and relaxing. Lelé showed me his architecture and U1en I head,·ol lo
U1e beaches of U1e Northeast with Lheir coconul palms swingi1114 I
Ule breeze and the ocean beckoning us every day.

Once I was in Paris al the home of my f'riend Dimanche, and a sa111h

by Ataulfo A Ives, "A professorinha" (The LitUe School Teacher), 1111
playing on the phonograph. There was nothing special abo11I li
noU1ing that should have made me feel so emotional. Il was j11sI
good samba, in which Ataulfo alTeclionately sang of his old Leaclw1·. 1
do not know why, but that song was so Lypically Brazilian th11I Il
made me Ulink of home and fr iencls and my distant family. To 1111
embarrassment, 1 l'elt a great need Lo cry, and tears welled up insidI·
my chesl. On some pretext I went out to U1e balcony and allow<"d
myself to weep to my heart's content.
1 experienced this feeling on several occasions when I w11�
abroad. An enormous saclness came over me, and I was slricken hl
remorse, feeling Lile despair of being so far away from everybody,
Grandfather. AntOmo Augusto R,betro de Alme,da, 1880s
Father. Oscar Niemeyer Soares. and mother. Delphma R1be1ro de Almeida Nremeyer Soares. 1890s
Grandmother. Maria Eugênra R1be1ro de Almeida, 1890s
 1 i

' 1
'
 1
1

1,

1
1
'1 11
1

,!
Niemeye, with hts wife, Ann
11a, Pans, 1954
 urrcd al
ecLed. Somelimes U1is also occ
T
1·1•1·111i 11 Lha t Lhe y Loo we re al
versalion.
py mo me nts , wh en I wa s relaxed and enjoying good con
h11p il hap­
1·1•n 1111'1,, any ran dom wo rd, could set me off. But usually
1\ became
·tl wh en I tho ugh t of my frie 11ds, and will1 a hcavy heart I
pt·m drop
n1c sic k an d lill ed wit h regret. 1 l'ell the urge to
l1o
zil.
1·v<•rylhing and go back to Bra ips,
nt molivalions, family, l'ricndsh
S o Lhere you have my domina
country.
Ille !Jcaches, and the hi Ils or my

o M.F. de
ma ny yea rs I nu rtu red a sound friendship with 1,odrig
For c and his
dra de, a cul tiva tcd ma n wh o brought gcnerosity t o his lil'
An abana.
atio nsh ips . 1 wa s a reg ula r guest al his home in Copac
rcl s. We
eth cr, we oll cn vis iled the historie towns of Minas Gerai
Tog y friend!
red the sam e l' r ien dsh ips and joys. What an extraordinar
sha uld meel
usc d to cal l on him pra clic ally cvery week. There I wo
1 Nava,"
den te de Mo rai s Ne to, Ma nuel Bandeira, Gasliio Crnls,
Pru kindly.
s, and his wil ' e , Gr aci em a, who always welcomed us so
nci parties
rin g car niv al we cve n me t al his home for the tradiLional
Du rk for
l1 pra nk s and gam es. Bu t he was also very busy with his wo
wil IIAN), a
Na lio na l His tor ica l an d ArLisLic l leritage Service (SP
the life.
nately devoted throughout his
cause to which hc was passio g the
ro Preto, and Rodrigo inspcclin
1 recall o ur lirst journey to Ou ark­
hot el site bes ide Sai nt !<'ra ncis Church. Ouro Preto is rcm
new turc is the
c, and not onl y l' o r ils chu rches. lts most important fea
abl itors back
tor ica l am bic nce il has pre servecl, which Lakes curious vis
his for ils
the her oic gol d-rn sh era or Vila Rica. The town is known
10 nes, and
ep sLre ets car vec l int o the hil l slopes, paved wilh cobblcslo
ste windows
cd wit h wh itew ash ed row houses, their nearly idcnlical
lin racteristic
ne- fra me d or blu e-p ain ted ; il is also known for Lhe cha
sto nenl
e or ils slo pin g roo fs, and for the churchcs on the mosl promi
rak rls. Th e
s, lin e bar oqu e bu ild ing s like Lheir Portugucse counterpa
site n ils
n is fro zen in lim e. Ils peo ple wend Lheir wa y up an d clow
tow hcy­
and stil l hav e Lim e to sil in a café and chat. This was in the
hilis ndas,
orT off o lo's ho tcl an d res tau rant, or his son-in-law, Epamino
day ry day al
or a fell ow the re- 1 for get his namc-who ran home cvc
and vow.
o'c loc k to set off lire wo rks in fullillment or somc weird
six omo­
ro Preto as being free rrom aut
1 had always conccivcd or Ou 1own.
wh ich wo uld be lei\ in par king lols on Lhe outskirls of the
bil es, und
lize d Lha t Lhi s wo uld pre sen t problems and thal gctting aro
1 rea d,
be un com for tab le for som e pe ople; but, on lhc othcr han
woulc l
 v :yone would gel a better fee ling for the to wn. 1 r,·, 1111 I•
: ,: l
t mg a iout U1ese matters and ab , out A 1e11ad111ho,,
.. . .. 1111 , 111111
.. h . 11ble, and th e urbanizatio n prngrams thal llin·111i 111
; : �: '. ��� .
e io n as o m1c1al landmarks. This was my l'ri,·1111',
concern; he devoted his l ire to historie preserva1io11 iss111
a!Tected not only Ouro Preto but B1.az1 . ·1 as a whol e.
.
This o ld, dear f iend o r m111e was so valuabl e to 1111·! 1 11111,.
r
. .
to 11s1 . p1 ace early 111 Uie m o rn111g and we woulcl rid1· 1111'
.
togeU 1er. We chatted abo ut ever w·• g, and t1me and a�al11 11111 ,,
\ �
hubbub we created at the om,ce. oc i·1go was as curio11s "' 1'111,
he always asked for detaîe , bul no so_oncr 1\11111111
' : : ::����� :
tell ing him than I would l a e s n 1omentanly.
.
On our w ay do\\. , nt o wn we sto ppecl to visit 1 11s mol 111·r "Ill ,
we
. n1 1 o see every mo rning. Back in the car aller '·1sl·i; · ' ,11 11''
.
bless111g, Rodrigo would return to Llie pomt .
. 111 the ,·111111•1 ,,
f
where wc ha' c1 1 eIl of . Whenever . I tol cl 11111
1· aboul a 111• "
.
experience or someone 1111111g . up against me, he wo11ld 11111,

I
II .Ill solidarity: "Thal son or a biteli.I" As ie . .
1 saw tt, h1s l'ri,·1111�
. .
always in the nght. He was the epito1ne or a friend, as �1111
Bandeira used to say.
l n_ 1986, the MinislJ·y or Educati o n and Culture

Rodngo M. F. de Andrade Medal lo a number

 medal Lllal
lng me. Oe ep ly mo ved, 1 told Graciema, "This is the
1iwl1ul ep the other
eive?' This was t ue. 1 ke
r

1 l1111 1 C' bccn ha pp ies t to rec

nd.
s one I always have al ha
1111•d11ls in fi drawer, but thi

be ga n t o l'eel rather
ill-informed ab ou t
,� 1in1c we nt by , 1
cided to
ite ctu ral iss ue s (li ke mo st of my colleagues), so I de
1 11)1 1-arch wo rd s of
my kn ow led ge of the wo rld . 1 rec all Ro drigo's
ln1pro vc So I did.
ea d the Gr ee ks an d the Portuguese classics, Oscar?'
11(1vicc: "R nting to
at de al f U1e m, U1i rst ing for knowledge and wa
1 read a gre o
rk of Le
hin g. 1 rea d the m as ea gerly as I had read the wo
1 110w cveryt
Corbusier years before. 1 was
my l' r ien d's ad vic e, 1 began with Llle Greeks.
Foll owing 1 was amazcd al
dis co ur ses of S o crates and Plato;
l'1trio us abou t the
ute dialogues or
which U1ey built their ast
1hc intelligent manner in classics-Diogo
t, 1 tackled the Portuguese
l'xcmplary consistency. 'ex d U1e pillages
and 0U1ers who describe
do Couto, Fernào Lopes,•• an end to U1em.
d the shootouts Uiat put
;tlong the African coast an Janguage that
ple, concise, and direct
The authors used Llle sim st in literature, 1
ted. Out of my keen intere
[\odrigo so much apprecia the wrilings of
d Vieira's speeches and
sl o wly and carefully rea .••' Herculano
z, and Machado de Assis
1 lerculano, Eça de Queirn baroque, though
plo yed a sev ere lan gu age; Queiroz was al Limes
em Os Maias (The
l of wi t an d sp on tan eit y. Oh, how I still refer to
ful H o usc of
or A ilu str e cas a de Ramires (The lllustrious
IVl ay a) ted Llle souls of
mi res ), an d Ma ch ad o de Assis, whose irony permea
l\a
his characters! explain my
d no lite rar y cla im s. Ali I wanted was to be able to
1 ha er. And so 1
and su·aighl orward mann
f

ns in wr itin g in a sim ple

desig l, pondering
n, be nt ov er U1e lite rat ure of Brazil and Portuga
read o
Assis to U1e
tho r's we igh t an d tal en t. 1 read fro m Machado de
each au s enthusiastic about
rs f the se tw o c ountries. 1 wa
more rec en t wr ite o
o f others,
pli cit y f som e, the im agination and spontaneity
the sim o
concerned
s ci p liti ca l aw are ne ss of. those permanently
and Llle o o o
ed to foreign
ivi du als str ick en by po verty Finally, when I turn
wiLll ind mus; the
1 wa s su rpr ise d by Llle literary consistency of Ca
authors,
dit ion of André Malrau
x; the investigati on of U1e
intelligenc e an d eru
sness o f
ing by Fre ud , Ka fka , an d D ostoyevsky; the guileles
human be less and
Ch eld 10v ; the rea lis m of Henry Miller; Uie alerlJ
Gide and such as
us l; an d the ma gn itïcence o f Russian wrilers
talent of Prn
sky, and Gorky.
Tolstoy, Chekhov, Oo stoyev
 lntuitivel y, however, 1 always felt that literature "·,s 11111
.
or me; 1 nceded to become more ramili ar with the wo1·;,; i11 ,, ;,,
:
, e, and 1 had to learn the reason for our existence o11 !hl� 1111
� _
p anel of ours. 1 became attracted Lo such subjects '·1s lit'· 1 · Ill 11
and U1e cosmos. 1 1 earncd considerably from the wrili1,,., ni
j'

Jacob and Jacques M onod," as wcll as rrom Sa <1·t.

1 c. 11 1111 111
1
1

,11 convinc us L1ml lire .

· is a big . flop whilc explaining his ,•,i,11•1111 .,
.dS be1ng . e_.
U1e prevalence or the being's existence over c·ss1·11<'1
1 I ln my spare lime I read textbooks by Cel so Cun1.i, 1 . 11 """ litt
.
masters or poet1.Y, 111clud111g • Baudelaire w1·u1 l11·s love 11111·111
N eruda wiU1 his revolutionary call.
.
1 did not allow myself 10 c11,·r1c1ze or assume radie;,! 111,.1111
.
1 1eac.. 1 out ol cunosity . · l read' wi•u1 equa1 respect the novcls 111 nul,
Ga1cm . . Marquez, Jorge Aniad o, or Anatole France, and 1'"<'111
1 poIl.1na1re
\ . ' C·il'los
' OnimmoncI de Andrade, and Frrrei,•;1 t :1111.
. . .
F i 01 1 each or Lhem I Look a different t y1ie 0 1· en1oy111ent, as 11 t 1 ,
1

.
stand111g bcfore a painting by · Mati sse or Pi casso ' 1 '"" 1
, ·
atll·acted
' to s·imenon s detecti ve novels, much to the cha�ri11 111 t
. . llectuals-who111 1 once tell clum bf'ounc1ed
so-c<1lled 111t.e
.
lrom Sarlre's Lettres au Castor, 111 . wh1ch hc annou11,·1·d 1\1•
. . w•
pleasu1e, loday I read thrce books IJY s·1111enon?'
Eve lime I became altract.ed to an author I lried lo rcad Ili•
_ ? .
he1 pe1 sonal mail.1 learned a O 0°0d m,111y Lh1ngs reading 1111' 11'111,
ex, c11anged betwcen Lenin and Gorky and Chckhov, or the ,11,·1111111
' .
o f A 11 dr é Gide, Lu1s ' B unucl,
• and many oll1ers. Personally, I pn h'
.
simple, cveryday language "Litenlllrc is en Iianced when il 1·111111
" ,, • '
close to oral 1-1'lloLiagc, Alberto Moravia-•• once stalcd duri11
. . .
1nlerv1cw. Il on the one hand I was t.hril led with books o11 ,�1:::,
issues, on the other hand books with an entirel y differcnl ,.o1111•11t
also atlracted me. 1 \\dS ,. 1 Ul'C(1 by the multi ple atlributes or lill'l'/11
.
punty, Lhough I agrce lhat the combination or both could 1Jt, 1111 .
more enrichinob· B u1 1Jeauty has always prevailed! 1 i·cmember Il11
.
magn1ficcnt stanza , IJy iricanIo J annc . Freyre,n lranscribed 111 . . " 1'""',
by Jorge Luis Borges:

Peregrino Paloma imaginaria

Que enardeces los ûllùnos amores
Alma hecha de lu-z, de mûsica J' de.flores,
Peregrino Paloma imaginaria.
 "lmaginary Peregrine Dove
Thal rekindles lost loves
d llowers,
Soul made or light, music an
l maginary Peregr
ine Dove:'

olutely
rds, "These verses mean abs
Borges remarked of these wo
forgettable:'
nolhing. But Lo me they Hl'e un

Pûblico to
again, this lime f om Passeio
r
ln 1944 we moved our o mce nde Lages.
my cousin Milota on Rua Co
a house that I inhel'iled from sos, had
yor and relative, Pereira Pas
A former Rio de Janeiro ma ght the
ge ted shc pu rch ase the property. 1 -l e himselr had bou
ug s
Antônio
l belongs to his grandsons,
s

h use nex t d o or, wh ich slil

. AILl1ough we did not stay
o

o an d Fel isb ert o Bulhùes Carvalho

Fer na nd down­
re lon g, l wa s mu ch bet ter working in a house than i n ù1e
thc i
vious oflïces had been.
town building where our pre o U1e
french windows opening onl
ln this spacious house with felt as if we
eel , wit h en ha ncc d pri vac y and quiet surroundings, we
str
er Ri o districts. Prom the
windows, we couId
we re in ne r the old
"Grinder,
o o

tch pas ser sby and hea r the ramiliar vendors' cries:
wa am man,
ind er .. . ," "Bu y my Sob era no caramel candies," "lce cre
Gr ng...:'
cre am ma n .. .," "Se ll me your secondhand men's clothi
ice
the u·a dil ional colorful cha
racters who featured in ail
Th ese we re
bohemian
on icle s or city lire . Bo tafo go had also been home to
chr
the pa st; consequently,
we oflen spotted hookers
res ide nts in
lived in
ho mo sex ua s in the str eets, olcl-timers who s till
and l

the neighborh ood. rooms-

d dining rooms and ten bed
The house included living an er of
e of wh ich had bee n add ed al a later date, when the numb
som or the
ms bec am e ver y im por tan t to U1e function and purpose
bedroo many
. 1 ver y mu ch lik ed the house and remembcred how,
house ollen
re, wh i e slil l a pu pil al the Barnabite School, 1
years bef o l
bar on
d Llle nei ghb rin g str eel s wi th classmates. 1 recall the
rname o
lking along
cor ner , the ma n pla yin g L11e mandolin, the women wa
the
on air s o r insubordination.
Mainly, 1 remember
the str eet s, pu ttin g
oolboys
ha d bee n attr act ed to tha t strange area, which we sch
how we
e characters.
s aw b ri mming wil
l1 mystery, brawls, and li bertin
mb er of the Communist
Party, although 1
1 had nev er bec n a me
y in
de d na tio ns to Re d Aid . 1 remember the day, possibl
had ma o
membcr
5, wh en l lon 6ri o de Prc ita s Guimarües, a long-standing
193
of U1e party, came lo my home in lpanema Lo collect a b1111 dli 1,
clolhes. How l admired him, a wealU1y man who had gil·,,1 1 111
everything for the revolulion!
lt was while I worked at the house on Rua Conde Lag<", 1h11I 1
came inlo contact with Lufs Carlos Presles and his comradcs, ;,11 ,1 111
listening Lo their stories of st.nrggle and sacrifice, one clay 1 11111111,
clecision: "Prestes, you keep U1e house. Your task is !;11· 1 11111,
important Uian mine:' So the olcl house on Rua Concie Lages, 11r·•I
family home, U1en a police station, later a broU1el, and 11,1,11 1111
architecture office, became U1e Metropolitan Committee of 1111' I'( Il
of which I became a permanent member.

lt was the 1950s and you couic! hardly imagine a more variecl gr11111,
of friends Uian ours. There were so many difTerenl and controvt'l'sl11I
characters that only U1e common clenominator of' greal frie11d,hl1,
could holcl us together.
l miss Walter Garcia Lopes (Uie one we called Eça), a nalil,· 111
F'ranca in Uie rural inlerior of U1e slale of Sào Paulo, who turrfrd 1111
one day in the Company ofF'emando Brilo. He was an avid reacler,111 11
his pockels were bursling wiUi newspapers and magazines. If < " 1111�
f'ull of' resentmenl lowarcl bourgeois prejuclice and fought il with 1111
style and language of a man from Uie rural interior. He Lreated ev,•ri
body in exacUy the same manner, wheUier U1ey were impor111;,,
people or his pals from U1e newssland. He was poor, but his was 11
dignified poverty Uiat clespised the false self-importance of 1111,
wealUiy. He had sold his land in Entre Rios and spenl U1e proceeds 1 11
the clubs of Rio, where he made many friends, or on his lovers in 1111,
Lapa district. His Chaplinesque romances and altempls to reform 1,1,,
lovers ofl.en resulted in quarrels and brawls.
For some lime, Eça was short of' money and lived al our office. Il
was Lhen Uiat I gol him a job in Uie Department of Mincrnl
Production. Aller a few days there, his boss, a Roman Catholic and 1,
bureaucrat, hearing Eça happily recounting his exploits, could 11111
resist protesling: "Senhor Walter, when you go home al the end ol'lh t•
day, do you not Uiink of Brazil?" "Ali I think about is screwi11g
around," came Uie reply meant to annoy him. But this was far fro111
the lruUi. ln fact, our· friend was very much concerned wilh th,·
country's future, and one of his favorite paslimes was to hold hea1c,I
polilical debates. We stuck togeUier and even traveled around
Brazil together.
 Prudente de Morais I eto, whom we called Pruclenlinho, was
befrienclecl by one and ail. If any of us saw him on Uie street, we
would take him off Lo a café, eager Lo hear his slories. Eça would fake
naïvite and tell tall tales. "The first Lime I got laid," he would say,
"was quite amusing. 1 was tucked well inside Uie woman and ready
Lo drop off to sleep when she criecl out, 'Hey! Whal do you Lake me
for? A clrawer?! "' He would boast of his advenlures in Lapa and
recounl stories of' a boxer friend of his and the fights he got into. He
did actually get into a brawl on one occasion, and I was shockecl Lo
see his l'ace covered in bandages.
How delightful il was Lo share his company! Sorne lime laler, in
Brasilia, where I had managed to gel him and his wil"e inLo one of the
low-income housing projecls, he began Lo feel ill and sent for Sabino:
"If I gel Lhis pain again, 1 won'l make il," he said. The pain returned
and Look our friencl away lorever.

1 have already menlioned our trips around U1e country, and I am now
going Lo tell you about one of Uiem. This was U1e longesl of Lhem ail,
to U1e state or Rio Grande do Sul.
Il was in October 1944 and Fernando Brito, Gauss Estelita, and 1
were in front of our office on Rua Conde Lages, getling our car-a
1950 Ford that was l"alling to pieces-ready for the seven-hundrecl-
 mile drive Lo Porto Alegre. As they waved f'rom the "i 11c 1 1111
colleagues bursl inLo laughler-underslandably, since this "'" 111
long way lo go for an old jalopy. or course, il would hav!' tw,•11 hi 1,
lo go by plane, but thal would have lent our trip a b11si,,,., Il
energelic, and organized lone Uial was nol to our Jiki11g. "" 111
happy Lo travel U1is way, nol knowing when we would ,11.,.111
indeed, if we woulcl arrive al ait. So we breezily sel out on o11 r j1 11 11111
A few hundred yards clown the road, on the COl'llcr 111' <:111111
Lages and Gloria, U1c car suddenly slalled and Fe l'llando, "1 111 1
driving, gol out to check the engine. He opened the hood at1d ,1111�1
his muslache. He checkecl the gasogene,.,, liddled wilh 11 11 , 1 11
burelor, and yanked al a few wires and cables. Since he knc\\ 111,111111
about mechanics, howcver, he carefully announced, "Wc had i ll 'lh
leave Lomorrow'.' So we went back lo the ollice, unloadcd ait 1111, �1 11
and laughed as we planned Lo set out again the f'ollowing d;n.
As a precaution we decided to go lirsl Lo Bolal' ogo 111 1
Contra-Pino the mechanic, who go.t the car going, gunned llw ,- 11�1t,
a few limes, and declared, "Ready Lo roll:' Feeling woiTied ail,·,· th,
evenls of' lhe previous day, 1 venlured the queslio.n, "Do you lhit 1I, 11,
can make il Lo Porto Alegre?"" 1lighl make it as far as Sào Pa11 t 11!" Ill
replied. We looked al cach 0U1er, gol inlo the car, and look oil'.
IL was a beauliful day and the car spcd along the tli 11 ilt
.Janeiro-Siio Paulo highway. We were like the Three Musk,·1t•,•i
everything looking just linc and dandy, when suddenly Ill!' •hl
clouded over and a slorm broke out. What rollcn Juck! Rain p11111,,,11
clown, hailsLones clattered on the ground, and Jightning lla,111,11
across the horizon ahead of us as Lhe day suddenly darkened. 0111
windshield wipers froze, U1e windows steamcd up, and the cn;.:1 111 ,
power dwindled. We were nervously allempting to avoid carect1i1t�
off lhe highway when we came to the f'orly-eighl kilomcter mark ,1111 1
saw U1e School of Agronomy campus (now the Rural University). "'
we decided to stop and talk Lo the principal, who would s11r,·li
understand our pliglll. Ile did.
We woke up very early the next day. The sky was clear, llw
mol'lling crisp and plcasant, and our old Ford was rested and 0111,,,
again speeding gallanlly along lhe highway. "We'II be in Sâo Paulo 1,1
evening," said Fernando. However, the gasogene lailed several linu.',
and il was nighl bef' o re we 1·eached facarei, slill a ways f'rom s,; 11
Paulo. Eslelila burst out, "Fuck! 1\,•elve hours Lo go Lo Jacarei """
Fernando lold us we would be in Sào Paulo by evening! Wlrnl can "''
do ail nighl in Jacarei? The lighl in the holel is Loo dim to read by a11d
there are no girls here. Oh, shit:' To which Fernando smiled and replied,
"Take il easy Estelita. IL's noL far Lo Siio Paulo, we'll be Ulere tomorrow'.'
ln lacL, wc did make il Lo Sâo Paulo the next night, and we booked inLo
the Savoya Hotel. Il had Laken us Lwo days Lo gel lhal far.
We were ail in a !ine mood Lhe l'ollowing morning, and aller a showcr
and breakfast wc sel out Lo hire a cab, since the old Ford was on ils last
legs. ln Praça Republica, we chose the taxi lhal seemcd Lo be in U1e besl.
shape. "Wou Id you drive us Lo Rio Grande do Sul?" we asked the driver.
"AL your service!" replied Pale Pale, who now has a boarding house in
Sào Paulo called Pensào do Pale Pale.
We wenl back Lo Lhc holcl and f'ound 1,odrigo M. F. de Andrade
Jooking for us. When we wenl up to our room Rodrigo laughed in
surprise, realizing we wc,·e ail three staying in the same room. "You
look Jike a bunch orkids on vacation!" he said. And he was right, but wc
Jiked being togcther and lalking long inlo Lhc night, discussing Lhe day's
evenls and our plans l'or Lhe f'ollowing day.
We were always likc Lhal, even much laler, when we rented an aparl­
menl in Sào Paulo, on U1c same Praça de Republica, and slepl on canvas
cols scallered around the rooms. And whal a greaL Lime we had U1en!
Somelimes there were six or eight orus LogcU1er there and the place was
Jike a hostel. Friends dropped by, girls hung around, and our aparlmenl
became a festive party. Silioma,'" oui' dear colleague Silioma, lived Ulerc
permanenUy and as ollen as nol we would arrive f'rom Rio to !ind him in
u,e company or his favorite mulallo girls. 1 remember how one of them
was challing to me one day and told me con!identially, "Or ail the boys
LhaL come here, 1 prefer Or. Silioma. He kisses us on U1e lips?'
Rodrigo look us to lunch and talked about U1e National llistorical
and Arlislic Herilage Service and the hugc problems il faced, and said
he wanted 10 relurn Lo Rio. Whal a greal friend he was! He was
concerned abn1 1 I nur arrangements l'or U,e journey; was U1c cab a good
one, were the highways blocked. "You had besl Lake the
mounlain roule, Lhe seaboard roule is crap!" he advised.
The f'ollowing morning, as agreed, we waited l'or Pale Pale al the
holei. The clock struck len and Lhere was no sign of him. Femando and
Eslelila complained, "Jerk! You paid him in advancc and we goL slill'ed.
Pale Pale won'l turn up?' Soon aller that, however, lo our greal surprise,
he did tu1·11 up, accompanied by a tall, shy young man. "Sorry. We ale
pork-and-bean slew lasl night, gol drnnk out of ou,· mincis, and woke up
Jale. This is Miguel, my assistant'.'
We Lhoughl Ulis was ail very amusing. These people werc so
easygoing! We put the baggage in U,e coml'ortable, but rather worn
 1936 Chevrolel and clrove off. Pale Pale was in a cheerruJ 111111111111
soon broke inlo ltalian song while his assistant, Miguel, gJ11114,1111
us and was about as lalkative as a fish. An hour laler, Lhe c;ir 1-,,1111 1
a hall-U1e gasogene had failed. We gol out lo change Lhc .-!111111, ,
f
and aller much ef ort, we were soon underway again. We Ji-11 11 111 11
pessimistic but Pale Pale seemed so self-assured and conlid1·111 Ili,
we sel off once again wilhoul a care in the world.
Al noon, we slopped for lunch in Capào Bonilo al a 011,• �1111
boarding house lhal was none Loo clean. We drank some wi111, 11111,
ale chicken and rice. The lown consisted of low-lying housi·, 1111,
dusty slreets. When we gol back inlo Lhe ca,· il refused Lo bud1'1,. �hl!
Il was Lhe gasogene again. Pale Pale calmly opened the hood J,1111111 ,
cul his finger as he fiddled wilh lhe cooling fan. 1 -le was blt·,·,1111
profusely, so we slayed in Lhe car while hc wenl Lo Uic 1-,11,111 1
pharmacy Lo allend lo il. Soon he was laughing again, despil,• 1111
bandaged finger, and he gol back to repairing U1e fan.
Suddenly we heard him yell "You son-of-a-bitch!" and wc s1111·i·1I
in shock, as he leapl around in front of us wilh his linger in Jl.11111,
The bandages had caughl tire and we couic! only laugh as hc pit'l<i·il
up U1e screwdriver and screamed, "l'll smash lhis damn thi11g 111
pieces!" We gol out of Lhe car and, aller some effort, succeccJ,,11 111
calming him clown.

\.-- �
�•
_,;r----
____..___
f4,
_
..
 We conlinued on our journey. Pale Pale forgol U1e fan and sang
Joudly. The Lrip fell good again and we were having fun, happily
Jistening to Pale Pale singing, when suddenly Lhe car slopped once
more. We ail cursed U1e gasogene. Vl'hal a piece of crap! However,
Pale Pale explained Lhal il had been Lhe dampness, and il wouldn'l
break down again. This "dampness" explanalion reassured us and
U1e journey continued cheerfully, as il" 110U1ing out of U1e ordinary
had happened. By aflernoon we arrived al a small holel in Apicai, a
horrible place where we once again ale chicken and rice. "Hell!" said
Fernando, "they sure eal enough chicken around here!" We wenl lo
look al the rooms. There were Lhree beds wilh grimy sheets, and U1e
noor was ail stained. Suspecling cockroaches, 1 suggested keeping
the light on. But there were no cockroaches. 1 was just setUing down
in bec! when J spolted dozens or bedbugs scurrying over Lhe maltress
Iike an army of madmen. 1 woke Estelita, who was groggy from sleep,
and told him there were bugs in my bed. He grabbed a pillow and
said, "Sleep in my beef, l'i! sleep with Lhem?' Of course there were
bugs in his bed, too, so I sal clown in a corner unlil I fell asleep.
We lefl early the next morning but the car broke down again
before we reached Curitiba. Pale Pale looked discouraged and we
tried to cheer him up. Disguising our impatience, we wenl over and
sal on U1e grass, exhausled, and stayed Uiere laughing and Lelling
staries unlil the gasogene was repaired. The area's rich natural
Iandscape surrounded us; there were carefully tended fields and
fences, mosUy catUe pastures. We conlinued on our way and the
surroundings began to take on a European appearance. Now the
houses looked difTerent; U1ey became clean and civilized, wilh their
high-peaked rools. There were swastikas everywhere and signs in
German, which angered us. This was the pro-German influence Urnl
was spreading around U1e stale of Santa Catarina, unlil Getûlio'"
implemented his limely nationalist measures.
We reached Joinville, and the following day, aller U1e gasogene
had broken clown three more limes, we got to Blumenau. The nexl
stretch of highway crossed arable land and tilled fields U1at alterna Led
wiU1 old pine groves. Along the highway we saw picturesque eslates,
and Uiere were grapes for sale in one of the driveways, so we boughl
a basket. The grapes were "divine," as JacinU1 says of a plate of peas
in Eça de Queiroz's nove! A Cidade e as Serras (The City and the
Mountains). And so il was, ealing otu· grapes, that we reached Vacaria,
to be greeted by a man wearing U1e region's traditional bombach.as
[flared calf-length riding pants], looking as if he had been expecling
us. "Don't you people know the trame rules?" he barkccl. "Yo11 11I11,J J
from Curitiba!" The ca1· was parkecl in a clesertecl square, i 11 rl'l,itl,,
a barbecue restaurant linecl with a uniform row of low-lying hmiso·, \\
got out and explainecl to U1e man (who turnecl out 10 be th,· 1111 .1
police chie!) that wc werc f'rom llio, and Uiat we had not re,iliz,·d thiot
there was one-way trame in such a desertecl square. f J,, 1111
understancling and, smiling, invitecl us to come ror Junelt 111 Ill
nearby ranch, which wc dicl-aller a l'ew beers with him a 11d a l(l'IIIIJ'
of locals who kinclfy kept us company. The barbecue was goocl ,11111 1
was the hospitality, in the fine traclilion of'the noble gauchos. 11,. 1111
got drunk and hacl a great lime in his company. fi. was alreacly .., ,,,i111
when we 11nally partecl aller an exchange of'embraces and a rn1II11J itl
lively cries or "Viva!" We clrove off toward the sou th.
No sooner had wc rcachecl Serra clas Antas [mountain ranµ;,·I1111111
a storm erupted. What a downpour! A whole river or mucl 11 11,n,I
clown the slope and around the car. "\• Vhy didn't we take U1c scaJ 1111111 J
route?" said Estelita. "You ail l'ell foi: Rodrigo's ruse and now 11 1 . 111 1
really screwed:' And what a godforsaken road that was! We battl,·d 111 1
up the mountain uncler the rain and lightning. On the righl '"'·' 11 11
clifT eclge. An enormous chasm opened up before oui· horrified ,.,,.,
The car was slicling afong on mud and skidcling ail over the rna;I . 1
terrified Miguel jumpecl onto the running board and, almost in '""''',
cr1ecl out, "I don't want Lo die, 1 have kicls al home to look aller!" 111 1 1,
scared, Loo, and suggested Lo Estelita U1at we jump oui. BIii lltut
would have been even worse. What were we going to do ill 11 11,
middle or U1e sto1·111 on that cleserted mountainside? Pale Pale 111,.
terrifiecl and kept the gas pedal Lo U1e noor, saying over and o1e·i·,
"Can't stop! Can't stop!" We macle il clown to the clesertecl plateau an•u
and there was still no horizon Lo be seen. The rain kept pou ring do1111
111 buckets, the wincl whipped the trees along the roadsicle ,1 1 1,1
howlecl and screechecl through the winclows. We pullcd up 11 1 11,
Jacket collars and slept unlil morning, when we woke with u,e s1 1 II
shining clireclly on our faces. The storm was over and we clrovc 0 11 '"
Porto Alegre in the gcnlle shacle of the trees lining the higlrna,.
forgetling about the orcleals of the journey, back to thinking what ·"
wonderful trip il was.
A �ice hotel l'Dom had been booked, so we decicled to stay therc, :dl
_
live ol us, and we got oui· luggage out of'Lhe trunk. Il had t.aken us ni11 ,,
days Lo gel from Hio de .Janeil'O to Porto Alegre.
What or it? If we hacl l.raveled by plane Lhere woulcl have becn 1111
story Lo tell. We would not have seen the souU1ern region ofBrazil, "''
would have misscd out on the fine countryside and the conviviality or
our hospitable souU1ern compalriots, we would not have met Pale
Pale or Miguel, and we certainly woulcl nol have laughecl so much.
"l lello, Dr. Niemeyer? Dr. Azambuja's aide is wailing for you
downstairs:' lie was a pleasant and understanding young man. "Dr.
Niemeyer, 1 have corne to show you around our city. We may begin by
visiling the electric power plant:'
WhaL a bore! We favorecl doing things ourselves, without guides
or p1·e-established ilineraries. There we were, exhaustcd aller nine
days on Lhe roacl, and they wantecl us Lo see the power station! lt was
really Loo much. "Listen pal," 1 said, "why clon't we do something
thal's a littlc more fun? Where do the girls hang out in this town?"
"Weil," rcplied the young man, "yes, or course. But I am a lillle
removed from U1at kind or Lhing myself?' Wc pcrsisted, "So what
about Eloa's joint'?" Thal did the trick. "Good idea!" hc answerecl, and
wc guessed Lhat he was her regular customer.
Wc spcnt the whole allernoon al Eloa's. Aller that, we ollen had
lunch or dinner there, and whenever wc had to go off and see
Azambuja wc could hardly wail to gel back. Eloa's place had a
garden and latticework out front. The house was plcasant and Eloa
was charming. Without ceremony we went in and sal clown. The girls
came into the l'O0lll and there was an incvitable moment or

�
l embarrassment. One girl was Jess inhibited and crossed 11..,. 11,
show ofT everything she had below her belly button. Then sl i ,· 141111,
and put a record on the phonograph, an Argentine lanµ;o. \111111
jumped our guide ail lired up for a dance. Damn, whal a h.l l"" 111,
The girls were ail shapely and pretty; U1ey lrnd Lhr t,11 1 1111
bullocks Urnl we favored, and a nalural and homespun air. T1t1111 ,
we had a look al the downtown area and the main strccls ni l'ol'
Alegre, our main ef ort in gelling Lo know U1e region and i11I,·I·111 )li,
î

wiU1 ils native people had been redirecled to Eloa's place.

The return trip was not much difîerenl, U1ough mosll.) 1,1 Il,
seaboard route. There were no major problems and our µ;nicll ' )1111
very litlle work to do. Once again the gasogene broke clown rq-111I1I11
and Pale Pale had his tantrums, and once again we happil.\ µ111 1,
with U1e journey afier the incidents, as if noL11ing lrnd happC'i1t·cl.
Eighl days later we were back in Sào Paulo. 1 was beginninµ; 1 0 , •
used Lo Sào Paulo and not long afier Urnt, Otavio F'rias,, askecl 1111, 1
do some architectural work there. IL is always a pleasure Lo l'C'<·;,1I 1111 1
friendship. 1 remember him inviling us Lo lunch al his hon11•. 111111
then excusing himself Lo take his customary siesla aller the nl<'al. \\,
remained in Ll1e room lai king and hall�an-hour laler he reappt·i11·,·II
refreshed and ready Lo gel on with his schedule, which freqt1t·1ilh
wenl on past midnighL.

Oh,Lhose nostalgie memories of oui· ollice in Rio, of oui· hellrai.,111

and carousing, and the journeys from Rio Lo Sào Paulo or Brasili,1.
how I would like Lo be able Lell you ail about them!
Of course we enjoyed ourselves: U1ere were girls coming aro1111d
and we had ail the fun thal young people deserve. We end i11·,·1I
crilicism on accounl of the usual prcjudices, yet we got on wilh 0 111
work al the same lime, and we had 011r ambilions, and we look .,11
our responsibililies.
So while I cannot writc ail I would like Lo about those limes,il I�
pleasant Lo recall them a litlle, remembering old companions a11d
thaL almost juvenile optimism Llrnl came Lo us so naturally. Oh,.,,.,,
they sure were the good old days! Carlos Leào, Eça, Galdino Dup1·;I1,
Carlos Echenique, Fernando Brito, Reis,Jorge Moreira, Reidy... ail"'
far away now. Such good friends and such solidarity. Everyone 1·e;1t11·
Lo pileh in if' any one of us was faeed with momenlary adversity!
And what of Cinira? She was thcre having fun wiU1 us too, h,·r·
beaulif'ul body shaped in U1e baroque style we favored. How sad il i,
to feel that ail Ulat is fading away, as distant as lile itseln Such an old
and beloved l't'iend, so generous and cheerful; 1 can almost hear her
vivacious, carefree laughler now.
Of course, work ollen kepl us busy, Loo, and we ollen slayed al our
drawing board night aller nighl, until Lhe early hours or the morning.
Bul Lhen we would be so happy Lo Iock up Lhe ollice and go and have
some fun Logether.
One day, a guy wc didn'L know Loo well came Lo U1e omce, and
there he was, really and truly getting on our nerves with his
incredible nonchalance.Fernando deeided Lo eut oul four cardboard
phalluses,and slowly and carefully he stuck Lhem on L11e heels of U,e
visiLor's shoes. This strange characler linished his business with us
and we laughed as he proceeded along Avenida Hio Branco,unable
to ligure out why everyone was staring al him and laughing al U1e
unusual spurs he was wearing.
1 recall, Loo, on another occasion, Fernando silting there, slowly
squashing bananas and dropping L11em oul of the oflice window on
passersby. Down below, there was a crowd of people looking up al
our· friend,who remainecl unruflled, as if he had nothing Lo do wilh
L11e whole business. Occasionally, he would lire my handgun inlo Lhe
ocean and wave il al Gauss Eslelila, who would scream in terror,
"Son of' a bitch! One day you'II aim al L11e ocean and hil me:' This was
Uie bohemian side of life that u,e adversiLy of Lime has lefl behind.
1 recall a Lime I was al Ule Aeronaulics Cenler in Ule town of Sào
José dos Campos, and José Lopes," who did nol know how Lo drive,
wanled Lo try his hand with my pickup truck. As there was a
wooden pile supporling Lhe shed behind the car,1 decided Lo play a
praclical joke on him. "Have a go al it then," 1 said as he goL behind U1e
sleering wheel, and I added, "Pul her in reverse!" He demolished
the shed.
One nighl, we were sitling al a table wilh several Ai1· Force oflicers
and we decided Lo scare Duprat, who believecl in ghosls. We set up
L11e table for a séance and Eslelila attached some string Lo a glass.
When il began Lo move, Duprat,who had refused Lo take parl in U,e
session, got up and cried out, "IL's jusl a game for you guys, but that
glass is moving.This is a really important phenomenon!" Everyonc
bursl oul laughing and our companion, realizing that a trick had
been played on him, angrily walkecl out and slammed U,e door shul
and shouled U1al we were a bunch of real baslards. Laler that nighl,
in the dorm, there was a game on and Duprat stood in front of my bcd
shouling, "You bastards wanl Lo have some fun? Go Lo the movics!"
 ll's ail gone now! .Just memorics of lhe
passing .\""''•,
gonc rorever.
But life gocs on and here we are, esleemecl
reaclers, pn•1i•11 1III
bclieve in Lhings of no real conscquence,
clrcssed in 11,,. ,( 1 1!,1, 11
arehilecl, and wilh a clevolion Lo arehilecl
urc lhal is "h 11li1 111,j
place in Lhis unjusl worlcl.

Even loday I have fond memories of my contacts wiLh 11 1 1· l'I Il

the lasks assignecl lo me by Lhe party: selling 7hbuna /'ntJ11 /111 ,1
party newspaper; pulting up posters and banners a,·0 1111 1I 11 1 1 1 ,,
organizing eell meetings in lhe G{1vea district, and laler al 1111• 1 111 1,
Commillee hcaclquarlers in the Gloria neighborhood. 1 rP111 1• 1 1il111 11
meelings and rallies I helpecl organize and the pressures 0 11 1 1111 11,
involvccl therc as we facccl numcrous threals. Our lasks '".,.'' ,111,
Limes clillieull, but ollieial orders were unqucstionecl and il 11111,1
have been unthinkable nol lo carry Lhem out.
The eell leaders, however, were nol always eompele11I ;111d 111.
oflen clislinguished by an unrealislie authorilarianism. 1 n·,·1 1 11 11
nighl Getùlio was overthrown and we reecivecl ordcrs lo h 11 ld I ·,
meetings and oller whalever support possible. Wc werc 10 or�1111I
resislanee. Ali nighl long I l'erriecl comrndes around lhc eil.1. 0 11 11,

.
lasl trip, al four o'cloek in the morning, 1 look a mcmber of 1 11.1 ,·,.Il
.
lall mulallo who carriecl a revolver wrappcd in newspaper. 111 Il,

!1
clownlown area and droppecl him off in the Gloria district. 1 gm ,. 11 111
some money and wenl back lo my cell. The only comment l'rn111 Ili

:I
cell's organizing secrelary was, "I thoughl thal you lrnd donc· 1111
same as Cavalcanli and jusl wenl home!' 1 dicl nol like Lhal rC'111a1'11 111
ail. Perhaps I should have clone Lhal, Loo.
One day, just before Lhc parly became legal, 1 came a,To

I
Di6gcnes Arrucla,n who waved al me on Avenicla Beira-Mar. "'fi,J,1
1 ,
1
, Lhesc banners and help prepare for the rally!" he saici. J joincd i1 1 11 Ill,
my usual readiness Lo help. The meeling was supposed lo be hl 'ld 111
I the Castelo qual'ler, buL in ll1cl U1al was impossible, as polie,• ,·111

I
were swarming arouncl and conliscaling the banners wc hacl j 11 1
1,
placed Lhcre.
Many of my pal'ly comrndes becamc lil'elong friends, arnong 1111 •111
my dear friend Agilclo Barala who was a Communist al hearl. i\1111
and lhen he likcd Lo spcnd Lime lai king lo friends and enjo_1 i11�
himselr while rnomenlarily forgelling his 1·evolutionary mission 1 11
life. l lunled by the polilical police, he always round a way to mecl ,11 1,
ltJI' a talk or a poolside lunch al Lhe Copacabana Palace holel. His hal
f
was his only disguise, but he shrngged of the danger and laughed
wilh me as wc talkecl of ail kinds of subjecls. l le realizcd Lhal no body
would Lhink of looking l'or him al such a bourgeois place.
For Barnta, every provocation dcse,·ved a response, as you may
J·ud"e0 from these two episodes in his life. ln 1935, along wilh severnl
oLher people, he wns t11Tesled and laken Lo the army bt1 1Tacks. One ol
Lhe more aggressive ollicers screamed al thcm, "Where's this son of
a bilch Agildo Barata?" l le stcpped rorward and inlrodueed himsclr;
"l'm Agildo 13arala. You're the son of a bilch!'
Many ycars aflcrward, .Joâo Saldanha tells me, the poliliŒI police
decided to break up a meeling in the Castelo quarter and arrcsl
Agildo, who was organizing U1e evenl. Presles bcgan lo speak and
Agildo stuck a pistol in a policeman's gut and said, "Wail lill Presles
linishes the speech, or 1'11 shool you!' Episodes such as Lhese-and
therc arc nrnny more lhal afTecled our comrades-encouraged us as
wc wcnl about our dulies for lhc PCB.

1 cannol lhink of Belo llorizonle wilhoul menlioning Carlos

. . .
Echenique-a Lrue l'riend, always lhcrc for me. 1 recall how funny hc
was, how hc kncw how to invcnt his romances, si nec women wcrc a

=
- --1e
,;.--:::-:::::,e
�-
- ·
I
..-:::
'7:
-___-=�__
 constant concern of his, even when one day hc had Ili� t,
plaster cast and asked me to tend him my apartmc111. t ,·,•, 1111 t,
came with us on journeys, even U1ough he was not pari 11111111
staff. He liked our company and we loved him in spit,· 111' 11 Il
f'aults lhat we carefully tried to avoid.
Oh, old Echenique ... How I miss you! One day, ba,·I, 111 1111 1
Governor Benedito Valadares>i summoned me to Belo 1111111111 ,1
the night before the meeting, Echenique Look me to a rri!,(illt'l11lr"
city. IL was a modest but entertaining nightclub, with " 1,11111 11
divided by a long wooden lrellis. We drank a great cll'al 111111 ,1
point, wilh Echenique on one side of the trellis and 111,· "" 1tr1 1 ,1
l clecided to scare him by toppling Uie trellis. IL collapsrd II llh 11.
1 lilling the whole nightclub wilh dust. The police c,1111t• 111111, 11
1
f'riend had a red handkerchief around his neck (th,· 11'11111111
1 1 symbol of a regional rebellion Lhat had Laken place Lherc), 111· piolr
claiming he was a gaucho. The local police in the sial!· 111 \Ir
Gerais nurtured an intense dislike of gauchos, however, ;111d 11111
five minutes we were thrown out of the club and into tlw sli·,·r•I
So we spent our lirst night in Belo llorizonte al lhl' j11tilu,
trying Lo explain to tl1e local chief of police what had happ,·I11,rl
Even in Brasilia, Echenique followed me around on L11t· prdl 1
selling marble traded by his f'riend 'âpole." One day, he l'all;-11,
urgently l'l'Om Rio. He wanted to see me. !le was l'eelirr!-( 11,1 1 , ,
Overcome by emotion, we embraced each 0U1er l'or t11e lasl ti1111,

Belo Horizonte! 'Nhat an unusual city it was! It still had a tr·adi1t1111

hospitality, and lush vegetation shaded t11e main avenue; th,•n· 1111
none of the traflic pl'Oblems that it has today.
1 loved staying al the Grande Hotel and eating in ils glass-d11r11 ,
restaurant or drinking a drafl beer in the corner bar white 1 1111th ,
for friends to show up. 1 oflen spent lime t11ere talking to Roclri!-(111 t
F'. de Andrade] and Milton Campos,,. or Teixeirilo and my 111111.
colleagues. Rua Bahia was so pleasant back Lhen, with ils clair.y ,1011
and coffee shops. Avenida Afonso Pena was still lined with tr�·,·,. 11111
they ail disappeared one day and I have no idea what exp1"rrall ot,
was given! There was an avenue circling tl1e city. There was ,llir·i·'
place. Then Pampulha emerged as an oasis in that bcarrlllirl
pl'Ovincial city.
I occasionally went Lo the Public Gardens to walk among LIH' tr•r,h
lrees and t.hink about the theater that J K [Juscelino Kubitschek, 1111
 been
d to build there, which has now
rnayor of Belo Horizonte] wante ce foyer
I designed il with an entran
altered beyond recognition. en U1e
is now !'rom the streel, betwe
opening onto the park. Access
vable enu·ance couId
stores, as if such an inapplO ' priate and inconcei
in other people's
i;race a theater. I Jow - easy il is, in Brazil, to interfere
pect for proper ethics!
work and spoil il, with no res l1
Ouro Preto, which I designed wit
This reminds me of the hotel in ot.is are
s been altered so that the pil
great care and affection. IL ha red
and the building has been disligu
hcrnmed in by new construction I u·ied to
taste. I recall Lhe many Limes
by f'urniture in incredibly bad f'riend
so poorly executed. I wrote my
correct this work which was I would
or Minas Gerais, Lelling him
Israel Pinheiro, then governor lding,
the Palace of Governmenl bui
not charge for U1e design for ro Preto.
money Lo repai1· Lhe hotel in Ou
asking him instead to use the the wall.
the Ietter l'rarned and hung on
! le was so moved thal he had tel
sta] called to tell me that the ho
Some lime aflerward, Lùcio [Co charge
hed Lo the site. The person in
was being desu·oyecl, and I rus ievable
carry out ail the otl1er unbel
promised to lix the l'OOf and t my
The work was completed, bu
alterations thal were required. Jack of
his innocent yet invariable
design was totally altered by Lried to
I couId do about it. Israel had
sensitivity. There was noLhing thal U1e
the hotel but had not realized
help rne by ordering repairs al taste
out did not measure up Lo the
person chosen to carry them l1 such a
Old World! We still put up wit
Things are so different in the
Brazil!
Jack or accountability here in nch
h the headquarters or tl1e Fre
Some years ago, in Paris, wil secretary
Jacques Duclos, t11c general
Communist Party completed, and il is
Lhe F'C P, cal led me to say , "Oscar, the building is ready
of old desk,
y bea uti rul , but I hav e a req uest to make. 1 have here an
ver ;' I-le
wit h a his tor y of ils ow n, il has been with me ail my liJ'e
one w Lhat
nte d to kno w il' I wo uld agr ee to place il in his new oflice. No
wa ers!
l con sid era tion for peo ple ! True respect for tl1e work of oth
is rea
pening in Brazil?
When shall we hear of t11is hap

for t11e
l1 Le Corbusier. On the work
J did a great deal of work wit working
e, we spent several montl1s
UnitedN ations building alon_ lunch
d to talk every day and have
togeUier in New York.· Wc usc
s and hopes as architects.
together, sharing our concern g or
6 in füo, when, al Lhe biddin
But our nrst contact was in 195 , askcd
ema, then minister of education
Lùcio [Costa], Gustavo Capan
 Le Corbusier Lo give a series o f lcclu res. Le Corbusier" ilS ,Ir11� Il•

. .
againsl U1c incomprehension Lhal su1-rounded him pror,•"11111 "
and was cager lo prove his laient, so hc quickly cr!'alt'd l\111 111
works, the Ministry or Education and l lcallh builcli11;.: 111111 11
University or Mangucira.

Il
Al thal Lime wc wcre somcwhal removecl rr om lhc con· ,·,1111 1 1 ,
or his archilecture. We hacl read his exceplional work ,is ir 11 11,,
l loly Scriplure, but, as il turncd out, we werc slill nol rcall� i11 1111 ,11
the clclails and secrels. This explainecl the masterly inckp, ·11,h·1t
wilh which hc quickly rejected Lûcio's U-shapcd clcsi;.:11 1111 Il•
minislry and arlopled a differenl solution with the li11car 1;,r11, Ill.,
characterizccl mosl or his designs.
1

Il 1 lowcvcr, if I am Lo clarilY his cnlhusiasm and the way lw '"" J,1,1

1 11111st go back and cxplain whal 1·eally happened wilh his \11111. 11
Hio. l lavi11g moved away from Lûciu's design, which Ile hacl 11si•il 11
lhe basic pl'Ogram, Le Corbusier drew up Iwo plans: one for"" 1111 ,1
1
site near Lhe ocean, the olher for the downlown area lhill 1111
ullimalely chosen. This second design was then devclopcd ln 1111
lcam I was on and Lhal Lûcio dircclcd.
As I saw il, lhe firsl plan was a much beller one. Whe11 1 ,,1\\ 1111
drawings being linished lor Lhe second design, 1 apprche11,i 11•1
auemplecl lo bring in a differenl idea based on the lirsl clcsig11. c:arI11
Lcào likcd my dralls and we11l lo talk l o Lûci o, 1ml I hacl 11t1·"" 11 1111

_"'liDlT
 Lhal tl1ey mighl acLUally be
sketches out-il hacl never occurred me Lo
Lhey were appl'Oved. My
usecl. Lùcio had us find lhem again, and
al the ccnler or tl1e silc, wilh
layoul had Le Corbusier's second design
s onlo the square, and wilh
1 he greal enlrance hall opening on ail sicle
um space facing oulwal'CI.
n more independenl exhibition and auditori
uenlly exaggernled or
Since my collaboralion in the design is freq
suggestions I made, such as
minimized, howevcr, 1 can recall olher
lhe rear racadc as a localion
climinaling the exlensions projected on
hallway inslead of a uniform
for lhe balhrooms; adopling a central
lirsl panel of Lhe brise-soleil
circulai ion pattern; and eliminaling the
on the parapel.
nol like my proposai.
1 do remember thal Jorge Moreira did
osl linished. Everylhing
has
"Lûcio," he said, "the design is alm
on
opinion, and my suggesli
been dralled:' Bul Lûcio sluck lo his
was approvecl.
not been ror Lûcio, Le
Wc should nol ro,.gel 1hal ir il had
been buill, and the facade
Col'busiel''s second design would have
s, like lhc Brazilian Press
would have been covered by vertical brise
from some or the dl'awings
Association building, as I had gathcred
and sketches.
wc senl Le Corbusier a
When the design stage was concluded,
being eonsidcl'ed Lhe chier
photo or 1he se-ale mode!. Unhappy al
ch on the photo and l1ad il
al'chitccl ror 1he building, he drew a sket
masler was going Loo litr; oui'
published in a Swiss magazine. The old
to, wcl'e or lillle consequence
alleralions, which appeared in Lhal pho

.
in relation Lo his original conccpl.
\Ve have always, acknowledged the Minislry of Educal.ion design
eommemoralive plaque we
as being lhe work or Le Col 'busier. On the
sketch by Le Corbusier:' ln
wrole, "ln aeeordance wilh the original
ol'iginal oulline, the basic
arcliileclul'al vocabulal'y, lhc sketch is the
idea, lhc a!'chilectural invention.
, wilh my design ror the
My own architecture was 10 bcgin laler
Pampulha eomplex.
Lo visil Minas Gerais
One day Gustavo Capanema look me
ning Lo build a casino in
govel'n0I' Benedito Valadal'es, who was plan
lol'izonle nicknamcd Acaba
a remote suburban dislricl or Belo l
ion I mel Juscelino ".I K"
1\/undo (End or Lhe World). On thal occas
or. 1 designed the projccl
Kubilschek, then a candidate lor cily may
sel the malle!' aside. Many
and showed il to Valadal'es, who Lhen
n 1. 1( summoned me lo his
monlhs laler the pt·ojecl was revived whc
may ol'.
ollice following his inauguration as cily
 On U1e scheduled date I wenl back lo Belo Horizonte toµ:1'1111•1 11111

12
Rodrigo [M. F. de Andradej. "1 wanl to creale a leisurr tlisl1111
Pampulha. 1 want lo lurn il into a lovely neighborhootl. 111111
anylhing in the enlire country, wilh casino, club, ch11rl'h, 111 ,
restaurant. By the way, 1 need the casino plans by tomorrnw," .111 )11I,
me. The nexl morning I handed him the plans, aller having , 111•11I 11,
nighl drawing in my room al the Centsal Hotel. 1 hacl never si·,•11 Mllt 1
greal enthusiasm as I clic! in Kubitschek, such a si.rang ,1i-,111, 11,
accomplishmenl, and such conlidence surrounding an u11dn111l<11,
that, al Urnt lime, racecl consiclerable obstacles.
The construction work began. JK followecl ils progn·ss tlull
convincecl Lhal the project woulcl greaUy benelil the city. 1 los,· ,·o111,1
of the many limes we inspected the Pampulha site togeU1er! Ti1111· 111111
again we wenl by motorboal to see U,e buildings reflectecl on 11!,· 1111,,
JK cou Id nol conlain his excilemenl. "How wonderrul! This is flOIII
to be the most gorgeous neighborhoocl in the worlcl!" he uscd 111,111
lndeed, the Pampulha projecl was a gmal challenge, partic11laril htt
.JK, who hacl lo seek impossible funding, lighl the burea111.',.1111,
paralysis that surrounded him, and su·uggle againsl the pro, iu, lul
menlality of his peers.
Pampulha was the sta1ting point or my career as an archil1·1•I 1
was lotally enthusiastic about my fïrst project, which ,t1,
11
inauguralecl a series or lenglhy car trips on bumpy dirl roads, 11ilt'II
so mudcly Uiat we were forcecl to stop lor help. One day we ev,·11 111111
a yoke or oxen Lowing our car! The projecl was an opportu11i1, 10
challenge the monotony of contemporary architecture, the wm·,. 111
misinterpreted runclionalism thal hinclered il, and U,e clogn1a, 1 11
form and funclion lhal had emerged, counleracling the pl,1.,111
rreedom thal reinforcecl concrele introduced. 1 was allral'l,•il
by the curve-U1e liberated, sensual curve suggeslcd by 1111,
possibililies of new technology yet so ollen 1·ecalled in venerabh· oltl
baroque churches.
1 Lake greal pleasure in recollecling ail the excilemenl stirrcd 1111
by the conslrnclion or Pampulha. 1 pa1'licularly remember JJ('s z,·111
and the clevolion of ail who workecl on U,e projecl. 1 also 1·ernll
builder Ajax Rabelo and his amiable nephew, Marcos Paulo Rabcl11. 11
1 met Rabelo lwenly years taler in Brasilia, al a lime when he '""
once again collaboraling wiLh his rriend ,JI(, jusl like in U1e oie! days
of U1e Pampulha project.
There the JJrojecl stands today, delYing ils eternal antagonisls.
The small church wiU1 ils harmonious, varied curves; the casino, 11!,·
 open-air tables uncler a
club, and the restaurant. The restaurant has
incl the viewcr that well­
marquee Uial projects sinuously, as if'to rem
tiful, logical, and gracerul.
clesignecl and well-buill cu1·ves can be beau
the Pam1mlha complex.
Many people were favorably impressecl by
telegram wilh his opinion:
Lùcio [Costa] wenl Lo see il, then sent me a
s taler, Jean de Roche, a
"Pampulha is a real beauty?' Severa! year
g illuminaling comment:
colleague rrom Paris, made the followin
generalion:' Critics never
"Pampulha was the greal passion or my
ckecl out of their sails when
lired or attacking il, but the wincl was kno
itectural importance.
the journal Brazil Build highlighled ils arch
1 knew Ulal someday
The crilicisms clic! nol bolher me al ail.
s and slarl looking for
criûcs would lire of their tedious samenes
U1ey have turned to; U1ey
something else. Now il is postrnoclemism
cted, only now these are
have acceptecl ail U,e novellies U1ey once reje
busier atone ref'usecl to
a thousand limes more conspicuous. Le Cor
once remarking, "Oscar,
jump on the banclwagon. 1 remember him
wcll done:' And again,
whal you are doing is baroque, but il's very
baroque, too. But jusl look
several years later, "They say my work is
or Chancligarh-nol every-
al Uiat photo of U1e mode! for U1e Congress
one cou Id do that:'
ent another that I have
These very revealing comments complem
memoirs: "Afler so many
selected f'rorn his rriend Amédée Ozenfanl's
right angle, Le Corbusier
years of purist discipline and loyalty to the
from elscwhere, and he
caught wincl of the premise of a new baroque
est right-angle, which he
seems to have decided to leave aside the hon
so long. ln the end, Ule
tencled to regard as his privale domain for
to himselr-and as always
baroque-born (Le Corbusier) cloe s justice
with immense talent:'"
Le Corbusier's mosl
Ouring one of my u·ips to Paris, one or
remark about what was
discreet assistants made a somewhal sour
he rell Le Corbusier was
happening to the master's architectme;
ous lhat my architecture
lacking sensibility and passion. Il was obvi
, but this factor is only
had influcnced Le Corbusier's later projects
work.
now being taken inlo account by crilics or his

l-lere I am going to mention a clear oie! rriencl, a greal engineer who

worked wiU1 me for a long lime. 1 see him in a photo Lhat has
yellowecl wilh age, he is seated beside me on a park bench in Belo
Horizonte. Joaquim Carclozo;o gazes al the camera with a distant,
ill-al-ease expression. He looks very thin, practically skin and bones.
 I l'ecall Lhe many ycal'S we Lravclecl al'ouncl the \\orld 1111111
pal'IS of' Bl'azil. I l'ecall Lhc counlless subjects we clisc11s"·d. 1111· I
pills we swallowed LogeLhel' i11 Lhis ab s ul'cl WOl'lcl. Al 1i1111, , t 111 ,
would step oul on Lhc vernnda in Olli' ollice, look up al 1111' ,1. 1
cleclal'c, "We must gel lo the Ob scrvaLOl'y!" Thal ,1e11dd 111
beginning of' long convel's alions aboul Lhe Slal'S. i11ii1111,, 1,
. clt
slanl nebulae, and the grandcul' of' lhc univel'se. ,\1 ollu•, lh

we discuss ed lilel'alUl'e. On thos e occasion s Cal'clozo ,·,i

l lt I

quoted Goethe f'l'om Lexis he had Lranslatccl, 0I' he l'Ccil,·d ltl, p,

Coronel de Marambim.
IVI0l'e often Lhan nol Olli' convc,·salions l'CVolvccl al'ouud 1111,, 11,,
Lhc l'Clalion bcLWCCII al'chilcCLLtt'e a nd cnginCCl'it1g. 1111,I II
unfol'lunalc misu11clcl'slancling or Lhos e 1�ho ll'ied lo 11111'1, 1 .,,
l'einfol'cecl conel'etc from Lhc nal'row viewpoint or l'aliouali,111 11,
inlol'mecl conlempol'al'y al'chiteclu1·c. Am11s ecl, Carchno fll' 11ui1,1 ,1,
build solid-iron column bases as Lhin as I wished them lo Ill'.
We enjoyed l'eminiscing about ou,· eal'ly clays. \Ve l'C't1t1•11t1111 ,
Lhc i11ilial phas e of' conslruclion or lhe Pampulha cornpk,, 1111,
Kubilschck's enlh11siaslic l'emarks: "Osc al', Lhis is going 111 111
beauty!" Smiling, we l'Ccallccl the design for the church, whi<'lt 1111
many years was rejected clcspilc ils simplicity, despite th;11 ,1 11 .
enl' ichcd by painli11gs, clecoralivc Liles, and thr bas-relief's b, C:au,lhl
Po1tinari, Ccschiatli, and Paulo Wel'lleck.
We also cli scu s sccl Lhe jobs we undertook in Belo I loriw111,· , 1111
even ls sun·ouncling J K 's lenul' e as stale governor, the Lhcalel' , lih,·t11
public school, and yet anolhcr school named Escola .l(tlia K11hih.-lu·�
We Lalkecl aboul our f'l'equent lravels by Cal' along muclcl .1 """"''
roads 01' onboard old Ccnll'al do 13rasil railroad Ll' ains, their g,·1111,, 1 11
and-f'l'o movement often l'OCking us Lo sleep.
We s poke or Brnsilia ,rncl ils impalpable clu sl, it s hail-1111111t1,.1
s torms beating down on lhe Lin roof' or Lhc wooden b11ildi11g 11s,·tl 11

a lcrnporary prc siclcnlial l'csiclence. We spoke or buildings l'isi11g 1111I

orthal b arl'et1 land lhal Lhc cily plannel' had so skillf'ully lancls,·ap,•il
Cal'clozo rccollecled Lhc Ll'cmcndous clilliculty he l�1cccl designing 1111
structure of' Lhe National Congre s s complex, and how enlhusi.,slit· 111

was Lhc clay he phoned me to say, "Oscar, I got the Langcnl 111;11 1�
going to allow Lhc conslruclion or a f'rce-spanning dome fi,r ,1.,,
I louse or Hepresentalivcs, just like you wan I it!" Those were the g1111,I
old clays! Everything was like a clrearn-.1 K' s favoritc cll'ea m.
We never spoke aboul Lhe accident at Gamcleira,&• which \\ii�"'
disgustingly exploited il des erves no comment. Cel'lainly, hoiH·1e·,·.
we ol\cn thought about it ancl were revolLecl inside. i\ly God, \\'hat
tcrl'iblc distres s !
One clay my \ 'riencl Cardozo pass ed on, rc scnlf'ul of' li\'e and
humankind. I le was so Lhin he appcal'cd as fragile as glass . I
rnmcmbcr the clay he phoned me r,·om Hccil'c, ill and upset: "Oscar,
please send someone Lo gel me:' I promptly brought him Lo Rio,
where f booked him a room ncal' the ollice, al Lhc Mil'amal' 1 lolcl. I
picked him up every morning s o he could s pend Lhe clay wilh us.
Allhough his memory was \'ailing somewhat, Cardozo still s miled as
he told his tales of' Hccil'c, the Garnbl'ino Har, and Lhc olcl l'Ccl-lighl
clisLl'icL he enjoyed c l 'uising "jusl ro1· ils local colol'!" as he would s ay.
In the evening I cll'0Ve him back Lo the hotel and of'lcn joined him
IOI' dinner in his room. Actually, I f'cll bad about leaving him alone.
llc was a highly scnsilivc and solitary man who had become
allachcd Lo me like someone who finds-and docs nol wanl lo los e­
his last l'ricncl in Lhc wol'ld. From his chair in the dralling room,
Ca l 'clozo closely f'ollowed Lhc ollicc routine. On occasion, ii' a visitor
insisted on talking with me, he promptly interjected, taking the
pel'son \Jy the elbow, as he did will, .Julio Niskier,'" a11d saying, "All
right, that's enough. Now you must let Oscal' get back to wol'k:'
1 lowcvcr, Cardozo's illness advanced on its inexorable course, and·
aller a while he could no longer slay at the hotel. I transferl'Cd him
to Lhe surgery ward or Casa de Sal'.ode Eil' as hospital, headed by my
brothel' Paulo.
Al the hospital, my f'l 'iend was assigned a lal'gc room with three
windows opening onto the gal ' dcn. At lirsl he seemed Lo be adapting
well to that tranquil and comforting environment. I le commented on
Lhe beaulilu ' l park, Lhc mango Ll'ecs loa ded with f'ruil, the singing
birds, and DI'. Metre, who came in f'or a daily visit. As his condition
worsened, howcvcl', he grew irritable Lo the poinl that olhel' patients ,
01, even his own friends, gl'eaLly annoyed him. llis daily routine
included spending lime outclool's, bul gra dually il became mOl'C
dillicult IOI' him to l'elurn lo his 1'00111. I remcmbcl' one evening
when he lay on the gl'o11ncl and rcf'used Lo go inside. The physicians
came out Lo help him. Cal'dozo Lolcl Lhem, "I'm going Lo drown:' One
of the cloctol'S gently l'eplied, "Don't worry, Ml'. Cardozo, there's no
walel' here:' In reply to which my f'riencl, who ncvcl' missed an
opportunity lo solve a technical problem, set his pcl'sonal Ol'dcal
temporarily aside and advised, "Dig deep and you will lind il:' 1\vo
months later it was the hospital administration's turn Lo suggest thal
he be Lransf'cl'red-lhis lime, Lo Lhc p sychiatl'iC ward.
 Whal '.1 sad world! Where we
re all his friends wh 11 11111 ii ,
consideration for his allenlion
and reliable support? Al ;1 111111
much suffering, there were onl
y five or six of us al his lwtl.,ldi
Finally, one day I chartered a
plane and flew Card 11zu 111111
Hecil'e, accompanied by his phy
sician. Shorlly aflerward ,,.. tilt 11.,
local hospital. My only consol
ation came from knowinµ; 111111
always Lreated him wilh affectio I 1,
n from Lhe bollom of ' my ,,..,11,
Many years earlier, I had bec
ome f'ully aware of' 1111 1 11 1111
Cardozo during a meeting in Bra 1
silia wil11 Lhe mayor Pa,,'1 11 tf,, 1
"Mr. Niemeyer, I'm going lo set • 111
up an expe,t commission 111 1 I,,
.loaquim Cardozo's slruclural design for
l11e Audit Court buildl,1� 1
told me. To which I promplly
replied, "Cardozo is an old 1-,.1,.11
mine. If' you do lhis I will quit 11
my position al city hall im,11,•d
"In that case, send lhis survey l1111 I
form fo1· him Lo fill oul," d,· · 11
added, allempting conciliation. 11
"I'll do so in your prcsen,·,•," 1
And I scribbled on Lhe cover 1,1 I
sheet, "Cardozo: Please Jill 11111
return lo Lhis idiot:' "You seem lo 111 1
have come straight from 1111' F11111
Helalions Department," Lhe ma
yor said with a smile.
One clay, al Lhe ollice, Joaquim
Cardozo made some rc,11,11-11 11,
caused Estelila lo protest: "Th
at's not what you said y,·sr,,11
Cardozo was unrepentant and 1111
simply 1·eto1tecl, "Your job is 111
note or what I say; I'll change ltil
my mind whenever J want lo."
laughed at Carclozo's noncha "" 1111
lant assertion or his right 1 0
s 11 flt I,
opinions. I kept quiet, but llie incident reminded me of something
similar in my own experience. On one occasion we had been
standing beside the tall pillars of' Lhe Ministry of Education and
Heallh building when L(1cio [Costa] observed, "Oscar, you said ll1ose
columns were only four melers tall, but in fact l11ey've always been
ten meters tall." I remember my reaction of sheer disbelief; feeling
sure Lhat I was right.
Allerward, as I gave Lile subject more thoughl., I realized L(1cio
was right. I was surprised and at l11e same lime curious to learn what
had Jed me to make such a mistake. Eventually I discovered what had
happened. All the external columns or the building were in l'acl l'om
meters tall as I had mentioned, bul the interior columns, which I only
parlly saw from my vantage point behind Lhe glass lobby wall, were
indeed ten meters! It was a relief to discover how this metamor­
phosis had occurred. In removing the glass walls from the ground
floor, exposing it to the plaza on all sides, I had given these interior
columns f'resh allure and more prominence. They were now
free-floating and monumental. As Perret once observed, "One has to
make the supports sing."•• I felt that the modifications to Le
Corbusier's original design had given the building a more l'ree­
flowing style; the columns had undeniably gained integrity, as
people moved around l11em highlighting their scale and splendor.
I don't remember what caused Cardozo to change his mind that
clay, but I think he would have felt as much at ease to discuss it as I
do now.

Jn 1947, Wallace Hal'l'ison asked me to join ll1e team of architects

commissioned with the design of the United Nations headqual'ters.
On the vel'y day I new into New York, Le Col'busier rnng me al my
hotel and asked me to meet him on a corner of Filth Avenue.
It was cold outside, so I larl'ison considerately draped his own coal
over mine, saying, "I'll do as Saint Francis did:' Then, as we walked
to Oscal' 1 ilzke's•, home a few blocks away, he told me about the UN
job. His design was being criticized and he wanted me to work with
him on the project. I agreed to his request, and for several days I did
my best to help him.
One day, however, Harrisott summoned me to his onice. "Oscar, I
haven't brought you hel'e to collaborate with Le Corbusiel'. I have
brought you hel'e to contl'ibule your own design, like lhe other
architects:' The moment Le Corbusier learned about this he l'Cplied,
 "You can 'l do Iha !, ii wo uld onl
y lea d lo con l'us ion ."' \111 1,,11 11 I,
few day s late r, h e adv ised me , "Yo
u'd bel ier do it. The_\ ·re · ,.1 11.,
des ign from you:' I had my drn ll 1 II
pla n ready in a week. J " " "' 1111,
I did nol l i ke Le Cor bus ier's
scheme; ii see me d d c ·stin ,•ci J,
d i ll"e ren l silc . The low er he dev ised ,
l"or the Gen era l Ass !'in l>h 111111 ,
Con lerencc B u i l d i n g spl il the sile
aw kw ard ly in two .
In my scheme, I kep i the ind ispe
nsa ble Secr·ela r•i;rf 1 1 1,.1 I 1
sep ara ted the Gen cnl l Ass em
bly J'rom !he Con lcr· e11, -,, 11,,1 1111,
plac ing the latte r in a long blo ck
by !he rive r and the fom H•r ;cl 1111
of the site . Tha t was how the nitc 1 .,
d Nat ion s Plaza cam e lo Ire· , 11 ,1
Bud ian sky ,u, who al lhe Linw was
Le Cor bus ier's ass isl n r r t , 1111 11
lirs l per son lo see it. "Yo urs i s bcl
lcr tha n his! " was his rc·n C'IJn 11
orb usie ,
� r the n cam e i n and slow ly scru t i n ized it bef ore
(·o1 11111 ,.11I1 1
rtu 11 rs one elega n t des ign !"
On ce agn i 11 Wa llac e l larr ison cal
led me to his ollice. "'(Js ,,111
all Javo r you r sch em e; I'm goi ng
lo put i t forward at the ra•, 1 llrc•, •llll
So he did . On lhe day of the me
clin g, I rod e the ele vato r " 111, II
arc hile cl represen t i n g Chi na, who
told me , "To day , I a,1I 1111 111,
sid e:' Bef ore !he me etin g bega 11, 1
Le Cor bus icr aga in trie d Jo ;rrg I11,
his des ign : "!Vly dra wi ngs ma I,
y not be so prclly, but tlti, J,
scic ntil ic sol utio n lo lhc wh ole 11,
program oJ' the U n i lcd \at i 1 1 ri•
rea lize d tha t he was rclc rrin g Lo 1
my des ign .
 The meeting started and Wallace Harrison presenlcd my scheme,
w h ich was u n a n i mously accepted. The a l lendccs congralulaled
me, and even the secretary em braced me. My projccl had been
selected. On the way oul, Le Corbusier m u r m u red, "I'd l i ke to sec you
tomorrow n1orni ng?'
The next m o rn i n g I went Lo meet h i m . I le wanlcd Lo relocalc !he
General Assembly 10 !he ccnlcr or the site. "This is the most
i m portant part of the hierarchy, and that is the righl place for i t," he
said. I did not agree, since this wou l d d o away with the n i ted
Nations Plaza and s p l i t the site in two again. But Le Corbusier was so
ndamanl, and he seemed so concerned, lh;1I I enckd u p ngrccing.
Togeth er ,vc presented a new plan, relcrrcd to as Scheme 23A-32
(23A was his project n u m ber and 52 \\"as m i ne).
Wa llace I l a rrison was not keen on !his 0iJl ion. A ller a l l , we had
a l ready agreed on !he plan, so !he wo1·k proceeded wilh Lhc intro­
duction of m i nor changes. l ti malely, lhc conslruclcd complex
lealurcd the rree volumes and spaces or Scheme 23A-32. The li nal
res u l t, h owever, was produced by teamwork; our· Lask had o n ly been
to decide on !he archi tectural paIti. The acl u a l plans and Lheir dclails
were drawn up by Wa llace I larrison, � l ax Abramol'i tz,6, and !heir
assistants. Thal is !he way I remember the episode. As rar· as \Val lace
I larrison and Abramovitz were concerned, my memories are or !heir
cordial poli teness and rriendship.
As ro 1· Le Corbusicr, he never li ked lo lalk about Scheme 23A-32,
bul I do remember him many years later, al l u nch in his apartment,
staring n t me for some Litne bcfol'c saying, "You arc so generous." I felt
that he was remembering Iha! m o rn i n g in New York, somc11 ha!
bclalcdly 110 dou bt, when J"or hi s sake I had put aside my own pr·ojcct,
wh ich had a l ready been selected by !he arTh i lccls' co m m illcc.
II won Id be nalural, in lighl or the episode I ha\'c dcsnibcd. J"or me
to speak or Le Corbusicr in a less rricndly m a n ner. Bui I his is 1101 !he
case. I remember h i m today with !he same enthusiasm I Jell !he lirsl
lime we met, J"orty years ago, when we went lo pick him up al !he
ai rport. I le seemed to bC' an archi lC'cl- gcnius come do11 n rrom hemc11.
11; o n the one hand, he was sometimes overly cager lo make his own
archilcctu r·c. on the other hand I a lways f"c ll he was ,1 hu mnn being
11 ho carried a message, a paean to beauly that could not be silenced.
Accepl and u nderstand h i m : Llial is whal I ai11 ays tried lo do.
� In 1 950, Juscelino Kubitschek was elected governol' or 1 1 11 , •Jui
Minas Gerais. Pa mpulha had just been finished, and ii l lll'lli•d 1 1 1 ,
be, as he pl'edicted, the city's newest and most elegant neighl i ,it Ill
wiU1 its lloocl lit casino, l ights l'ellecting in the l'esel'voil' "' 1 1 I,•i •.
the local bou l'geoisie pal'acl ing in the midst of its mal'hl,·. 1 1 ,111
and onyx.
J K selected me fol' all U1e subsequent jobs that earn,· 1 1 p , I I
become his favol'ite architect. He was now commissioning '"'"
OVel' the slate. In Belo 1- lol'izonte, I designed the l'CStOl 'llli 1 1 1 1 111 I,
l'es iden ce, Casa das Mangabeiras; U1e l ibral'y; a public sd 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11,
Uieatel'-whicl1 was late!' totally ruined by a l'emoclel; the 11 1 1 1 1 1 11 1
Prodw;:iio in the city of Juiz de Fora; the Banco do Bl'asil IJ 1 1 ildlt1
Diamantina, J K's home town, where I also designed the cJ 11t,, " 111, ,
and hotel.
Time went by and J K was elected to the National Congn·ss. �11
aflel' that he becam e Pl'esident of Bl'azil and i m mediately 1,1 1 11<1•!1 111
up. l le came Lo my home at Canoas and eagel'ly told me or hi, 1 111111
as we dl'ove back lo U1e ci l)' Logethel': "I am going to build 11 111
capital fol' U1is country and I want you lo help me?' He still 1,1 1 ,1 lh .,
same enthusiasm of twenty yea l'S before. "Oscal', U1is time '"' 111
going lo build the capital of Bl'azil. A modern capital, 1 1 1 ,, 1111, ,
beautiful capital in U1e world!"
From that moment on, Uie idea of Bl'asflia clominal,·d 11111
conversations. Al his l'equesl, I talked to lsl'ael Pi nheiro, wtI 1 1 1111
chal'ged with ovel'seeing the actual construction wol'k, and 11 1i,
clays later I was on a plane with J K and his entou l'age, llying 111 ,.,. 1111
chosen site.
It was a huge and dismal patch of wilderness in the n· 1 1I 1 11t
central interiol' plain. But lo my sul'pl'ise, my doubts Cl'umblccl 1 1 11111
in the filce of his optimism. Evel'ything about h i m was so clc,11• 111111
transpa l'ent, his vision and clelel'm ination were so contagious, 1 1 1111 I
was soon pel'suaded that in a couple of yeal's Olli' counll'y's 111,11
capital would l'ise up from this place at the fa 1'U1est l'eaches or 1111
eal'th. J K was as motivated as he had been yea I'S befol'e when he IJ1 tlll
Pampulha. I-le couldn't wait. "Let's get slal'ted with the govern 1 1I,,1 11
buildin g and the hotel!" he said.
The lil'st thing I had to build in U1ose bare backlands was a ha,I'
camp ro.. him, somewhel'e he could stay on his weekend inspcc1i 111 1
visits. The matlel' was l'esolvecl at Juca's Bal', with M i lton Pl'a 1,,,.,.
I designed a house made of wood: on U1e first llool' thel'e was a Jivi 1 1 14
room, bedrooms, and bathrooms; on U1e gl'ouncl llool', the kitd1t·II
and dining al'ea. 1 got a bank loan to build it and within ten clays the
house was ready. It was a pl'esent fol' J K and was named "Catetinho?'o,

The bluepl'ints IOI' Bl'as ilia wel'e being drawn up in the M i nistry of
Education and Health building. We soon l'ea lizecl that U1ey should be
done o n site, along wiU1 the follow-up on the wol'k all'eady un del'way,
so we sped up Uie construction of the modest public housing where
we were to stay.
Befol'e going to Bl'asilia, I talked to lsrnel Pinheil'O and made a list
or people whom he should send to join me, agl'eed on theil' sala l'ies,
and so J'o l'th. He told me about my own design contract. I was to earn
U1e usual salal'y fol' public employees, but he added, "I can pay you a
commissio n?' I immed i ately refused: "Forget U1e com m i ssion?' I have
always detested U1is word. Perhaps I would have accepted ii' he had
put it anothel' way and had said someU1ing l i ke, "You I' salal'y will be
so-much, but you will also get a pel'ccntage of the total value, as
l'egul a ted by U1e Institute of A l'chilects of Bl'azil?' So i t was on account
of !'ej ecti ng the wol'd "co m mission" Uial I dl'ew up all the plans fol'
Brasilia fol' only ro,t y thousand cl'uzeil'OS a month. 68
The money issue did not bothel ' me at a l l. I n fact, the experience
d i d me good. Because I was eal'ning so l i ttle and had practically shut
down my ollice in Rio, 1 fel t no qualms about doing the job my way.
The gl'eatest joy of a l l was hil'ing whomevel' I wanted to WOl'k with
me on U1e new capital. That's why I summ oned lots of fri ends: !il'Sl,
.about twenty al'chitects fol' the planned projects; U1en val'ious i'l'i ends
from dif el'enl professions, whom I hired fol' U1e simple pleasul'e of
f

helping U1em oul, since I knew they wel'e short of money. As it turned
out, Olli' team included a physician, a joul'nalist, a lawyel', a goal­
keeper from U1e Flamengo soccel' team, and oUlel's of even more
dubious pl'ofessional classilication. They wel'e all useful to me, and
the team became mol 'e llexible, the conversation m ol'e vel'satile, the
wol'k more complete, with each member contJ•i buting accol'ding to
his own area of specially.
We soon formed a cohesive and friendly group as we moved into
U1e modest houses that wel'e being built. They were !'al' from
lu xurious-just a living room, two bedl'ooms, bathroom, and kitchen.
Jn my small room I had a cot, a small wal'drobe, and a stool fo l' a
bedside table. The area a l l al'ound us was empty land, unpl'otected,
covered in dust dul'ing the wintel', and water and mud dul'ing
U1e s u m mel'.
 Ofcou l'se, we h a l'dly noticed the lack orcornf'o l'I, si 1 1,·,· 1 1 1 • 111
i n tensely i n volved in Olli' WOl'k, But lhel'e was lhal l'ePli 1 1 g 111 111 Ii
lhe end or the WO l'ld, m i ssing fa l'-011' family and friends. 1·1 1 1 1111 1
roads a n d telephones. A l i llle lield radio was a l l we i 1 ;11I 111 1 1 11
la i n n1cnt. I t was ,vor·se for lhose who wer·c si ngle, i l tlitµi 1 1 111
good il would be lo have a wile al lheil' side to sha l'e IIH'i l' 111 11
a ll'cction. The solitude gave rise lo many su n·eplilious liai,1111,
For diversion we gol logelhel' a l n ight lo chat, d iscuss 1 1 1 1• 1111 1 1
work, play cards, and later on lo make 0LII' own m usic II ill, l'1 1 1 1 in,
lhe guilal', Sa bino on lhe lambou l'ine, a n d me ll'ying ha l'cl 1 1 1 I,n I
on Lhe my I i Ille cavaquinho.1� Other friends sang alo ng, and I\ ill\,
had samba in his bones, danced all a l'ound us w i th a woncl 1 ·1fol ,
or l'hylhm.
Sometimes we would go lo lhe new capital's "w ild \\' C'sl" " ,1 1 , 1
k nown as Cidade Lil' l'e (Free City), a long, m ud-cove l'ed 1·11:,d 1 1111 I
wi lJ1 jeeps, ho l'ses, a n d Cil l'LS, l i ned w i l h low b l'ick b u i l d i ng, l111n I
slo l'es, ba l's, l'eslau l'anls, cl u bs, and lhe local p1·oslil11les. \\ p 11 1 1 1 1111
in a club and happily watch the social m i x i n g taking pl,11·1· 1 1 1 I I
f'o l'saken backwa ter. The li quol' llowed while 0UI' coll Pag1 1 ,•, II
al'chileC'ls, cngineel's, and conslrnclion wol'kers-danced ,Ill l 1 11,t<'ll11
a round the wooden-plank lloor. Thel'e was a mood of nosl;ll;:111 I
home and lhe distant places where these men had come rro ,1 1 I11 11111
together in Brasili a .
The conslruclion work p l'ogressed. Red dust settled 1111 1 1 1
streets and the noise ;1nd buslle of Lhe consll'uclion sites lill,•d 1 1 1 1• 111
as !he city began lo welcome ils li l'st l'eal i nhabitants .
.IK was dele l'm i ned lo stay 01 1 schedule, a n d he was the Ii i'.,! 111 ,
a n exa m ple, igno l'ing !he cl'ilicism or the l'eaclional'ies who so 1 1gl1I It
derail the endemo l'. lie l a u ghed a l !hose who said !he l0C'.i l i 1 11 1 1111
wrnng, that neithe l' gal'dens nor vegetation would grnw IIH•l't', 1l1111
lhe w,llc l' or the lake we designed would be abso l'bcd by llw 1 1111·1111
soi l . B111 we stayed o n schedule, and lsl'ael, .l l('s l'ighl-hand 1 1 1 11 11
managed the site w i th o u t hesilalion or· l'ed !ape. I le demonslrn l,·d 1111
spil'il l11at onl y people who know they a l'e doing lhe l'ighl I J i l 1 1
possess. I WOl'ked from dall'n lo dusk and lou l'ed !he \\'0 l'ks 1 1 1 1 l i l l1 1 11
al night with J I(. The l'e was no li me lo lose. No soone l' 11<'1'1' Il1 1
fou ndations J'o l' a b u i l d i n g dt·alled than wo,·k would slarl. The 1·1·,1 111
lhe details and Sll'UClll l 't'S l'olloll'ed the consl l'Llt'lion schedule.
.I I( 's vision-and m i ne, loo-was 1101 one or a backwal'd prn, i 1 1 n11I
city, bul or a mod!'/'/! and up-lo-dale C'ily, one I ha ! 11 onld l'l'Jll'l'." '11I
the i m po l'lancc or ou" coun 11·,1.
'
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I I

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Niemeyer (right) wnh Juscelmo Kub1tschek. early 1950s
,IL_____-------------
 lo lhe pres iden tial
Som e nigh ls J I( wou ld ask us arou nd
fam i ly U1cre, and he
resid ence . I le was alon e in Bras ilia, with out any
Prates, Cesa r Prates,
enjo yed havi ng guests, so we wen t over-M ilton
rma no Reis1° with his
Roc hinh a, Juca Chaves, 13ene Nun es, Dilc
alon g. Som e wen t
guit ar, and I. Som e or them brou ght com pany
pres iden tial residence,
alon e, as I did. In the room s of the coun u·y's
his yarns.
we sat in a circle around .I K and liste ned t.o
obst acle s we raced,
The subj ect matt er was alwa ys the sam e: U1e
lems , J K's obsl inan t
slan der cam paig ns, econ omic and polit ical prob
ques tione d us abou t
desi re lo finis h everyth ing on sche dule . I le
peop le u·ying to hold up
deta ils he had been unaw are ofin relat ion to
lude bitte rly: "Tho se
the wor k in Bras ilia, and he wou ld conc
pass iona te speeches,
bast ards !" We wou ld l isten atten tivel y to his
I le renewed his raitb in
happy lo see him so conf iden t and opti mistic.
rricnds. I t was good for
his visio n and chatted in confidence amo ng
we were w i th the future
him , and even better for us, as concerned as
of Uie project.
ical backdrop and
Oile rma no's old- lime waltzes prov ided the mus
songs from the past .
Cesa r Prates hollered out sent imen tal Braz ilian
repertoire. Occa sion ally
Bene sat at the pian o and played his varie d
the rres iden t wou ld
he played one of J K's l"avo ritc sam ba tune s, and
asid e his wor ries lor a
danc e jovia lly and unin hibit edly , happ y to set
rew prec ious mom ents .

-
 Then Lhe party resumed U,e conversation: llra,1 1 111 '" ,
schedules, or the new Belem-13rasilia highway-the 111ighl\ 1111, .
build Lhis road, Lhe fel l i n g of' forests, the gigantic tn·,·, . t i t,• 1 1
of rivers, hills, and swampland of' the ancient, 111�,1,•1 11111
unknown Amazon region.
And so, Urnl is how we spent those unforgella blr P1t •1d 11, 1
!ell behind memories of a president who had Lremc11d1>t" tl\ 11111,
l'or his work but still knew how to take the lime to Sl'<' llis It Ii 11,1
laugh and have a lillle fun like anybody else.
It was usually very late, past one o'clock in U1e morni1111, 11 In ,
walked us out lo our cars. And we would linger there, ,,111·11pflll 1
Lhe im mense, star-studded sky of' Bras[lia and by 1lu· g1 11t·1 11 1.
buildings standing high and while against the dark hr11,iili1111I
around . .I I< would take m y arm and say genlly, as ii' rn11111ll1-
secl'et, "1 iemeyer, U1is is gorgeo us!"

My work in Brasilia required making long journeys hy 1·111 111 1

unfinished h ighways worse than anything I had see11 ill'l'1 1n• 1 1
twelve-hundred kilomelers of mud or clouds of' reel cl11s1 l'l'I IIII 11
brush lands separated Rio from Brasilia.
One lime we were driving a Saab, and Brasilia was sti ll " g111111
hundred kilomelers away. The car was crnising along jusl 11111 111
the weather was splendid. I was taking turns al the " It,·!'\ 1,,. ,
Gaclelha,, while Galdino Duprat and Ei,;a lounged in tlw lrn,·1, 1 .,
Du prat was l'urious because he had gollen into the cat· Llti111d11 \ .
was headed l'or Belo llorizonte, and here he was on 1111' 1111 1 t
Brasilia. From lime lo Lime we slopped for a rest. VVhen it wa, 11 1111 1
go, Gaclelha politely held L11e door open and said, "Gel in, I J11p1 111
'ow Duprat, who haled lo lake orders, invariably rej,·1·1,·tl lhl
cou rtesy and yelled back, "I'm not gelling i n . You think y,111 • 11
Brazilian Communist Parly organizer with your 'Get in Du 1 ;,.,,,. 11111,
your 'Get out Du prat?" Then we all burst out laughing as "'"' oht
friend showed his teeth again.
We got back on the rnad under a clear sky and a braci11g 1111111
The low, sparse vegelalion was monotonously repelilive, and tit,· ,1 1 1
and stunted trees seemed lo strain up l'ro m L11e ground as if' r,·si., 1111
Lhe soil's allempls to pull them back clown into Uie earlI 1 . ,llli 1
several hours' driving, we reached the river and got out to su·c•idi . ,111
legs and wail for the ferryboat man to appear. Those trips Lo B ra., 11111
were really exhausting. As in Pampulha, the new highway was ,1111 1
 we were, tire d and spe nt as we
paved al'ler the city was bui lt. So U1ere
wai ted for the ferry.
an t.o seem unfa m i l iar. The
The jou rney con tinu ed. The roa d beg
way so bad that. som eth ing odd
vegetation was so den se and l11e rnad
fell a slrn ng jolt and Llie car
was bou nd to hap pen -an d it did. We
a hug e poth ole. Forgell ing U1al
sud den ly stop ped . We had driven into
b bac k onto the road, w here it
we were on a slop e, we pus hed the Saa
al'ler il, IJ•yi ng Lo stop il, look ing
rolled dow nhil l, out of control. We ran
d into U1e bru sh, and we list­
like the Thr ee Stooges. The Saa b rnlle
t it out . The bru sh was sho ul­
less ly got aro und to figu ring how to hois
cou ld do exc ept start pus hing
der -hei ght, but ther e was noth ing we
led wiU 1 hole s, however, and
and p u l ling . The gro und was ridd
U1e m. "Ge l me out of' her e, I'm
Dup rat was the firs t to fall into one of'
Uien , aller muc h stra inin g,
hur l!" h e yell ed. We pull ed him out and
got the car oul , too.
blem s there. The jou rney
The eng ine roared to life, no prn
il the car petered lo a hal t on
prn cee ded with out further inci den t unt
engage. We IJ·ied everyth ing,
a steep incl ine. Second gear wou ld not
slic k shil l. My l'rie nds got out
gu n n i ng the eng ine and tugging al the
, but il was no use . We were
to see if a ligh ter load wou ld help
stuck again.
t was pitc h blac k and the
We had no idea whe re we wer e. The nigh
the vas t sile nce arn und us.
slig htes t nois e was amp lifie d aga inst

•
...
 Duprat was f'rightcnecl and asked, "Are there Indians around ilc·1·c•'
Eca tried lo scare h i m : "Sure lo be. We're in the hearl of' 1h1· 11111 I
lands here, l'ar rrom anywh ere. M ust have taken a wrong 111rn 11111!1
an abandoned road:' I n ract, we were feeling somewhat lo,1 111111
forlorn i n Lhe m iddle of nowhere.
Night closed in. Absolute darkness. It was two or lhrce o'd1 wl, 111
Lhe morning and not a single vehicle had come our way. TIH· ,·11111
pi erced our bones, so we h u clcllecl together to keep warm. \0111111\
could get. any sleep. "Oh, shit!" Prom deep in the lrnsh, 11 11•11
appeared two points of' lighl, and the usual jokes began . "Musi h e • 11
jaguar!" said Eca iron ical ly. B u t Duprat was la king ii serio11sl.1 : ".1 11,1
might be one!" We peered into the dark, curious to sec how IJ11p1•11f
would react. But one of' lhc poi nts of' I ighl suddenly went out. "Tf 111l'N
no jaguar!" IJ lurlccl a reli eved Duprat. B u t E,;:a wasn't givi11µ: " f l
"Must be a cockeyecl cat?' Duprat was provoked and he rcI 0 1·1,•d ,
"Cockeyed was the slut who gave bi rth lo you . . :' So that was lht· 1111 1
we spent the night, telling ta l l tales and ragging Duprat. It was j 1 1,1
the escape we needed on that endless and weary night.
Daybreak arrived, heralded by a blood-red sky and streaks of' ligi l l
piercing through the lrccs. The brnshlancls awoke, birds sanµ:, Ill e •
pulsated everywhere around us. Could it be that we had losl ou1· 11 11 1
and were I'ar f'rom Lhe righl road? Around n ine o'clock a l1"11 C·l1
appeared on the horizon. Gadelha and I hopped on, perched 0 1 1 111,•
sacks, and jolted ofl'down the endless road to seek help.

The administrations or Ji\nio Quadros and .lo5o ".Jango" Go11 f;1r1 "
were followed by dark days of' dictatorship as reactionaries Sl'izc·1l
power with the support or .S. imperialist policy. .Janio Quadrm
wrote an inopportune letter of res ignation, and Lhis was the prc•11·,1
U1ey needed to gel rid or h i m . l l is progressive foreign policy, hi,
support for developing commun i t ies and underprivileged pcopl1·,,
and h is response to Lhe preten sions ol' Lhe U.S. State Department 111•rc·
the real reasons for what came next.
Vice President .lango assumed the Brazilian presidency ;111d
continued lo Lake a progressive lin e. The masses held huge stn·c·I
demonstrations as Lhe fell enjoyed f'rcedom of movement; as a rcs 1 1 f I ,
U1e same people w h o h a d I·emovcd Quadros from ofliec Largct,·cl
.Jango, Loo.
Then came the mil itary coup and the dictatorship that ruled 1 1 1 1'
country d u ring twenty years or oppression. Those who fou!(hl
heroically for freedom and democracy were tortured and killed. I n
those days there was n o del iberate attempt to d isligure the new
capital city; it was simply neglected or ignored. Consequcnlly, badly
designed build ings and ugly architecture crept in and ruined U1e
visual un ity we had hoped lo preserve in 13ras ilia.
I was i n Europe when the coup took place and when U1e police
searched my oflice and the headqua rters of' the journal M6dulo. The
clay after my return to Brazil at the end of 1 964,, I was taken to army
barrncks for questioning. I adm itted lo having written i n a Soviet
magazine that I supported Cuba and all Lhc underdeveloped peoples
or Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 1\.vo clays later I gave an in terview
to lhe weekly magazine J\llanchete. I told Lhe reporter, "Ask me who
my best friends are?' And I went on, "Luis Car·Ios Prestes, .luscelino
Kubilschck, Darcy Ri beiro, and Marcos Jaymovitch. n I am namin g
them because, as well as being my l'riends, they are Uic u nderdogs
now, and this is when friends have lo show Lheir faces:' I was
d isgusted by the complicit silence Lhal h u ng over them.
My f ife went on wiU1oul any major problems. I was the architect
respo nsible for Brasilia and-as everybody knew-I had worked there
since the begi nning, ho neslly, without a break, !'or next lo nothing. I
was a member of Lhe steering com mittee appointed by Congress to
oversee the new cily's urban planning and archi lect ure, along with
Israel Pinhei rn and Lt'.r cio Costa.
The govern ment yielded to pressure from the most reactionary
elements, but nol Congress, or the Senate, or Lhc l louse. I received
fu ll support f'rn m G ilberto Marinho and Pelr◊nio Portela in the
Senate, and from Jose Bonilacio, Pereira Lopes, and Marco Maciel in
the House. Nol to mention the fri endship of' Luciano 13rand1io,
di rector-general of the House or Representatives.
f t was during the Medici government, however, that the
reactionaries decided to put an end lo my work as an architect.
Problems began when my design for the new airport terminal i n
13ras ilia was turned clown because i t was circu lar. 13rigaclier
llenrique CastJ•o Neves, d i rector or engineering al Lhe Air Poree
M inistry, attempted to explain: "In L11e future we will need lo buiid
extensions to the a i rport:' Their outdated solution, a rectangular
shape, should have been rejected. The circular design was Lhc right
one. That is why, years later, Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris was
built in a circula1· shape. Even in Brazil, the same 1ieople who had
criticized me had a circular term inal b u i l t at 1, io's Galciio
I n ternational Ai rport.
ii I was indignant and determ ined to protest. Lacking in ar·1,t r1 t 1 1 1 1 ,
but holding power, the Air Force Minis try placed a pl.iqrll' 1 1 1 1 11
work reading "Military Ai rport?' Again I went to the nr" sprq11, , 1
say that this was a lie, since m i l itary airports had no store's, 1·11�11 1 1 1
checks, or restaurants. I took U1e matter to court with a da" 111 1!1 , 1
suit against Uie Air Force M i nistry. The case was lost i r ncl 11 111 1 1
from Belo Horizonte-what a bastard he was!-prepostcro1 1 sh 1 1 1 1, ,
Urnt I should pay U1e trial costs o f' nearly six m i l lion rr1 1 z,,i,,1 1 •
there it is, dear reader-an obsolete airport, lacking ard1i1,•c•i 1 1 1 ,I
unity, and tarnishing the main port of entry to the new capilal. 11 11 .
a fierce struggle on boU1 sides, polarized Jell and r·ight. The ri l-( l r l 110
strengthened by the outcome of' the court case and began to pc· 1·,c•1 111,
me more openly. We were now living under a no-holcls-ba1Tc·cl 11 1 '1 1 ,
government headed by Medici.
My work began to be rejected and I was thr·eatened with di"" '" 1 1
from my job. This was the second attempt to fire me. Th e · lir,1 , 111
1 964, had been thwarted by mayor General Ivan Souza,,., who ,·c·lu•r rl
to sign the order. The political police questioned me sevcrnl 11 1111
Even during the J K govemment, at the height of Uie conslr11c·li 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Brasilia, they had called me in for questioning. The pressun· " 1" 1 1 11
The police stormed Uie university, colleagues were expel led-111 1 1 1 1 1 1
two hundred faculty mem bers-and I resigned in protest againsl "" lr
brntality. Ultimately it was not these threats that were most I·,·p11I,hi
but U1e hosti l ity orchestrated by Colonel Manso 'eto.10 Thr " 1,1111
U1ing was too disgusting fo r· words.
I decided to pack up my architecture and my hurt feelings and �"
abroad. Those who were trying to blackball me, without realizi 1 1 1,t II
had presented me with the greatest opportunity of my life: to pr:11·1I, 1
my trade as an architect in U1e Old World and to have them le: 1 1·11 11 1
appreciate my nimble forms and curves.

I spent a long Lime traveling around Europe, visiting Brazil oflrn l r ul

quickly returning to my works in progress. The news from Brazil " ""
not good: arrests and torture, and the dictatorship continuing will, II�
ignoble task. I was in Paris, and the bad news plu nged us into a 1111,1111
of unbeara ble pessimism. One day we decided to do someU1ing 111
fight U1is mood. Friends called an actress we knew, and we lwl c l 11
small party in the office aller hours.
We had done U1e same U1ing back in Brasilia to welcome fon·i,-tn
architects on the jury for the public competition organized to sel C'< ' I 11
 design l'or the city's master plan (known as the Piano Pilato). " one
of your snooty cocktail parties," Mario Catrambi7'1 had said. "VVhen a
man wants to party, he needs a woman. Let's call u p a few girls?' We
amused ourselves thinking about how our cool and collected guest,
Sir William l-lalford,11 would tell his colleagues of the special
welcome he had been given. Wo uld he have had a story to tell i f we
had clone the opposite and held a boring social affair, dripping with
lies and hypocrisy?
We had gotten together at Maria's house, in Lem e. There were the
four jury mem bers, six women, and my friends Di, Ari Barroso,,,
1-lelio Uch6a, and Gauss Estelita. What fun everybody had! Mario had
warned us right away: "Nobody goes out to the garden without Uieir
cloU1es on?' So the party was confined to U1e living room and U1e
bedrooms. It was Uie cordial, all-too-human kind of event that only
Uie surrealists of Paris could have conceived.
I remember Di sketching the visitors; Mario laughing, drinks
in hand; Wi lliam Halford hugging one of U1e girls; Sevi10 wiU1
an-0U1er. . . . It was a meeting of uninhibited men, fu l l of' joie de vivre,
out to have a great Lime. The party did not stop us from earnesUy
exam ining the designs U1e next day as we collected submissions for
the Piano Pilato. We were concerned to keep the competition honest
and select the best piece of work.

-
 I became fri ends wilh William Halford, and I rememl H ·r 1I 11 , I 11 h
he returned on his second lrip lo Brazil he was euphol'ic l'\!'l 'I 111111 I
reca lled Lhal parly. I lis contact wilh us had lefl him wilh ;111 i 1 1 q 1 1 1 1 1
of Brazilians lhal wenl beyond Lhe slereolypical imagP 1 1 1' ll'i,•1I111
uncompl icalecl people. He saw us instead as normal 11111111111 lwl11
living l i l'e lo ils l'ul lesl as we should do, wilh all ils pl 1 •a,1 1 1•,•• Ill 1
SOl'rows. I can slill see him now, afl'eclionalely palling 1 1 1 1 • 111 1 Iii
shoulder and saying, "Oscar, whal a delight il was lo m,·,·I .1 , 1 1 1 111, 1
your friends! So warm, humb le, and genuine, as evel'yo11C' sl 1 1 1 1 1 11I Ii,

As soon as I l'eachecl Paris, al Lhe encl or 1964, 1 leron de A ll'1H·a ,�• , 111111
Lo see me; he was a dear old friend from Lhe Un iversity of' B1•;,sfl 1 1,, 'I 111
fo llowing day he bl'oughl along Miguel A rraes,,, who wanlC'd 1 1 1 oil-, 11
U1e silualion in Brazil and lhe l'evol l he was orga nizing. I IC' 1 1 1 1 d 1 111• 111
had six U1ousand armed men in Pernambuco, and he asked 1111· 1 1 1 111111
Lhe revolulion as secrelal'y and design a n emblem fol' il; he Sl'nl 1 111
book of symbols lhe nexl day. Of course, U1e whole alTair was 1'1 1 rg11ll1 11
and we heard no mol'e f'l'Om A rraes, whom I came ano" 111l1 ,
in A l geria. lie selllecl U1ere and lived a Lrouble-f'ree lik in 11!111
count ry. I l e was a strange and cautious man, bul his p1 1 l11l1 ,11
positions were eonsislenl.
For severnl years, lleron de Al cncar, Luiz llildebrando, U 1 J ir11l1 1 1 ,1
Brito, and Euvalclo Mallos8 • came lo my Paris apal'Lmenl evPI ') 1 1 111111
and we played cal'cls, cha llecl , 0I' wenl oul Lo a neighbol'hood 111 1 1 · 111
discuss U1ings over a drink. Occasionally Lhe conversation Loul ' ho ·ol 1111
cullural issues and cullurnl leaders in Bl'azil. Bul we were so 11Tappi·1l
up in Lhe political slrnggle, so in volved in Lhe dramalic silua lion liwl 1 1
Olli' comrades and brothers, Llrnl we had no lime fol' anything Iha! 1111
nol somehow rnlaled lo solidarity or revolL Ou!' nigh Ls wenl by, id,·1111, 111
and poinlless, and all we Lal keel of was Lhis conslanl concern. I I 1111
only when someL11ing more serious happened, or some co111n1 1 l1
lraveling incognito eonlacled us, Llrnl ou1· lillle group expanded and 1111
conversalion switched lo olhel' subjects.
L'Humanite, L11e Fl'ench Co mmu nist Party newspaper, IH'ld 11
feslival every Seplembel' and L11is bl'Oughl us a fl'esh bl'eeze or h1 1p1•
and enthusiasm. Luiz l l i ldebl'anclo was in chal'ge of' organizin!( 1 1 11,
Brazi lian party's stand, and Lhe well-worn, optim istic ph rases 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
be dusted oil: "Viclol'y w i l l be ours," "Ti me is on Olli' sid o •,"
"Capitalism is dyi ng!' And we would laugh and !'eel conliclenl ah 1 1 1 1 1
Lhe f'ulul'e of this age-old struggle against inj usliee. Those ,11.,..,
wonclerl'ul events: Lhree days of' f'eslivilies, wil11 thousands or people
embracing each olher in solidarity and browsing Lhe stands as if' a
brave new world was al ready beginning! My lil'Sl l'eslival L11ere was
such a pleasant surprise! I had never seen anything like il anywhere,
such a f'eslivc and spontaneous mood or love and rra Lern i ly. I L was as
ii' an enormous fa mily of good and honornble people, without
pretensions whatsoever, had come together Lo pl'ovc lhal someday life
will be beller and hap pier.

I cannol Lel l you Lhal my Brazi lian Communist Pal'ly membership

bl'oughl me only joy, enha nced know ledge, and the unwavering
poslu l'e or a leftist which I have always assumed and never denied.
This political associalion also bl'ought multiple hardships lo my
career ovel' Lhe years. IL is obvious Lhal nothing I endured compares
wilh Lhe sacl'ilice of many parly mem bers who were locked
up, Lor'lul'ed, and killed by reaclionary rorces. l lowever, on a lesser
scale, or course, I did pay a price for my political beliefs. I cannot
remember dates, bul I w i l l Ll'y Lo list in chronological 0l'der some of
Lhe m i nor problems I experienced, a l though I have a l l'ea cly
menlioned some or U1em.
When Lhe political police called me in ror questioning, Lhey Look
me around Lo L11e clillerenl cleparlmenls and showed the slalT 111y
f'ace, saying, "This is Oscar Niemeyer, Lhe al'ehilecl!' This was Lheil'
way of' "pulling me on file," as Lhey lalcr Lold me.
On one occa sion, I was al U1e UN when I hea l'cl I had just won,
in Rio, a compelilion for Lhe Nalional Aeronaulic Center. Bul then
I received a telegram advising me Lhal Lhe award had been a n n u l led.
I proleslecl, bul my lawyer, Evancl l'O Lins e Silva,•, repol'led,
"There's noll1ing we can do. They al'e a lleging that il's for national
security reasons?'
On another occasion, I was inv ited Lo join Lhe Sao Paulo
Un iversity School of Al'chileclul'e (FAU/USP) f'acully in Sao Paulo
when an objeclion was raised. The students wenl on sll'ike in retaliation
against Lhe mosl l'eaclionary council mem bel', Ernesto Lcme.
Then I was invited Lo Leach al Yale, bul my visa appl icalion was
denied; this wenl on fol' several years. Once when I was in Rome, I
was again invited Lo Lhe United Slales, sn I ap 1iliecl l'or a visa al Lhe
local U.S. embassy. Yel again, I was denied entry inlo !he cou n ll'y, and
I cleclarecl, "You know, I'm quite pleased wilh Lhis. II' you continue lo
l'efuse me a visa afier twenty years, it means I haven't changed!"
A rew years later, a U.S. cilizen of high status ex1,•11d,•d 111
invilalion. I got a two-week permit ro r myselr and a six-111111 1I11 1 11 .
for my companion, Carlos Magalhaes da Silveira.•, W,· 1\1' 1 1I 111
York and visited the U n i ted NaLions, where I told rcp11rl1•i. , I
ha JJPY lo be able lo visit this build ing, lo which I made ii 1·11111 1 l h111
as an architect, and I am even happier to learn lhiil < :1 1 1 II 111111-
China is being ad milled lo the U today?' To which my /\ 1 111·1'111111 I
commented, "There goes your visa extension!" I Jell th<' ,·111111 l 1 1 1
weeks later.
I was called in again by the poliLical police as work "1 1, •1 11 11"
on Brasilia. I reported U1e fact lo .I K [.luscelino Kubi1sd11•l1 J , 1
responded, "You can't go in there. They'll lake your pholo i111d I 111 .
be able to inv ite you to U1e official residence?' I le 1iicked up 11 1 1' pit, .
i n front of me and called General Kruel.s, "I can't hal ' t' Nli•1i11
being quesLioned by the political police. l l e's my key 1111111 i11 11 1 11�111
I n spite of U1is order, I was, in focl, called in for qucsli 11 1 1 l 1 1� lh
following 111onU1. The inlerrogalion room had padded Wii lb . 'I 111
were the usual questions about the Brazilian Commun isl l'a 1 1 1 111 1
so ro rU1. Finally they asked, "Whal is il that you guys wantr I 1·1• 1 1111 ,
"To change societY:' "Ta ke Urnl clown," said U1e police olli,·1·r 111 )I,
negrinho'"' who was typing up the interview: "'To chani;<' ""'ii I
The typist turned toward me and remarked, "Now that's i;o i 1 1 14 111 )
dillicult?' Whal ignorance!
I n 1 964, while I was living abroad, U1e police searched Ill) 111111 ,
and those or the journal M6dulo. M a u ro Vi n has " ' "
terror-stricken Urnl h e committed suicide. Al the e n d or th,11 .1 1•111 1
returned lo Brazil. My daughter was a fr iend or Castelo Br, 1 111·11
daughter, who had wan led lo intercede in my favor, but I had " l'ilh 11
back tel ling her not lo do so. The day aller my arrival in l\i11, I 1111
taken lo army barracks. In the balcony overlooking the cou r1 y1 1 1 1), I
met Astroj ildo Pereira,88 who was a prisoner U1ere. We cmlll'l11 1 11
each other wiU1 great emolion.
In the inlel'l'ogaLion room, the officer asked me several quesl i1111
"Do you write ro r a Soviet magazine?"
"Yes?'
"Have you supported Cuba in arlicles and manifestos?"
"Yes, Cuba and all underdeveloped countries of Africa, Asiil, 1 1 1111
U1e Americas?'
More queslions followed a n d then, as I was leaving, U1e olli1·1•1 ,
who had been surprisingly polite, remarked, "I'm sorry we llild 11 1
1
meet under such u n pleasant circumstances?' Then he asked, "\\ 011111
 T
you l i ke lo visit your friend?" I accepted the of er and spent some time
chatting to Astrojildo in his cell.
The students al U1e U n iversity or Juiz de Fora asked me lo lecture
there, bul when I arrived the dean refused lo let me in. The lecture
had lo be held al another venue.
The first mayor or Brasilia a Iler the 1964 coup was General Ivan
Souza Mendes, and he was under pressure to lire me for being a
Communist, bul he refused to do so. Just a rew days ago, he told m e
w h a t h a d happened.
The mayor or Brasilia during the l\ll edici admin istration was a fool
and President Medici himself was a reaclionary. They tried to have
me !ired. They asked me to submit designs ror p l'Ojccls only lo turn
U1em down when they were ready. I fell l i ke leaving.
While I was abroad, I learned that Gustavo Capanema had called
on U1e mayor to argue in my favor. Nobody else did so. I was
reminded or Lhe Lime when, for much less, I myself had threatened lo
leave Brasilia in defense of Joaquim Cardozo.
This wretched afTair became ridiculous when Colonel Manso
Neto fa lsilied some design dralls in an attempt to pl'Ove that I was
copying Le Corbusier. He showed them to my friend and colleague
Biru nga,'9 who protested, "This is ridiculous!" But the plot went
ahead and copies of these dralls were made al city hall and shown lo
:;:
mini stel's and top government officials. I only learned 01' 1 111· ,1 1 111 1 11
f
this outrageous af ail' some Lime la te!' and, unable 10 1,:.-1 1 1 11111 ,
copy o f U1e drafts, I could not l'es pond. I gave in lel'vicws 1 1 1 ,1 1 , 1111111
U1e plot and Colonel Manso, who had acted in such disgran·l'1 1 I 11111111
I nevel' kept quiet about anything. I have nevel' c1 1 1w,•id, 11 1
political position as a Co m m u n ist. The morn 1 1 1 1 1 1 , , ,.,1,111111
individuals who commission me as an architect a l'c wl'il 1111 11 1 ,
my ideological status. They believe I am mistaken, a11d 1 1 1 1 lh
I.hey al'e mistaken.

The journal M6dulo was one of the sidelines that kepi 1111· 1 1 1 ,., 1111 ,
am used . Oul' 0l'iginal idea had been lo publish a l'evie11 1'1 1 llo1111I
definite edilol'ial pl'incip les, raLhel' U1an just anothel' " "d l ih'l lill
compendium. l<eeping iL going, howevel', was Lnily hai·cl 111111
Wol'ki n g against i t was the Bl'azilian tendency to shun this ldi11I ,
advocacy, especi ally given Lhe leftist political posiLio1 1 s 1 11' 1111,
collabol'ating on Lhe journal. IL was o n ly dul'ing the Jll'rloil 1 ,
Bl'asil ia's construction LhaL J'V/6dulo made some head way. 11,, 111 1
rooting fol' J I< and his project fol' a new capital, which was ,,11, 1 , 1 1 1 1 ,
f
stif l'esistance from the opposition.
But then came the m i l i La l'y coup in 1 9 64; the ediLol'ial ofli,·,·, 111 1
seal'ched and the publ ication p l u nged in to a long p. . , . i 1 1 ,J 111
difliculties. To begin, Gadellrn was al'l'ested. Mal'cos Jaymovildi, 11111
was accused of IJeing a "Soviet spy," went into exile. Mauro \ i 1 1 I11I
who had been a l'l'ested severnl years earlier during a ,11 1 Ii 1 1 11111J 1
campaign Lo keep the oil industry in Brazilian hands (und,·,· 1111
slogan O pelr6/eo e nosso [The Oil is Oul'sj), grew so indig,1111 1 I 111111
he co mmitted suicide. I myself' was abl'oad, but even so, 1111
"cops," under react ional'y 0l'ders, searched my ofnce. The j,11II- 1 1111
began to experience trouble as advertisers dropped out-s011", 1111
account of the expenses involved, olhel's because they wcn· 11 1 11, 1
reactional'ies U1emselves.
Nevertheless, the journal inspil'ed the u n flagging enU1usi;isI11 11j
J\i:laria Lufza, \t 1al'cus Lonl l'a, and Vera Ll1cia,°'• who at a certain point
look over the editorial work and attempted to keep the public;1Ii 1 1 11
going at great pel'sonal sacrifice. I am gl'eally indebted to thc1 1 1 i, 1 1
their absolute commitment, and even though J\16dulo is, to this d u1 ,
not a regulal' publ ication, i t did give Ma l'cus the oppo,tunil) 111
IJecome part of the art W0l'ld, whel'c he is now an accomplished .,1I,i
talen ted figure .
In Pal'is, the special events sponso red by L'Humanile featu l'ed display
booths, snack bal's, restaurants, playgrounds, shows, !heater
perlol'mances, al't exhibitions, and U1e pa rty's message delivered to
an assemblage bul'sting with conlidence and cletel'm ination. A t one or
these lestivals, U1e party comrades asked me to design a huge stage
i'ol' a Soviet ballet pel'rol'mance. I t had to be a portable, covel'ecl stage,
some twenty meters long and easy to assemble. I suggested four
bulldozers that would support a canvas cove!' with theil' blades, with
steel cables suppol'ling wooden planks. The pa l'ty leased the bullcloz­
el's, built the stage and its cover as I had suggested, and put on the
great spectacle. It was a tremendous feeling when I saw L11e whole
L11 ing set up, with the huge reel canvas that seemed to hovel' in Lhe air
above the stage!
I just loved the Paris or G i cle, Baudelaire, Malraux, and Camus,
with its memories of revo lution and libel'ty. The ancient Seine llowed
stoically through the city, unconcerned with us humans and our
humdru m lives. Thel'e was the Cham 11s J;;Jysees and its sidewalks, Lhe
cares, glamorous slo !'e wi ndows, and gorgeous girls. Paris fo r me was
also U,e bou levard Raspa ii, where I later lived. A l l the buildings there
were or matching height, with high windows and llower-bedeckecl
balconies. This was the Paris or Sal'll'e and Simone de Beauvoir,
Aragon, and Nizan.9•
How I loved roaming the Pal'isian sll'eets a n d gelling to know the
city bettel', 0I' just sitting at La Coupole, sipping a glass or wine . . .
The Pal'is of royal palaces, the great Boulogne and F'ontainebleau
pal'ks, I.he Lell Bank; the stomping ground or Fitzgel'a lcl, 1 lemi ngway,
Cris, and Cocteau; U1e home of La Rotonde, Flol'e, and Deux Magots.
I l'emembel' once meeting .Jean-Paul Sa l'Ll'e in Brasilia. We were
standing before the presiclenlial ofnce building, Palt\cio do Pianalto,
when he remarked, "How beautiful i t is! Its columns seem to
embrace us l i ke a fan!" One clay, in Paris, he phoned me with an
invitation to attend a political demonstration. B u t Gosna t,,, my friend
from the French Commun ist Pa rty, was against it, and advised, "You
shoulcln't go. They never invite us?' So I did not go, but. I sent a
sympathetic message Urnt was read from the platform.
I admil'ecl Sartre's intell igence, his consistent position in defense
of u n clerpl'ivi leged peoples, h is spil'it of l'ebe l l ion against bourgeois
dogmas and pl'ejud ices-although at limes he went ovel'board. I once
l'ead in a book, "Sal'tl'e turned up naked fo l' a pa rty, and Nizan was
almost naked too?' This kind of behaviol' would have been consid el'ed
scandalous in Brazil, b u t it. was not shocking in France, which was
then experiencing the height of Surrea lism. And whol l 'sa(, . ,1, 11111
was Uie aim of Surrealism at Uiat Lime, with Breton, B11f1111'1 , \ 111
and several others meeting al U1e Cyrano care in Pigall,· 1 1 1 ill •• ,,
their strategies in U1e struggle against society, in whil'lt s,·1 1 111111!1 . .
behavior ollen figured as the appropriate solution. 1\ 1 1 1 1 1 11 II,
was long before Sartre came up wiU1 his idea of existential i,11 1 , 11 hi, ,
for several years made him a leader for a great many y,1 1 11I11 111 11 1 11
in Prance.

I am ind ebted lo Andre M a l raux for assisting me with 1 1 1 y 11 1 1 1 !, 1,

France and for his interest in my architecture; lha11b 1 1 1 111
in tervention I became architect for the Lown or Gmssc. I n·111,•111I ,
him visiting my ex hibition, and his constant apprecialio11. "0•1 11
your architecture is part or my imaginary museum. Thal is 11 111 1 ,
keep all that I have seen and loved i n this world?'
I greaUy admired his intell igence and the wcll-in l'orn 1 1·d 1111 ,
scintillating ease with which he darted from one issue to ; 1 1 1 1111 1 1•1 I
read his complete work, from La Condition h.umaine to A11ti11 ,,•1111 11!
and Les Ch.l!nes qu'on aba!. I t was wonderful Lo Lalk or just li,I,•1 1 t
him, a learned individual who could turn his mind lo anythi1111l
Haymond Aron•> was another personality I was fortunnl<' 111 11 1 1·1 1
a l though we disagreed pol i tical ly. lie was chosen Lo spn 1 1.s c 11· 111
nomi nation for the College de Prance and invited me to <11 1 1111 1
several limes. Aron was eager lo get lo know me. The last li1 1 1 1• 111
met he said, "Good. Now you just have lo look up I.he C1 1 II� ,
secretary a11d schedule the required interviews?' This proced1 1 n• 1111
the same as Uiat adopted by the Academy of Lcllers in Hio . " ' I
decided to drnp the issue al together. Several months later 1 1 <· 11 11 1 11
me a teller deploring the fact.
I met Aragon several limes and even went to visit him i1 1 1 11 1
hospital with Claude Leroy.11 , He was poli te, am iable, and inlf'i l ig,·1 1 1,
a great poet and comrade. I was al ways surprised Lo find that II ill, 1111
his refinement and sensitivity, Aragon had been part of the ,a 1 111
Surrea list grnup as Bufiuel, Dali, and U1e others in all their cxpl 1 1 ll•
around the city. I even gal lo meet Jean Genet.., I remember llw d111
we had lunch al La Coupolc, and my surprise at his easyg11i 1 1 11
appearance and his serene and smil ing personality.
One clay, British novelist Graham Greene lclcphonecl me in 1 ';1 rla.
"Niemeyer, we belong to this important organization called 1111,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are refusing to prnlnl
against American i n terventionism around the world, so I'm
organizing a group Lo resign from it. Will you join us?" I agreed
to resign, of course.
I have a l ways felt ill al ease among these associations of
intellectuals who discuss everything except the major political issues
that impact on humanity. This is one of my reasons for not join ing
that sort of organization.

Aller Paris, Algiers was the foreign city where I spent the most time.
I particu larly liked the city, the read ily apparent support il showed
for Dejelloul, and the special consideration President Boumeclien ne�•
showed for me. I loved the friendly streets winding down to the
seafront; the i n l ets, coves, and pebble beaches or the o l d
Mediterranean, fu l l or legends a n d mysteries; t h e tiny, white, almost
windowless houses huddling against the winds. And I loved the
Casbah, with the terrible rattle of women banging pots lo warn the
occupy ing forces Urnt colonialism was coming to an end.
It was in Constantine, however, that I executed one of my best
projects, the University of Consta ntine campus. I was reluctant to
create just another university campus; rather, I wan ted this one to
reflect conlempornry architectural practice and, as I have mentioned
bcl'orc, Lo show U1e world how fa r Brazilian engineering had pro­
gressed. So I designed the Batimenl de Classes, a building supported
on pilotis with lilly-meter spans and twen ty-five-meter cantilevers.
As usual, U1e tech nical bureau in Algiers reviewed our design,
and their judgment was that the faca cle-which was virtually a large,
longitudinal girder-would have lo be one and a half meters thick! But
Bruno Contarini, my engineer, proved to them that our design was
accurate, so he built a wa l l that was just thirty cenlim elers thick. The
other buildings also J'ollowed this structu rally exacting design,
including the auditorium, where we adopted a new solution with an
exposed girder and two supporting wings Urnt added audacity lo the
structure. We were beginning to show the Old World that U1ere
wasn't much U1ey could teach us Lalin Americans.
This concern for in novative creativity was maintained when we
examined the program a n d rejected Uie initial idea or an ordinary
un iversity complex with more than twenty buildings. Our suggestion
was for a compact and flexible cenler or just live buildin gs that would
provide necessary centralization. This was the kind or university
campus that Darcy Hibeiro had wanted.
 I designed Lhc un ivcl'sity in Algiel's, and the city's cil i,· ,·,· 1 111 1
bul wol'k on Lhc latte!' was hai led soon ,lllel ' the 1'xrnu 1 iloI1
grading had begun. Dejel loul had stepped down frolll olli,·<', • 1 1
designs f'ol' the ccntel' and U1e gl'eal monument thal 11,11 1 11 1 ,•lih ,
had commissioned wel'e nevel' bui lt.

My l'elalions with lhe Fl'ench Communist Party wer·c-,1 1,d ,1111 m

mal'kcd by undel'sland ing and l'l'iendship. Ma l'chais, LC'l'<>.1 , ( 111 11
and 1'l'icol,"' fol' example, inval'iably Ll'eated me wiU1 ll'ill'ltt ,·,111�1 1 1,
aliun and appl'eeialion. This kind of l'elaLionship al lo1H•d 1 1 1 1• 1111 ,
freedom lo design the new pal'ty headqual'lel's on place !1 1 1 ( :0l 1 1 1
Fabien in Pal'is with the assistance of Jean Pl'ouve, .lean d,· 11 0 1 I
and Paul Chcmelov.o8 Oul' wol'k wns highly pl'aised and 1"'1 1 1 1 11
building stands among the city's populal' landmal'ks.
I r·emembel' !he day Pl'esidenl Geol'ges Pompidou held a 1 1 1 1 1 , Iii ,
f'ol' all the al'chilects on Lhe j u l'y of the Pompidou Cenlel' c,1 1 1 1 I 1<·I11I11
The moment someone at Lhe table made a favol'able l'enrnrl, 111!1 1
Lhc new PCF hcaclqua l'Lel's, Pompidou, nevel' one to disg1 1 i"• hi
l'ighlisl politics, was obl iged Lo agl'ee, "Yes, iL was the only good 11 1111
Ihose Comm ies have evel' done:' The tl'i bute was apprnp, 1111,
evel 'yone adm il'ed the building.

I !
 B u l it was not just the populal'ily of U1al building Llrnl lied me lo
Lhose good coml'ades of the Fl'ench Communist Pal'ly. Oul' shal'ed
views a n d pol itical struggle wel'e fal' mol'e i m pol'la n l than
architecture. And we became good fl'iends. I low ollen Gosnal and his
comrades took me to Pal'isian l'estaul'ants! Gosnat would lead the
group and choose the menu, the wine, and U1e liqueur. �Vha t a
wondel'ful friend he was! I t was thanks to h im and his confidence in
me that the pal'ty headquarters was so well designed.
But fate has no favorites. One day, back in Rio, I l'eceived a
telegram from him: "Osca,; JV/arie est mor/e. Un immense malheur?',.,
Both had been loyal and long-standing pal'ty mem bel's and L11ey had
been vel'y close to each othel'. Gosnal could not bear the loss of his
companion in life and in struggle, and he died shorlly aflCl'Wal'd.
Whal a gl'eal pity! I l'emem bel'ed how he had asked me to join him
on a long tl'ain journ ey from the Soviet Un ion thl'ough the Urals lo
China. I can l'emember the day of his funeral and the (Jacked squal'e;
I was sealed on the special dais as Lhe pal'ty l'endel'ed its final public
u·ibule to oul' unforgettable comrade.

While on the subject of fl'iends from abroad, I must again mention

those who worked alongside me in Brasilia as we witnessed the bil 'U1
and i n fancy of Llrnl splendid new capital so beaulifu l ly designed by
Ll1cio Costa. Now I seem to be watching llashbacks or my old
companions from Brasilia. We are all up to ou,· knees in mud, or
covered in L11e red eal'lh and dust or those heroic Limes i n L11e brush­
lands. At the temporary h u t where we worked, among other rriends
Lhere was Nau rO,""' Sabino Bal'roso, Glauco Campelo, Montenegro,
Pel'eira Lopes, Bulhoes, Pauliio . . . Even old Pad,, our "jack-ol�all­
trades" a t Novacap, who stood out because of his u·umpeling voice.
I can see them a l l now, hunched ovel' L11eil' drawing boards, totally
absorbed by Urnir wol'k, caught up in our great crusade lo build
Brasilia, come what may. At Lhe end orL11e day, I see them riding buses
back to their working-class homes. Some gathered in groups lo
comment o n L11e day's problems and l i sten l o wistful sambas amid
high-spirited laughter. OLhers went to Cidade Livre (Free City) lo
dance at nighlclubs a n d ogle Ll1e girls. The bal'l'en counlryside
naturally provoked a need lor escape, although some ind ividuals
chose Lo remain alone with their U,oughls. But bright and eal'ly next
morning Lhey were a l l U1ere, l'eady for L11e bus ride back to our
humble office, happy once again lo im merse U1emselves in architecture.
I shal'ed theil' enthusiasm and theil' WOl'l'ies, and the io) 1 1 1 •1 1 1
Brasilia l'ising up from U1e middle of nowhere.
Allel' some time the CEPLAN [planning centel'] onil'l' '"" 1 111 1
down, so I h i l'ed architects l'esiding in Brasilia f'or specili,· j1 1h, . ' 1 111 ·
was M al'cal, Cydno, and Bi l'unga, and, lalel', Joiio F'ilgueiras cl,• I II11
a highly talented architect who has earned my unsli11Ii11µ: p 1·11l•I Ii
his splendid works throughout Bl'azil.

I l'ecall a couple of things with pal'ticu lal' salisl'aclio11. 011,• I• 111

lifelong disdain l'ol' money; anoUiel' is my ul'ge 10 help p,·11pl 1· I
share wiU1 them and be useful lo U1em.
Because I have had so much work, people obviously 1h i 1 1 k I 11I11
l'ich man. How d o I deny this fact, given that so many ofm y h11llilliI
have made the headlines? How d o I account fol' my travels 1 1 1 111 111
pl'ojecls in the Old Wol'ld? Ofcou l'se there wel'e good Limes-I11 1 I I1!1 1
wel'e hal'd Limes, too. Thel'e wel'e limes of plenty and Limes 1 1 1' 111 •1 1 1
The good Limes wel'e mainly when I l'eturned from Eu l'Op<', lu11 I, h
the 1970s. B u t that was all ovel' so quickly that it look eve11 1111• I,
sul'pl'ise. o one knows just how many Limes I have WOl'ked ii,,. h 1 1
and how I have spent long months wol'king without any P" l 1 1 11•111
coming in; 0I' how I o llen invite fl'iends along to shal'e in lh1· \\ l l t l
I have nevel' been m u c h concerned wiU1 money. I n l'acl, I lrnv1· al\\11\
managed lo put up with the uncel'lainties and unexpeclt'd 1111 11
in life.
Whal gl'eal satisfaction I took in buying an apal'tmenl l'o l' I ,1II
Carlos Pl'estes! I remembel' that al the Lime my bank accoI11II I\ 11
l'u nning low and I told h i s secl'elal'y, Acacio, lo speed up th,· I,-wil
pl'0Cess. "Gel that pl'operty deed Lhl'ough quickly, befol'e I ru11 11111 111
cash!" This was an insti nctive geslul'e or pul'e friendship. I ""
adm ired old Pl'esles; he was my friend and that was all that 111.111,,,.,.11
to me. I have l'arely felt so good about myself as I did that day.

Apl'il 1 984. I was sitting out on bou leval'd l\aspail, fondly wa1dil1114
the lil'Sl leaves or spl'ing appeal'ing on Ule trees, people leaving llll'h
coals al home and cheel'fu lly strolling along the bouleval'd u11d,·1· II
blue sky. S0111eU1ing in the mild ail' positively dared one to go 0 1 1 1 1'1 11
a walk, so I did. I used lo l'0am U1e old stl'eels o f that Pal' isi1111
neighbol'hood wiU1 theil' sobel' and regulal' buildings, theil' wro11µ:hI
iron balconies and tall windows. I U1oughl o f U1e nu merous celebrat,·tl
wl'ilel's, painters, and poets who had l i ved thel'e so many yeal's IJl'l't11·,•
 and expel'ienced U1ose same joys and S0l'l'ows. I hal'dly eve!' bought
anyU1ing. As in my first yeal's as an al'chilecl, I was f'ol'ced to live on
a Light budget. I oflen window-shopped and then stopped al the news­
stand lo buy Le Monde and L'Humanite. Now and then I went into a
bookslol'e lo bl'owse, leaf through a few books, maybe bump into a
friend from Brazil and catch up on news from Olli' distant and
desolate homeland. 01' I challed with old Oscal' Nitzke, a neighbol',
who would spot me fl'om afal'. He invariably waved and smiled, eager
lo discuss ew Yol'k, Wallace Harl'ison, and Le Col'busiel' wiU1 me. I
used to sit alone ovel' a demi tasse of espl'esso for hOUl'S on end al La
Coupole, sel'enely watching the passing of lime-the same Lime which
i n my youth had seemed an evel'lasling promenade yet had now
become so short. . . and so hostile. I sat al La Coupole and watched
people going by, my mind preoccupied with yet anoU1er l'0und o f
pl'essing financial pl'oblems. My friends warned me 1 0 hold down
expendilul'es, to no avail. They said I wasn't gelling any youngel', etc.,
but I never paid any allenlion lo U1em. I remember the day I stated in
an i n terview, "I would be ashamed lo be rich!"
I spent all I earned but I also helped many people, so U1e
inevitable setbacks left m e quite unpel'lurbed. Unfol'lunalely, in U1e
course of this financial seesaw from abundance lo shol'lage and back
again, I look on Loo many comm itments. Now I ollen think I could
have dodged many of my troubles if I had heeded those wamings
from my friends. But these doubts never haunt me f'ol' too long. They
al'e always quickly vanquished by the certainly Uiat I was quick Lo
help fl'iends in need-as if my money were Ulei l's, loo. I can live with­
out U1is pointless se11°crilicism.
I am happy lo say that J have always managed lo put my financial
problems behind me, slal'ting with Pampulha, when I did Uie design
fol' next to nothing in 0l'del' lo l'acililate things for J K [Juscelino
Kubitschek]. In fact, I dl'alled the whole complex fol' less Uian
Candido Pol'tinari chal'ged him for a painting. Then came Brasilia,
and I did all Ule splendid buildings fol' the new capital on the misel'ly
salal'y of a civil servant. I remember J K telling me on the telephone,
"Oscar, you've got money problems. I want you lo design the Bank o f
Brazil and t h e Development Bank. See Ulal you chal'ge U1e pl'opel' fee
as established by U1e Institute of Architects of Brazil;' My l'esponse was,
"I can't do Uial. I am a civil servant with J ovacap, a public employee;'
. . . I finished my coffee al La Coupole. ll was a beautiful spring
day, Ule women seemed youngel' and less inhi bited, the bouleval'd
was packed with people, lively sounds, and merriment.
I got to l ive in two apartments during my sojourns in Paris. 1 111• 111 ,
on rne Ji'ran�ois Premier, the other on bou levard Haspail. I lil 1 1·d 111111
neighborhoocl-it was auU1entic, and far l 'rom the tourisls al1111� 1111
Champs Elysees.
Everybody enjoys stroll ing around Paris. II' you ,11·p 11 ,·111 1 1,11
person, ii' you have ever been moved by U,e history of Ji'ra111·1·. I'11 1 1 - I
even more interesting, a city where past and present me ,·�•· 111 1 1 1 1 ii
mutual advan tage. Besides U1e scen ic attrnctions, there are 111 11"·11111
exhibitions, and art shows-the pleasures and enterlainnw111 II1111 11111
such a well-established civil ization and culture can of er.
f

We are in the late 1 980s now, and I am walking down 1>1111I1'1 111,I
Haspail on my way to the Metro station. I low many tales llii, pl111
could tell! There is that l ittle care where Sartre and Si11111111• 1h
Bcauvoir had coffee and croissants every morning. Close l>y 1In• 1111
D<1me, Le Select, La Hotoncle, and La Coupole, the r,11 111 111
restaurnnls of l he spi rited and enl ightened bohemians of 1 9 31b 1'11 1 1
A l l this belongs to the past. Life has become harsher 111HI 1111111
dillicult. The informal, rebellious groups of the past 111·1· 11111
dissolved, victims of the call "not to be involved" which 1\11111 1111
Lorenz••• points out in his analysis ol ' Ll1e drama ol' life in the nwlrnpoll
Nevertheless, in Prance and particularly in Montparnassc, 1 1 11·1·,, I
still a certain u n i queness that is hardly found anywhere rlsi·: 1111
restive but popular and elegant atmosphere or La Coupolc, llw , 1 111111
su·eels off the bou levard where great artists such as Mocligliani used
Lo live, and L11is nonchalant way of l il'e, this savoir l'a ire, that some­
t i mes reminds me or our l'riends in Copacabana. This explains, for
exa m p le, how a tailor who specialized in garment alterations was
found waiting for his l'ew customers at a nearby bar, chatting with
friends; or U,c romantic ligure of the Spanish guitarist, always
wearing a hal, playing his instrument all day long without ordering
anything. l le seemed happy just to n u rture the bohemian i mage he
buil t up for h i m self and which suited him well.
On my way to the Melrn I Lake in everyll1 ing: slorefronls, passcrsby,
the clay awa kening in Monlparnasse. A cool breeze shakes U,c l eaves
of Lhe old chestn ut trees greening in anticipation of s u m mer. The
boulevard is so lovely! I reach Vavin, feed my card through the ticket
turnstile, and take the lirst train. I lind a seat and then look around
with in terest at the oll1er passengers. There are so many people of
color in Paris! It disturbs me to think of our brnthers in Brazil, who
are so m uch poorer and fa r more aggravated by l ife.
There i s a chubby, healthy-looking young woman silting in front
of ' me-she must be a country girl-with her bag secure between her
knees. She glances at her l'c llow passengers and U1e passing scenery,
b u t her thoughts are surely of fa r-off places. Studying her race, I try
to imagine the various problems she might have in lil'e. Alternately
apprehensive and calm, she lets escape an uncontrollable smile
of salisl'acl ion. We really do lind the same t h ings eve1ywherc we go
in t h is world. The same contradictions, I.he same joys, and the
sarnc sorrows!
Beside me is a friendly old man, tielcss l ike myscll '. He is busily
exa m i n ing his cily: U1e usual seven-story buildings of' thc res idential
areas or Paris, their neat windows and blinds and small, flower­
covered balconies suggesting a civil ized and joyl 'ul people. Now and
then a park appears oul the wi ndow. These arc cozy little tree-lined
squares will, children playing, young people courting, and old people
perched on benches, dreamily watching life go by. Now we arc
nearing Passy, halfway Lo my destination. The train emerges on the
su rfoce track so we race the bridges and barges on the Seine, l'u l l or
light reflecting in the water like a Monet.
The chubby girl gels off and a youth sits beside Lhc old man, and
with a friendly slap on Lhe knee, says, "Et a/ors?" "Well," replies the
man, as ii' there was no other possible answer, "We're in Lhc
govern ment with L11c socialists:' And Lhe young man continues:
"\�That about the Am ericans?" The old man retorts: "The A m ericans!
They just gave Mitterrand the opportunity to show them tlt11t It I 11 1
to the people of Prance!' Francois Mitterrand had just 1>1·1·11 ,•l1·1 h ,
president [and the United States had attempted a veto 011 C :01111111111I I
fo rming part of the government al liance].
I wanted to hear more of this interesting conversali1111, 11111 Ii i
train was pulling into U1e Champs Elysees station and iL was 1111 1 1 1 1 1·
to get oil'. Taking to the sidewalk with a heavy heart, I bcg;111 I11I 11I 111
or my own counu·y and how our people were so politically ha,·I111 111,I
and how the reactionaries must have hated hearing U1e "''" ' 11I 111
lefl's electoral vi ctory in Prance. That was wonderful news, 1111,I 111
French people cheerfu l ly celebrated it by dancing into 1 1 11· 1•11 I I
hours at Place d e l a Bastille.
I entered my office building and pressed the elevator 1>1111111,
Piped background music kicked in-but not the "lnlcl'llali1111111i
of course.

Also in Paris, I went to see Vinfcius de Moraes perform. l it• " ;" 11 t
pleased to announce my presence from U1e stage: "The ;ordollt 1 1
Oscar Niemeyer is here with us tonight:' I sat there listeni11e\ 111 I1lI11
singing, very much at ease, wearing his sailor cap, glass i11 lta11ol
We met again Uie next day. He was off to Chile to sec I,·,·1·1·, , 1t11
Cullar, a dear friend and great poet. Instead of Brazil paying lti111 1111
U·ibute he deserved, the dictatorsh ip had forced him into exil,·.

I have traveled to many lands and met a great many peo Ii1<-. I lt1111
been to Lebanon, Italy, Algeria, Egy 1it, and even Saudi Arabi;o . l11 11111\
I saw Giorgio Mondadori00, again; I had met him yeai·s bl'l'1 11·,· l1 I
Rio, and back then he had asked me to design a b u i lding for his i\111 1 111
publishing house. He had seen the ltamaraty Palace ( i\ l i 11i,t 1 1
o f Foreign Relations) i n Brasilia, with its columns, and wa11t,•1I
something similar l'o r his own offices. So I went off to M i lan to , i,•11
the site.
I have met few people like Giorgio Mondadori: cheerful, dy1rn11ol1 ;
wiU1 a happy-go-lucky attitude toward the good things in Ii i',·. 1 1 1•
greeted us with such a kind, warm hearted manner Uiat I felt ;os ii' ,w
had known each 0U1er for years . I remember having lunch ;11 Ill�
house. He took me out lo the garden and there we were pla.1 i11�
soccer wiU1 h i s kids, Lopes and I run n i ng around afler the h;oll,
trying to score, and Giorgio as goalkeeper!
 It was in this fraternal spirit that we supervised work on his offices
for several years. When i t was linished the tall columns and distinc­
tive spans lent it that touch of creativity that he been looking for. Like
Mondadori, I had the ltamaraty columns in mind when I designed his
headquarters, but U1e result was very different: it was sturdy and
monumental, with inventive, varied spaces. This was the architectural
freedom I had always sought. For the lirst lime in my architecture
career a colonnade had emerged in a very disti n ctive style.
Years later, Giorgio was set on building anoU1er office in down­
town Milan and again he looked me up in Rio. I drafled a design for
h i m , but zon i ng problems eventually blocked construction. I
remember h i m writing to me, " I 've given LI il hope of getting clearance
for construction, but I'm going to send you thirty thousand dollars for
U1e design work anyway!' I rel'used to take the money. I explained that
in flying to Rio he had proved his real interest in my work, and that
was sufficient reward for me. But my good friend G i orgio persisted i n
h i s intention a n d said I could give the money t o the Oscar Niemeyer
Foundation. I still refused. If I had taken the money, his journey and
my work would have lost that fraternal spirit that I found so
satisfying. Cecilia Scharlach,"'' who recently stopped off in M ilan, told
me she had met Giorgio and heard him say I was his favorite
architect. I t's good lo know these things, and to recall how Giorgio
and his aide, Calanca, were so considerate and helpful.
'I
I made many good friendships i n Italy, where I clC'sig11t·tl 1111 I I
omces in Turin with lhe aid of archilecl Massimo C , 1•1111111 I, JI
joined his team in dralling a pilot study for a sla di11111 111 II I
I worked wilh other Italians, loo, such as Tozzini, Frecl,·1-i<-11 � 1 1 1111 I I
and Lionello Puppi.• 0 1 I a m indebted to the laller li>1· ,1.,. 1111111
generously wrole o n my archileclure.
I taly is so beautiful, and our Italian broU1ers ,11·,· " "'It ,
people, so fu n-loving! I greatly enjoyed touring Rome, 1'1111·1•111 I' 1111
Venice. It was a delight to see such enchanting arl ; 11 11· 11 1111
of Palladio, B runelleschi, Fi lippo Calendario; and il1t· 1 111
Palace; And to feel a nation advancing happily Oil ll1t· ,·1 11111 1
0
;

freedom and socialism.

I remember one particular Sunday in Italy-one or l ilos,· I\ 11h ,,

Italian Sundays that De Sica portrayed so well in his fil111s. 1'1"1 1111 JI,
platform al U1e railroad station in Milan, I watched as my rnll1•11 11
Marcos Jaymovitch struggled to stow our luggage Oil l l1t• 11 111!1
A crowd or people shouted and gesticulated as everybody a l l 1•1t1 jtl1 ,
to store their baggage at lhe same lime. It was so co lll"11 ., lll ll,
d iscouraging, that I gestured to him from a distance to tell lii111 I 1111,1
changed my mind about taking that train. My friend was lw lll,·tl, 1!111
he understood me; he set about retrieving the suitcas<'s 111• 111111
worked so hard to get on the train. We Jell the station and l1111i-1·d lt11
a car rental ollice, pleased wi tl1 au,· decision.
"We only rent cars l'or weekends," they told us. We r"·l111 11�1 11
unhappy glances, since we were well aware that ou1· trip w1111ltl 1111 ,
much longer. Even so, we agreed to the terms, since II'(' 1111,I 1111
alternative. We knew we would not harm anyone and that ill 1111' 1•1111
everyU1ing would turn out a l l right, which always happened, ,11111 tltl
made us reel happier about the whole busi ness. So we got illl11 1111
rented Alla Romeo and set ofT fo r the Straits of Gibraltar and A lg1•1 l11
What a journey! We passed vineyards or fine Italian wincri1·., . 1111
quaint vil lages or while houses with old church belrries tll11 1•1·l11
over the scene. Then came Sicily with its Mafia organizatiolls, 1111
Sacred Family, the spirit or solidarity that inspired peopl1• ltr
challenge the prejudices or the bourgeoisie. I reca lled the isl11ll1I ' •
heroes, like Giuliano, who led tl1e youthrul fighters or his ag,· r,·11llt
his hillside stronghold. One night, we slept in an old medieval l1111t•I,
sober and silent, whose enormous stone columns recalled 111111
period of intransigence and austerity.
We crossed to Algeria and spent two months there before driving to
Paris. When we handed i n the rental contract we had signed wiU1 the
Italian firm, the rental omce attendant was astonished. He told us I.hat
the car had been considered stolen and the in surance company had
paid for it, so tl1e company had suffered no loss. And, with a smile or
collusion, he suggested, ".lust park the car over there, and we'll forget
the whole thing!' The !act that we had driven around Europe ror
months in a "stolen car" somehow added a touch or adventure to our
trip that we can only now appreciate.

I was very fo nd or Algeria. The country's conquest or rreedom had

brought about a wonclerrul t.ransl'ormation tl1at I could sense in the
euphoria and easy laughter or its people, who had been so horribly
o ppressed and so clreadrully h u m i liated. This joy in victory was to be
seen everywhere: in the packed cares, tl1e streets, the squares, and o n
the races o r o u r Algerian friends as they proudly showed u s lilm
footage of the hard-won v ictory.
The old Casbah was the center or the armed st s uggle; from there,
courageous Algerian women had set out to smuggle arms through
checkpoints manned by colonial armed forces and delivered the
instruments or revolution to their menrolk on Lhe other side.
On my second clay i n the country I met President Boumedienne
and round U1c same enlhusiasn1 i n him, too. He was a "monumental"
ligure, as Andre Malraux remarked in his memoi,·s of Mao Tse-lung:
Lall, looking you straight in the eye, wearing a fine combat uniform.
My major project in Algeria was the Un iversity or Constantine
campus. The leaders most closely involved in the development or the
work were Boumedienne, Dejelloul, who was then secretary lo I.he
presidency, and Mohamed Seddik Benyahia, the min ister of culture.
Algeria . . . oh, how I enjoy reca lling those good old Limes and the
house I lived in, U1e beautirul gardens around il, the nowers so
dearly tended. I used to stand at tl1e door and contemplate their vivid
colors, and I could smell their pe1fume as the old gardener tenderly
placed them in small pots he later arranged inside the house. The
property included a park with a tennis court and soccer lield. I even
remember how we once played a very enjoyable game or soccer
there. Occasionally I strolled around the park, checking out the
vegetation: the tl1ick palm u·ees witl1 their layered trunks, the calad­
iums and philodendrons tl1at reminded me or my troJJical homeland.
I n the evenings friends dropped in to visit or 1ihoned me to dis­
cuss work. There was the high-spi rited talk or Jorge Vale"�-a great
 companion-who kept us laughing with h is playing aro1111d. '1'111 1
was Edgard Grnel; Pereira Lopes, .Jorge Moreira, Mar·ral, I :1111111
Montenegro, l<'ernando Hu rmcisler, and l<'ernandu Andrad,•,•.., 1111
ready and w i l l i n g Lo go lo battle fo r LO(J-qu a lity design work.
Hut everything changed when Houmedienne died . W,· ldl 1111
country and a n xiously wailed for n ews of o u r prnjccls. \Vas 1111' 11 1 1 1 1
i n Algiers go ing a h ead? Were our designs being 1'; 1 i I l 1 l 1 1 I I
implemented? O n e day I read i n t h e newspapers t h a t Hc11yahi1\ 111111
been seriously injured in a plane crash. Al the Paris hospit;li " 1 11•11 I
went to visit h i m , I found the m i n i ster bedridden, weak, a11d 1 1·1 1
U1in, but recuperating. I could tell that he was touched by 111,1 1 I II
when, on leaving, he silently look my hand in a gesture or l'r'i <'11dshl(1
Time passed and we all had almost fo rgollen Lile accident " 111·11, 1111
a return trip to Algeria, his plane crashed. Anoll1cr friend, a 1111lih
intell igence, lost forever.
I remember Algiers with deep nostalgia: its packed cal'(·,. 1111
while rnw houses l11e F'rench built near the port, the Casbah, a11d 1111
Lough Algerian people striving lo preserve their cultural hl'l'il;tl-(<' I
perceived in my Algerian friends many or the trails or my Hrazill111 I
brnl11ers, that same optimistic laugh ter. My companions-t herl' '"'Ii
al most t h i rty or them-ollen went wil11oul the comforts Lill') h111I
become accustomed to in the past. Their apartments were sl111lrli\
and inconveniently located, and L11is produced a sort or per11 1;11 11•11l
depression in some of the more fragile among L11em. 13 1 1 1 1111,
majority realized that the country had just been thrnugh a gr11t'l i 1 1�
war or liberation so many things were as yet disorganized.
Our colleague Arakawa"" had the most uncomfortable lod µi11�•
but was nevertheless the most optimistic or them all. Out of co,11·,·I·11
for his situation, one day I asked, "I- low are thi ngs?" ".Just fin<'," 111•
answered smili ng. "An d the women?" I asked teasingly. He respo11d,•d
with two triumphant lingers in the air. "1\vo or L11em!" We laugh Pd 111
h i s optimism. These issues were not easy to resolve i n that allral'li 1 1•
and generous country!

I fe lt removed f'rom everything: fa m i l y and friends, Lile mountain,.

Lile ocean and the beaches of my coun try. I just had to go home. 0111·
day, I don't know why, the distance suddenly seemed to beco,111·
more hearlren d i ng. I wrnle Ll1e following li nes, which I stuck on Utt•
office wall:
 I amfarfrom everxthing
From eve,ylhing I love,
Fi·om that beautiful land
Where I was bom.
One day f'll throw il in,
I'll hil the road,
And be back in Brazil,
That's where I want to live.
Eve,y man in his own place,
Each one in his own home,
Joking with hisfriends,
Watching the da)' go b)'.
I want to watch the stars,
f wan l lo feel Iife,
And be back in Brazil,
That's where I want lo live.
I'm up lo here,
Can 'l gel over this flu,
Sick of hearing nonsense
Can't help myself through.
One da_y I'll have had enough,
I'll throw the towel in,
And be back in Brazil,
That's where I want lo live.
This place i.s no good lo me,
ft is goodfor nothing,
I've made up my mind,
Nobody will stop me now.
Screw the job,
And this world qf shit,
I want to be back in Brazil,
That's where I want to live.

Every lime I went back to Pampulha I was sad and disgusted lo see
things being altered in such poor taste. The casino was converted lo
a museum; the yacht club was expanded and a wall b u i l t around i t
t h a t ostensibly blocked i t from the view o f park visitors; and the
dance hall, which was once a lively meeting place, was eventually
also converted to a museum. The yacht club, Lhe facade or which
m a tched the un ique architectural style or its in leri0 I', was
transformed into a huge resta urant that bears no res<·11 1 l1l111 11 1· 11
original plan. An archi tect's Lask is anything bul easy!
Years l a ter-in 1985, if I am not mistaken-Tancr<'d <> N ,·11•-• 11
governor of the state of Minas Gerais, Jose Apan·cid, ,,.... 11111
attended lhe ceremony where U1e Pampulha complex '"" 11111111
official landmark status. It was said Lo have launched /111 1 1 1 11111111!
architectural style U,at even tually spread Lhroughoul llw '"" ' Iii Ii
Lhe only independent branch of contemporary archil<·,·I 1 1 1·1,, " , 1
architect Marc Emery, director of 0/rchitecture d't111ju111 '1 /'h111
Paris. The preservation measu res adopted for Pa111 p11l l111 , ,
insullicient, however, and today Lhe investment requin·d 1 1 1 11· h
the complex is impossible Lo secure. As a result, Pa mp11ll 1i1 1011 11
surrounded by mediocre buildings that disrupt the illTlilil'I 1111 ,
purity of its original design.

Today I slopped by my daughter Anna Maria's art gall ery . ,1, I 1

wailing for her U1ere, I fell Lo recal ling past episodes or 1111 1· 1111111!
lire. We used to get very agitated, A n n ita and I , every l i 1 111• Ill>·
daughter came down wiLh a lever. Of eourse, Lhis was a nornrnl 111111
that happened Lo all children, but as parents we always p1111l1 I 1 ,I
and spent U1e whole night al her bedside!
In the years Lhat followed we brought her up with lov ing , . "'''' 111))1
saw her grow i n to a young girl. We became concerned II ill, 111 1
ru turc. Wo uld she find someone who would un derstand hn? llo11hl
she and her husband be m u tually lorgiving, capable or Ii, i1111 1 11
peace and harmony as a happy couple?
But marriage is always an unpredictable adven lun', r1 1II 111
surprises, whose outcome only Lime can Lei!. U nfo rl11 1111I1'1\
her marriage was not as successfu l as we had wished i t Lo lw. •\ 111111
Maria went through some difficult Limes arter that, i111d 111
were forced Lo witness her predicament from a distance, 1 1 11111 >1>
Lo in tervene.
She never gave up. As the intell igent. a n d hardworking wo11I1111
she is, our daughter has pulled through all the trials that life hils ,, . ,,J
her way. Now, here I am waiting !or her in the art gallery sh<· 1 111•
founded and made fa mous Lhanks to her own competent'<' /11111
noU1ing else. Anna Maria plunged into work, day and night, i11 111•1
allempl Lo overcome her greatest sufferings, such as the painrul ''""
or her daughter Ana Claudia in a terrible car crash. She still cilrri,·•
this im mense and u n forgettable sadness in her heart.
 Occasion ally we visit her al home in Sao Conrado. I admire Lhe
warmU1 with which she welcomes visitors! Despite her busy work a l
the gallery, Anna Maria stil l finds Lime Lo nurture her friendships.
These are mostly wiU1 artists, younger people who drop by U1e
ga l lery. She has always sought Lo motivate those in whom she spots
talent and Lhe will of achievement that are essen tial in the art world.
And I am proud of our beloved daughter, her dauntless spirit, and her
courage in view or the inevitable adversities Urnt life, so ollen
perverse, holds in store for us.

Dming automobile trips to Brasilia, my greatest distraction was Lo

observe cloud rormalions in the sky. \•\Thal numerous and unexpected
possibilities U1ey suggested! Now they formed mysterious, Lowering
caU1edrals-mosL certainly, the caU1edrals or Saint-Exupery; now,
ruthless warriors or Roman charioteers crossing the skies; now,
outlandish monsters racing swiflJy with Lhe wind; and, more oflen
(because I always looked out for Lhem), lovely and vaporous women
reclining on the clouds.
In no Lime, however, everything changed. Cathedrals dissipated
into a while mist; warriors changed into unending carnival parades;
monsters sought shelter in dark groLLoes, only Lo reappear further
duwn, even more frenzied; and women slowly frayed away, growing
thinner and thinner until they were transformed into b i rd, 111 1,1
snakes. Those cloud figures looked so realistic that I ollt-11 1·1111�!1!1
ph otographing them, but I never did.
Wa tching clouds remains my favorile pastime wl1<·11 I I1 111 , t
enjoy trying to decipher them, as if I were in s,·al' l·l1 111
auspicious and long-awaited message. One day, howe1t·r. I h1
was even more breaU1taking. I saw a beauli l"ul woma11, '" 1·11•1
Renoir figure, with an oval race, fu l l breasts, flat stomat 'h, 11111I I, ,
legs entwined with the white clouds in the sky. For 11 11 ltll- t
watched her, completely in awe, fearing that she might si,!11l1 ,.1
vanish. But U10se sum mer aflernoon winds were on my sid1· 111111 I
a long while she just floated there, gazing at me from a di,I11111 1
ii" inviting me up to play with her among U1e clouds.
Finally my fear was j ustified, and s l owly my "' ,·,·11t 1
vanished into thin air: her arms were elonga ted as they l'l'adi,·11 1
in despair; her breasts soared as they detached from her l11111\ 1 h
long legs coiled into a spiral, as if she did not wish to l1·111 ,• , t 1111
her alarmed and sad eyes remained staring into mini\ g,·1111 l11
bigger. Then a large and heavy black cloud took her away rrn111 1111
For a while I resllessly followed her with my eyes and w,,Idi,•1 I
she s truggled w i th L11e enfolding clouds and the raging II i11cl, 111,,,
mercilessly tore her apart.
Just then I realized that the wicked metamorphosis I had 111 1 11
witnessing closely resembled our own destiny. Aller all, we ;11·1· 1111111
grow up, struggle, die, and U1en disappear l'orever, just lik,· 11t111
beautifu l woman in the clouds.

It is an ominous evening. A warm wind indicates a ch,1 11,w 11,

weather while flashes of lightning crisscross the heavy Cop;ll 'al1111111
skies, announcing an impending thu nderstorm. I look 11p 111 u
starless sky. Streets are empty, as if everyone senses, like nw. 111111
something is about lo happen. The strong wind blasts agai11sI 1l11
glass panes of my apartment win dows and I gaze apprehc11si1t•!\
a l the infini te cosmos. The gloomy sky and threatening atmosp h,•1 11
herald a gusty wind Llrnl howls around the street corners. Crad11111l\
al first, large ra indrops dot the pavement, and soo11 11
downpour fa lls heavily over the helpless city. In no lime L11e sl ,·,·,•I
becomes flooded, leaving curb and sidewalk und erwater. Cars I """
by slowly, fo rming waves that deposit mud rings in apart111<·11I
building entrances.
 Fascinated by an enraged MoLl1er Nature, I simply look on,
remembering how very di!Terent everything used lo be many years
ago: Rio's population density, the number of vehicles on the streets,
the effective sewer system, and rewer flood hazards. I remember
how good it was to sleep peacefu lly, lulled by the genlle noise or
raindrops fa lling on rooflops. I would lay there imagining the
fields and. forests happily welcoming the blessed rain; the flowers
growing much prettier in the h u m id and bou ntiful soil. Even the
waterfalls praised L11e rain graciously with U1eir inv igorated songs,
and Ll1e sea became calmer, appeased by L11e arrival of rain, its
ancient and sweet companion.
'othing like Ll1al is happening now, when I think sorrowfully that
soon the city w i l l be inu ndated; that the noise of raindrops w i l l be
muffled by the Ll1ick slabs of penthouse roofs; that Ll1e homes or our
poor compatriots will be washed out by Ll1e flood, and that these
people w i l l be Iefl helpless, homeless, and hopeless in this loveless
environment in which we all live. The morning newspapers w i l l
bring the calamitous headlines. Distressed city otncials will once
again pledge their unrestricted support to Ll1e victims, while shanty­
town dwellers seek to rescue from the debris whatever is !ell of L11eir
shacks. In their gated fort.resses, the bourgeoisie w i l l be wonderi11g
whether L11e beaches have been raked clean for L11eir daily jog. And
lime will pass uneventfu lly u n t i l a new flood takes over this help less

...
city. Then, other shanties w i l l be desu·oyed, as if' 1 rn l I1 1·,• 1 1 1 11 1
with the hideous discri mination that so bu!'dens Lill' 1111.-ltl

On one occasion, I was dining wil11 friends at N i 1111's 1·,·,111111

Copacabana when two youngel' couples walked in. 0111• 111 1111
im mediately began to shout out against "brown-ski11 111·d -,11 11111
and Communists. He did so in such a peevish ma11 11t'I' 1 1 1111 I 1 1 1 1
his remarks must be d i l'ected a t me. What could I d o '/ I 1111- 1
years old; he was half my age and six feet tall. This " '" 1 11111
exactly what made me !'eact. I payed the bill and !ell 1111• 111hh
headed fol' L11e dool', but Ulen I came back alone and llil 1 1 1 111 I
rushed to separate us. I had been punched in !'eta liati1111, 111111 1,1
ran down my face.
The next day, witllout asking me, my cousin Cal'los Ni . . 1111•11· 1 I,
into the man's omce. Pl'ightened, L11e aggl'essol' lhl'call'111"d 111 1 1 1 1
police protection . Darcy Hibeiro was angry ovel' tllC' i11dd,•11l
Hrizola called me that night with sympathetic words. I !'ef'1 1sc·d 111 11
on L11e ma tter. In fact, my name had not been me11tio111•d 111111 I I
ral11e!' guilty for having started a light. I did not really u11d,·J'sl1111tl
had acted so impu lsively. A few days later, I was talking ah,111I lilt· h,
dent with my friend Joiio Saldanha in my ollicc. He advised 1111· , "II
d!'aw you!' gun, aim low, because the recoil brings up LllC' 1-(1111 1!11 1 1

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l\ ibeiro de Almeida, my grandfather, began his legal career as a judge
in Maric{1, his homelown. A slreel was later named aller h i m , as
olher streets had been named aller our cousin, Macedo Soares.
I myselr have never been to Marica. A l l I know of Lhe city is what
my grandmolher told us, Lhat she used to send her servant to buy
shri mp in Ponta Negra. And Lhere was also Galdino Duprat, the
genealogist, who insisted U1at I was related to lhe I ndian chief
Ararib6ia,"" whose son, so he said, had married an Almeida girl,
supposedly a family relalion.
I knew Uiat Horacio de Carvalho owned a farm in the area, w i th
Lhe type or old colonial ra rmhouse Lhat I had always wanted but
certainly would never be able to afford. So I loracio's telephone ca l l to
me one day came as a delighU"ul su rprise. "Oscar, I've split up the
farmland I own up Lhere and the house is now yours. You're the only
person capable of restoring it," he said. Such a brolherly allitude
caught me off-guard, so it was only Lhe next time I spoke to him U,at
I ma naged to Lhank h i m properly.
I went to see Lhc place, and Lhere il was, my favoritc colunial fa rm­
house with a sprawling roar, tall and idenlical windows painted blue,
and a wide veranda that was an extension or Lhe living room, in Lhe
Portuguese style. There was also a small chapel with a cross and
convenlional stained-glass win dows built in a prominent location
on the property, as dictated by Lhe religious conviction of lhc colonial
era. Close to the house was the old brick terrace used ror
drying coffee beans, the forested hil lside, and a creek flowing in
the rocky terrain. F'u rlher in Lhe distance was a most beauliful
man-made reservoir.
The nexl lime I spoke lo Horacio, another suqirise was in store for
me. "Listen, Oscar, Lily wants you to have lhe lake, Loo. She says Lhe
house is no f'u n wilhout i r' 111
I Lhoughl of Lhe memorable old Limes and Ule long-lasling friend­
ship behind a l l Lhis, a bond Lhal developed silenUy but constanUy
despite the absences our diverse lives occasioned. My mind went
back in Lime to our jaunts around Lhe Lapa neighborhood and U1e
cabarets. That was Lhe old Rio, slill u n polluted and undomin ated by
vehicles, caressing our young spirits in Lhe silent, wee hours of Lhe
morni ng. Later in our lives we had gone our separate ways. l loracio
became editor of the Didrio Carioca and with his charm and abil ity
had become inlluential in Lhe counlry's political scene, while I
remained absorbed in my archi tecture. Every lime we met, however,
Lhe conversation immediately turned lo Care Lamas and our old and
dear companions. We fondly recalled those events rro,11 llw JIii I \I
inconsequential, everyday incidents that had marl\l·d 11111 I I
friendship. The Cafe Lamas, the pool tables, the old Lapa dl,I1 I1 I II
Di Cavalcanti so enjoyed, our group or friends strolli11g 111'111 l11 11 1 "
too young lo feel the weight o f l i re i n a world Llrn l s,·,·111111111\ I,
paused momentarily lo let us live i l up a bit.
Now freshly w h itewashed, the farmhouse suddenly n·M·111ltl1
antique drawing by Debret.u, Trees that have grown old 11 1111 11,
house over the centuries seem lo protect it with their leal\ 111·11111 I,.
The chapel dominates the property, ;,vhereas the rarml11111s,· 11 lilt 11
while and simple architecture h u mbly takes refuge here.
I am rereading this passage slowly, pondering 111,1 11 111 I
carerully. I want lo sound d ignified and natural in lighl or l h i , 11 l1 11,!
ship. Fi nally, I wonder ii" I should even publish this ,11·,·,111111 11I
moment in time that reca lls aITection and solida rity, an ep i,111 l1• JI, .,
touches and concerns me alone.

I have just finished design ing the Memorial da Am cri,·a I ,111111 ,

complex al Israel Pinheiro's request. A wistful feeling comes ""'I
111o
as I look a l an old picture of Brasilia. The site is sti l l des,·rI ,·d, 11
houses yet, n o trees, no flowers. There they are, old lsrnc-I l'i11l11•II,
Moaci1· de Souza, Peri Fra nce,"' myself, and other colleagues. \\,• 111111
gone lo choose the site fo r the presidential buildi ng, the A l \ 1 1 1 11 Il11
Palace. The photo shows our enthusiastic grou I1 standing up 1 1 1 11111
knees in the underbrush, anxious lo start work on the build i1 114 111111
L11e nation's new capital. Israel was the leader of the group, " illl Ill
assertive and optimistic personality. The backlands a l l around 1" 1111
bare, hostile, and silent.. We are rar away from everywhere, a l 1111· Ptl l l
of the world.
Israel was a wonderful person, a paragon or hard work 111111
determ ination who inspired us daily back in- L11osc lirst yea ,-., 111
Brasilia. Dawn had hardly broken when he would be out n1111il1I
around the sites, lending lo any urgent changes or orders, lo11ld1I
arter transportation and lodging. Eschew ing bureau cracy, he to11l1 Ii
upon himself lo arrange every necessity, and his congenial 11111I
commun icative presence was a great encouragement lo us.
Of course we had our arguments, as is inevitable with a proj,TI ,11
that nature. A l l our arguments were about U1e project sclwd111t•.
Israel, fo r good reasons, fought lo maintain his deadlines while I, Il11•
designer, claimed priority for my arch itecture.
 We became such good friends that arter Brasilia was built, when
Israel became governor of the stale of Minas Gerais, he asked me lo
design the main government building U1ere. I did the work for nothing
and wrote lo him that he should designate the money Llws saved for
U1e renovation of the hotel in Ou1·0 Prelo. My good friend Israel was
so moved Llial he framed the letter, which to U1is day is still
hanging on L11e wa l l of U1e governor's building in Belo Horizon le.
I gaze a l the photo again. Whal a metamorphosis! The landscape
was entirely tra nsformed as Brasilia bloomed like a flower in the
m iddle of a desert, rising up within the spaces and scales created by
i ts urban plan ner, dressed in the whims ical fa shion or my
architecture. The brush land or old was now covered with buildings
and people, buslle and noise, joy and so rrow.
Thus Man intervenes in l ature, turning il into the thealer of his
i llusions. The main performer in this act of magic, which so moved
my Brazi lian com p atriots, was I srael Pinheiro, Juscelino
Kubitschek's closest and most effective associate.

Galdino Duprat da Costa Lima was an intell igent man who claimed
noble ancestry, so we would lease h i m until he responded wiU1 crude
insults lo everyone's mother. Hut he was a ral11er unusual nobleman.
In 1 945, when I joined the PCB, Duprat decided lo follow me,
arguing Urnl he would be lighting the bourgeoisie. I-le was hot­
tempered and overly proud, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing him
prnvoked, furiously threatening us all. But we also loved his company;
he was amusi ng, a good friend, a great personality.
Since he was married and on a Light budget, any expense we
forced him lo incur, even a cup of coITee, made him complain
angrily and remind us Uial he had a wife and child lo keep, lhal he
was a man with respons ibilities. I reca ll the day some Len or firteen
or us were having lunch in a restaurant in Leme, and we agreed that
the person holding the banknote wil11 the lowest series number
would pay for the whole gang. Duprat, of course, rerused lo take part.
�'in a l ly, when L11e loser told U1e wailer, "I'm paying for everybody,
except for that gentleman over there," Duprat sensed he was the bull
or the joke. lie stood up, roundly cursed us all lo hell, and stormed
out the door.
On another occasion, we were playing cards al the Clube dos
Marimbas when Duprat Jell to go lo the bathroom. We took
advantage or his absence lo deal him a spectacular royal llush. On his
return, h e was overjoyed lo see his hand, but somebody called off L11e
game witl1 Lhe excuse Lhal lhere were loo many cards in 1111 I ' 1
Dupral cursed us all fu riously a n d stormed 0111. F1·1•ll11" 11 I
remorseful, we set oul lo look l'or him u n successl'11II ) 111·11111 111 II
neighborhood. Bul tl1cse l ittle squabbles never really 1111111111111 11 ,
anything. In facl, he enjoyed them, and we would jokl' alJ1111I 1 1 11'1 1 1 II
l'ollowing day.
\<Vhen Dupral was accused of being a Com mun isl ;111d 1111� 111
from his posl al Lhe Porl Engineers' office, I looked up ll11drl1111 \I I
de Andrade lo lry lo gel Duprat a job al S P I-IAN. A l'ew 111111111,- l11h ,
Rodrigo, who hardly knew Duprat and was u nawarl' or h i s 11111
authority, assigned him lo head SPI IAN in Recif'e, whose d i 1·1•1•1111 Ii I
taken a leave or absence. Dupral's lirsl move at SPI- IAN 11;" 111 1 1 ,
Rodrigo an official leller demanding lhe d ismissal or wril,·r < :11 111 1 1
l<'reyre,"• I who was a long-slancling employee tl1ere but 11t·11·r ,11111 1 ,
up for work. Gil berlo's clistinclion and renown were or lill l<· < '11111 1 1 1
lo him.
Dupral was n o cowa rd-on lhe contrary, he would starl ,111 11 1 11 1111
against any acl or aggress ion. Whal is more, the day a nl'ph,·11 111 ht
was assigned as an aide lo lhe Navy min ister, Duprnt s11dd1•111\ h It
much more imporlanl. One day we were stalled in traffic and II prrlh
officer was laking his lime to wave us tlHough. Dupral mad,· 1111111
lo gel oul or the car and bellowed in an aulhorilarian v11i1·1• , "I 111
going lo arrest this guy!"

••
�

-c......7
---
 I remember how we were once al lhe headquarters or the
political police and an official refused lo relurn Du pral's passport
Dupral angrily demanded the official's details: "What's your name? I
think I'll lix you up wilh some unpaid leave'.' The police official was
astonished by such audacity and said lo lhe guard, "Take lhis man
out or here before I arrest h i m :'
Dupral was nol well-oil; and every Lime he heard us talking about
our travels in Europe I fel l he wished h e could travel lhere, loo. So I
look him along w i th me on lwo or three trips. Even there, in faraway
Paris, we continued witl1 Lhe same pranks and jokes. I le once lold me
lhal he wan ted lo see lhe changing of the guard at Huckingham
Palace, so I senl him there. Duprat went off to London and aflerwarcl
lolcl us entlrnsiastically of tl1e greal pomp ol' the parade, and how one
clay he had been jostled in line and l'ell so rru slraled because he could
nol curse everybody lo hell on acco u n t or his poor English.
One morni ng, I went wilh Duprat and an A lgerian who
understood Portuguese lo gel a view of Algiers fro m a scenic lookout
above tl1e city. On seeing the magnilicenl view or the Casbah spread
over lhe Mediterranean, he could not help bursting oul, "My French
ancestors bombed tl1e shit oul of this place ages ago!" The Algerian,
who knew a l l aboul Dupral's Lall lales, responded with a smile.
Then tl1ere was the Lime we were in my office in Paris. Duprat had
\•Vl'itlen a leller to a mayor in southern France inquiring about his
possible l'a m i ly connection w i th the l<'rench monarchy. Since the
reply had nol yel arrived, we decided lo play a practical joke on our
fri end. We had a leller typed in which the mayor declared tlrnt he
could not locale lhe i n l'ormation requested because tl1e Commun ists
had destroyed the town's archives. Dupral picked up the envelope
and sat down al a drawing board lo read il al his leisure. From the
otlier side or tl1e office we watched l'o r his reaction, as ii' a bomb was
aboul lo explode. And il did. After aboul lifleen m i n u tes or silence
Duprat began cursing everybody as if Lile world had come lo an end .
Unfamiliar wi tl1 Du pra l's eccenlricilies, our French colleague
recoiled. He could hardly imagine thal live m i n u tes laler we would
be oil together, arm-in-arm, lo tl1e Champs Elysees, laughing happily
as ii' notl1ing had happened.
Somelimes we improvised liltle practical jokes tlrnl lasted live
mi nu tes or less. On one occasion I was driving into Lhe cily wilh
Duprnl, who was in the passenger seal completely wrapped up in his
own though ts. So I drove i n to a l'ami lia r gas station and positioned lhe
car on t11e hydrnulic platform. I then gal oul, leaving Duprat in the
car, s li l l daydreaming, and waved Lhe attendant Lo rais,• " I ' 1111 Ill•
Suddenly finding h i mselr all alone i n m i clair, Duprat 1 1 ' 1 1111
every kind of curse he could Lh i n k o r. I burst into laut-;ht,·r 111111 11 1 ,
for a coffee, and when he had calmed clown again wt' �111 1 1 1 1 1 1111
U1e journey.
Aller some Lime, I d iscovered a trick Lhal effectively st11 ppl'tl 111
outbursts. Al Lhe height o r a major row, I would say in a q1 1 l 1 •I 1111 1
earnest tone, "Duprat, d i d you hear what happened at Sl'I I A N ;t'' \ 1111
he would forget everyth ing, anxious to hear Lhe story I was 111111111 1,
invent. Ah, good old D u p rn t, what clear f r iends we were! i\ 11cl 111 1 11
laughed at our pranks!

Cenlro Brasil Democralico (CEBRADE) was originally an id,•11 lh 111

belonged to my friend Renato Guimaraes, who discussed ii " ill, I 111
Carlos Prestes in Paris and with the party Cenlral Com millt'<', ' l lt1
idea was, as he put il, to round Lhe Brazil Democratic C :1•111 1•1 , 11
nalional organizalion wilh a presence in all Lhe main states a 1 1 d " lllt
cenlra lized d i rection that would a l l ow il to be led " i l l 1 1111
appropriate blend of caulion and vigor. As Renato saw it, ii 1\ 1111111 111
a nonparlisan organizalion in which Communists and olhcr p11llll1 ii
fo rces who fought against Lhe dictatorship could remain cla11cl ..,11111
yet open Lo U1e broadest possible parlicipation in dcmocralic s,·,·1,11
CEBRADE would be a means of broadening pol itical dcbalt· 111111
opening up new forms or legal polilical aclion in socicl .\ , 1 1 1 11
helping Lo unify clemocralic, palriolic currents and speed up 11 11
process or change to a new regime.
Renato launched CEBRADE in Rio in the late 1970s, and al hi,
invilalion I began attending its meelings, i n i lially held in my 1 11'111 1
and later in a rented apartment in a nearby buildi ng. CEBRAlll·: " '"
a very aclive organizalion Uial gathered togeU1cr a la rge nu111IH·1· 111
artists and intellectuals. Its mem bers were so numerous tlial I 1·1111 I,I
not possibly menlion Lhem all i n one book; however, it " "�
interesting to see how Lhe polilical slruggle divides people i 11 1 1 , 1,
world in which power and a m b i tion are alm ighty.
Aller its initial phase, C E B R A D E began to organize concert, 111
Brazilian pop music to rnise funds for conferences, study co 1 I rs,·,,
and other aclivilies on its 1 1rogrnm. One concert held at Rioc,· 1 1 I 1·11
mall, in Jacarepagua [a soul hern Rio de Janeiro dislriclj, ended " I '
having great impact and influence o n the counlry's polilical life. 0 1 1
the evening of U1e performance, two army officers attempted to set 1111
bombs at Lhe concert venue, which was packed w i lh more Uian
twenty Lhousand people. They were killed when the bombs blew up
in their own car in the parking lot. To elate Lhis vile deed is remem­
bered as a symbol or Lhe violence or Lhe black years or dictatorship. It
proved Lhat CEBRADE rea lly was a thorn i n tl1e govern ment's side,
and Uiat this regretta ble episode was an important factor in hastening
U1e fal l of the military regime. As democracy returned, CEBRADE Jell
tl1e scene, but it was a major movement or rellowship and
solidarity Lhat could sti l l be revived if, as Renato said, the clefense or
l iberty and dem ocracy should call ror its comeback.

As I read over these pages, I feel tliat I should acid sometl1ing about
my friend Luis Carlos Prestes, one or Lhe most princip led
individuals o r our limes, a man who has won respect even from
sworn enemies. He is so genuine, so true and honorable that h e
stands o u t l i ke a beacon in Lhis world i n which J'alseness and
collusion are a l l too common.
His story is well known to all or us. He dared to organize U1e
p rotests Lhroughout Brazil, from norlh to souU1, at U1e head or his
heroic col u m n."• There was his adherence to Communism; his n i ne­
year imprisonment, isolated from tl1e outside world; his pregnant
wile killed in a Nazi concenlralion camp; his release; and his
vigorous stance in Lhe lace of adverse political conclilions. Then came
I-I i t ier's defeat, U1e party's official recognilion, and Prestes's acclamation
in the great rnllies o r t 945 and 1 946. He was Lhe "Knight or I-lope" Lhat
U1e Brazilian people were wailing for. B u t Lhe period or euphoria was
short-lived. In 1 946, Lhe Communist Party was declared illegal again
and Prestes went into hiding, only to return many years later wilh L h e
same entl1usiasm a n d fighling spirit o r his youth.
It is now 1 987 and Luis Carlos Prestes is eighly-nine years old. He
is no longer a member of Lhe PCB, but his slruggle against social
injustice continues to be a strong factor in his l i re as he lectures,
radical, alone, and unbending, at u niversities, union meetings,
factories, and polilical centers Lhroughout Brazil.
Prestes ollen comes over to my Copacabana office. Surrounded by
col leagues, he discusses Brazilian politics wilh Lhe passion and
lucidity or a young guerrilla. Everyone admires him. We are invari­
ably moved by his unwavering revolutionary conviction. vVhen he
leaves, I lake him to his car-a habil I picked up when he was under
police s u rveillance and I was concerned for his sal'ely.
 In August 1987, at Uie insistence of some PCB comrad,·s. I 11IW111h I
meeting of U1e party leadership at the Brazilian Prl'ss ""°' 11111
(ABI). The room was packed, and most of' the pl'oplt- I 11111 ,
recognize. I suddenly realized that time had passed " l llt11 ttl ,
noticing it. Where were the old comrades I used to 111 1·,·t 011 1111
occasions, gathering together as if' we were an insep,,riiltl,· 1'1111111
Salomiio Malina, the new PCB secretary, chai red 1 1 11' 1111•1 1111
beside him was Geralcliio dos Santos,"" who was actually r111111lII II,
af air. I was summoned l o serve on U1e panel, as were ol11t·r, 11111•1 111
f

and then the meeting began.

While all this was going on, I U10ughl of' the past. In I !M'i 0111 11 1 1
rall ies filled Uie streets a n d entire stadiums. B u t only sl1111·I1\ 1111
that came U1e return lo clandesti ne meetings, threats ag,tl1 1•I 1111,
party, and ou,· unflinching determination. Now thcrl' 1111• �1
atmosphere of tranquility that we had never known back i11 11 11• 11111 I
Limes of repression and illegality. The meeting went on. F,·0111 I I 1111 I
time, one of the most enthusiastic party mem bers would slt1111I 11 111
slogan for all lo chant. Everybody stood up and joined i11 w i l l t tltt II
fists raised and clenched to symbolize slrnggle. 13ut I l'l 'lt It,
embarrassed lo join them, since this was in gaping conlnt di .. I I1111 It
U1e conciliatory line that the party had adopted.
I was included among U1e alternates l'or the Central Co11111illl1 ,
and when my name was read out, everybody stood 1 1 p 111111
applauded. Geraldiio and Malina em braced me alTectiOnilll'I )' , I It II
lhe meeting with Nelson Werneck,"' reminiscing about the old 1 1 1111
in the party and the spirit of'slruggle and optimism that we had 1'1 11 11111
so highly attractive.
Brazil. . . o llen I feel something of a Jacobin when clef'end i t t/,\ 1111
country abroad. J always refute criticisms, although they ,11·,· 11111 ' 11
quite fair and meant as friendly advice. F'o,· some reason, lwm·11•1 , I
can never tolerate these criticisms. I remember feel ing so i1111,:r,1 111
Paris one clay when someone began to bad-mouth Brazil, ils 11 111(1
spending programs, its gigantic construction projects. Wh;1I 1 1 11
country needed, they said, was a more realistic and U1rilly poli, ·.1 , I
could not help myself, replying that this was all q u i te natural, " ld11II
of childhood disease, inevitable in developing countries. Attd I
explained that Brazil was really a continent. A young counlry 1 1 11,1
justified everything. A f'orce of' nature.
I f the Lalk drifted toward cu lture, I would burst out, "It is so 1 1 ·1·1
easy for us Brazilians lo take over the world of imaginatiott """
fantasy! Our past is a humble one and every option is open to 11s.'' I
would continue, "ll m ust be so dimcu ll fo r you people here to
innovate, aller spending your whole lif'e around monuments!" And
I would repeat my favorite motto: "We have a di fferent task: to
create today the past of tomorrow!' But my audience usually
consisted or friends, so the talk would move on lo some 0U1er issue
and there would be more fraternization as we discussed the troubles
of U1e world.
Yesterday I read a book by Pablo Nernda Ulat made me reel more
at ease with my own nationalist incl i nations ai1d emotional out­
bursts. He writes of Chile, his "beloved Chile," of Parral, his "lovely
home Lown!' Just reading Urnt line did me good! Like him, I love my
coun try, with all its grandeur and its poverty; I love Rio, its beaches
and mountains, its easygoing and uninhibited people. I really love
U1is immense country of ours! From north lo south, from the home­
less and starving desperate norU1erners fleeing from the drought, to
Ule shantylown dwellers on the hills of Rio de Janeiro and their
refusal to buckle under. I attempt to defend them when Uley are
persecuted and surrounded by the implacable inj ustice of Man.
Dear reader, when shall we transform Brazil into a land of
fel l owship and solidarity? Our laboring brothers are gelling poorer
all the time. Whal can be done? Angrily, I think of Che Guevara's
words: "An unarmed people does not even exist:'
 For severa l months I worked J'or Jose Aparecido in Bra slli1 1 ."• l l1
extremely considerate, and his courtesy and friendship 1· 1 1 1 · 1 1111 ,
me to complete the tasks I had sel out for mys,•lr. 1 1 1 ' J
enthusiastic, and h i s affection and concern for the cily is '" ,,1 1111 , ,
that I try to help him as much as I can in architectu,·al 1 1 11 1 II 1 •1 -
Apareciclo is a n i n telligent and determined man, f'ull or pl1111• 111 ,
ideas J'or tack ling large-sca le problems on down lo mi 1 1 or 1 1 1 1 \ 111111
works J'or this city Uial has grown loo fast. Sometimes I 111·,· 1 1111 1 11111
h i m on his visits to the poorer districts in the outskirls or 1 1 1 11 Ill
known as satellite-towns. I n no time he is surrounded I,y 1·,·•lil1 111
eagerly demanding that old promises-century-o ld prom is,·,, 1 1 1 1111 1

I'
be fu lfilled. They have im plored one governor aller a1 1 oll 1 1 · 1 · li11
solution. Humble as the promises may have been, they ,, ,.,, ,·1·111 1111 1
I
U1ose struggling J'or subsistence within U1e odious sys11• 1 1 1 ol NIii i ,I
discrimin ation that capitalism has created. These people do 1 1 01 1·11 1
ask for a house Lo live in, but merely a tiny lot, a small pi, .. . ,. ol lhi
enormous land-which belongs to Uiem, too, and whid, 1 1 1 1•1111
nothing in Uiis immense co u n try, a real continent.
1 then realized how misguided architects are when W<' pl 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1
housing complexes lor the low-income population: pr<'fol 1 rl 1 ·1 1 11 1 1
moclula lecl, cheap solutions that techn o logy has now madl' p1 1S'lhl1
The reality of Brazil, I realized, is that our people live in s11d 1 11h lt·1 1
poverty that our poorest broU1ers just want a small lot wherl' 1 1 1 <·.1 1 111 1
build a miserable hut.
Sometimes these pleas J'or help come fro m older people. 1 1 i, pl i ,,
they have repeated for many years, since U1e clays ofUieir youlh, 11 1 11 ·11
the world seemed a belier place. Jose Aparecido is touched aud 1 1 011
a l l their requests; he is moved Lo indignation by the p11v 1 • I I 1
I begin Lo think how dinicult i t will be J'or him, such a generous 1 1 11 1 1 1
not lo be able Lo solve the urgent and undeniable problems ofth . . 1111111
Human problems are not Uie governor's only concern. 1 1,· 1-
awa1·e of Brasilia's importance lo the coun try as a whole. Th o 11s11 1 1tl"
of tourists expect Lo see this city that was built overnight in a 1 ·1•1 1 1111!
and solitary desert and now bursts wiU1 people. Aparecido undersI1111tl"
all Uiis and wan ts to conclude work on Uie ci ty's monumental 11\ IN, ·
assuring its crucial architectural unity-a unity already lost in 0 1 1 1 1•1
sectors of the city U1rough lack of La lent and negligence on the parl 1 11
government onicials. He is passionate abou t U1e importance or ;u·d tl
lecture over time, U1e moving power of a work of art, and U1e eln1 1 1 1 I
power of Uie beauty that ancient peoples sought in ecstasy, and 1 1 1 1 1 1
Lo dale remains a ttractive no ma iler what its origin a n d aims.
I ollen fe ll an urge to make sculpture. "You are the sculptor of
reinforced concrete," people used lo tell me, and I trusted Uiat some­
day I would actually become one. As Lime passed, I used my spare
Lime lo make a few sketches. I fantasized about creating large
scu lptu res for public squares. They would be abstract, light, floating
in air. Perhaps Uiey would be surrealistic works Uiat prompted viewers,
somewhat awesln1ck, to take a moment to think about and try Lo
decipher U1em.
I accept everything that is beautiful and well done. I have a lways
been capable of idenlilYing a common denominator of beauty and
talent in the paintings of Picasso and Matisse, for example. I have
appreciated sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
I admired the purity in Brancusi; Uie lovely women created by
Charles Despiau and Aristide Maillol;"" lean ligures by Giacometti;
the Hellenic and Egyptian sculptures; and the beauty and movement
or The Victory of Sarnoth.race.
One clay I told my friend l-lon6rio Pei;:a nha.,., about my desire to
take up sculpture. He gave me a sack of clay, a square wood board,
and a la rge nail, which was a l l I needed Lo get started. B u t I never
managed Lo use them; I was paralyzed by self-criticism. Nonetheless,
many years later I did not have the courage Lo turn down the
invitation Lo design boUi U1e Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial and the
m on ument Tortura Nunca Mais (Torture: Never Again) comm­
issioned by the Brazilian human rights organization ol'U1e same name.
In the process of meeting their destiny, individuals feel fulfilled
when their hopes and belief's are realized. To date I have only made
protest sculptures. The first one I ever designed was the J K
Memorial, wh ich consists or a Lall shall, U1e curved top of which
simu ltaneously shelters and highlights the former president's statue
sculpted by Hon6rio Pe9a nha. My objective was Lo defy the dictator­
ship and its reactionary supporters, 1 :o rci ng them Lo look at
Kubitschek's statue every day-Kubilschek triumphantly smiling
down al the city that Lt'.1 cio Costa had designed and he had built.
Early criticism of U1e memorial sprang rrn m Uie more right-wing
reactionaries who viewed the work as a Communist emblem in
which JK's raised arm resembled a hammer a n d the prolongation o r
the curved shaft, Uie ligure of a sickle. I could never have left J K's
statue standing loose on a pedestal, lost against the immense sky of
Brazil's new capital. The "sickle" provided an ind ispensable rrame
for my creation.
 F'or several weeks J K's sculpted ligure lay on the gro111ul , 1111 1111111
solution. One day my rriend Adolpho Bloch called me rrn1 1 1 I1t1• 11111
of Mayor Lamaison."' "Oscar, I'm here wiU1 Dona S,11·, 1 1,.,.. 111111
have found a solution to the problem: we could erc<:I a hrid, 111111
place of the 'sickle,"' Bloch told me. "II" you do that, I ,11 1 1 1,111111 t
protest," I replied. Astounded, he retorted, "You can ' t pl'n l<'�I fl,
mayor is our friend!" And I concluded, "Then I'll prolcsl a�11l11"t JI,
m i l itary:' Adolpho Bloch hung up U1e phone, his solulio11 ,1_1 11tl1 11 ,
few days later, l'l'es ident l<'igueiredo.,, broke the deadlock 11 111•11 h
auLhol'izecl lhe statue to be installed accordi n g to my ol'igi 1 1al tlt•"I "
I- l ad I not l'eacled, .IK's slalue would now be standing agai1 1 s1 11 1 1 1 11 I
wall, devoid of its intended lightness and prominence.
The second scul ptu l'e I designed, Tortura Nunca Mais, 11 as 1 1 11·11111
to keep alive Lhc memol'y of that long and gloomy 11\!·1 1 1.1 11 ,11
period when political prisoners were tortured i n Brazil. I c-o 1 1 ,·,•l11 I
U1e sculpture as a human ligure pi erced by evil forces repn·s,·11I,•11 11
an eigh ty-two-foot-long curved spear. As I had anlicipatccl, 11 1 1 1· 1 1 1111
sculpture was published, i t cliviclecl public opinion. \\'hilt• "'""
people criticized it as un necessary provocation, 0U1ers ro1111d 11 1111
poignant. For many years the more cautious individtlill, '" i ,
relucta nt to have Lhe monument built. Only recently Oarc.1 l\i l,1'1 1 1 1
announced h i s resolution to install it a t U1e entrance to the < : 1 1 1 1 q111
University campus.

I
I
I
 My third sculpture was the large-scale hand with a streak of
blood l'Llnning clown lo its wrist that I designed to represent an
exploited and oppressed Lalin A merica. This twenty-three-foot-tall
sculpture has been installed at the Memorial cla America Latina
complex in Siio Paulo.
The fo mlh sculpture I designed was a memorial commissioned
by the Metalworkers nion i n honor of three workers killed by U1e
reactionaries. My creation was so nonconrormist, however, that ii
was blown up on the day of its inauguration by right-wingers who
reacted with violence and desperation. The violent explosion
shall erecl lhe glass win dows of ncighbori ng b u i l d ings.
NotwiUlsta ncling direct U1reats and leLLcrs or protest, I suggested
that the monument be re-erected with its exposed fractures and the
fo llowing phrase, which I wrote: "Nothi ng, 1101 even the bomb Urnl
clcslroyccl this monument, is capable or clclerl'ing those who
stl'Llggle for justice and l iberty:' To this day Lhe monument, which
for the first three days was guarded by a group of metalworkers, is
sti ll standing.
I designed a nru, sculpture in memory of a similar event
involving workers killed during a demonstration in the city of
lpalinga, i n the stale of Mi nas Gerais. My sixth sculpture was
commissioned by the Senegalese govcm mcnl as a memorial to the
thousands or Africans fol'cibly removed rro m the city or Goree­
where the wol'k is going to be erected-and sold as slaves in Lalin
Am erica. The memorial consists of a 264--fool-La l l con crete slab on
which I carved the figure of a slave, an ind ividual abducted from his
homeland i n those days of unspeakable violence.

Earlier in this book I mentioned the "persona," an indistinguishable

individual I believe we have within ourselves who ortentimes
in terferes i n our relationships. I first became awarn or my persona
allcr read i n g Monod and Jacob. I then rea lized that h u m a n
characteristics are passed down from parent to child a n d resist the
influential reasoning of the social environment. I realized that these
charncleristics are combined, though ollen im 11erceptibly, wiU1 pre­
programmed physical traits. Later I began Lo view the human being
as a l1ousc that can always be renovated. Like a house, one can
t"epair its rnof; replace door and window fra mes, paint walls, a n d
patch cei ling leaks. However, l i ke a house, il will al ways be
i nadequate if" ii has been poorly designed in the first place.
 This is why, my friend, I tend to excuse so many slip 1 I p,, •11 1111 ,
negative behavior, botl1 my own and that or other pl'opl,·, 1 111 11111
those I deal w i th on a daily basis. I am sure we an• 11,ol 1·11111 ,
responsible for our good qualities and our inadequacil's. < :n111l11I !I
environment i n fluences all or this, improving the i11di1 itl1 11o l'• 1111
s tructure or making it worse. But many Limes tl1is eon l l 'III 1q1 J IIII 11 ,
imposed by life and society fails lo function. Thal is " 1 11·11, 1111 111
sudden, people expose tl1eir true personalities.
One day in Paris, I was discussing this subject with 111) hl1 1 l1,
rriend Luis H i ldebrando. "I don't agree witl1 you, but 111·illr P1' 1 11 1
argue with you," he told me. l l is Marxist side had dl'l,·,·1,·d 111 11-
commentary a fatalism that had never existed before.

When Janio Quadros asked me lo work on the Tietc Riv,•1· p1·1 1J 1 ·, I I

realized this was my great opportunity to give Sao Paulo ,1 111·" h•l•111
d istrict. The river had been walled in by two freeways, so I 1111 1 11 Ji,
about relocating one of the tl1oroughfares farther awa) r.-. 1111 1111
riverbed Lo create a beach like environment that the city ladu•1l II
would be a wonderrul contribution lo the city.
I would have loved lo have executed that project. I ima1-si111•d ,II
Paulo dwellers strolling along the banks or the Tiete and, 1 1 1,1• 11 ,
Cupacabana, pretty women in bikinis, children playing on till' slr111 1 111
a clean and refreshing river.... nfortunalely, an unbel ievnbl,· 1111' 11 1,J
common sense kept the project from going through. I agree ii " 11� 1111
ambitious idea, one that required a considerable expropriation ol 1111 111
along the river: Only someone as dynamic as Jilnio Quadros could 111111
im plemented it.
I worked on several jobs in the city or Silo Paulo and 1-sr,11I1 11111\
made many friends there. Ceci lia Scharlach, Maria Amelia Melo, l l i\1111
Penteado, Helio Pasta, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Ubirajara Giglioli, 11111
Ohtake, Eduardo Corona, Ciro Pirondi,•<o and Fernando Lcnw., 1111·
among many others, the people I like and greatly admire in Sii o l'md 1 1

My l i fe has not changed al all, but tl1ere are rew of us Jell a l 1111
Copacabana ollice. Projects are developed very competently al 11 1 1•
ollice run by my granddaughter, Ana Elisa, and Jair Valera."' I dn,ll 11
few jobs myself with my nephew, .Joiio Niemeyer, who is preparing 1111
his chosen prolession, one a l which h e is evidently talented.
I chat i ndiscrimin ately witl1 everyo ne al tl1e office. The:' sl11lt
includes Brandao, Rodrigo [M. F. de Andrade! and Aurelio; i\n1arn,
my fr iend and driver; his son Eduardo; and Maria das G ravas, who
cooks for us.
Outside Hio I r·ely on aid from col leagues. In Sao Paulo, Cecilia
Scharlach, Maria Amelia Melo, 1-lelio Penteado, Helio Pasta. I n
Brasilia, Fernando Andrade and Carlos Magal hiies. I have worked for
many years with Carlos; in addition lo possessing crucial technical
skills he maintains an unwavering political position in del'e nse of this
city-a quality that I greatly admire.
My grandson Carlos Eduardo is now part or tl1e ollice, in charge
or photography and exhibitions. He is an intelligent and creative
young man, a joy lo have around. My olher grandson, Carlos Oscar,
is Lending h is J'ather's farmland. Hegrellably, his work keeps h i m far
away from us. I have never known a young man so upstanding a n d
sensitive. M y granddaughter Ana L(rcia heads tl1e Oscar t iemeyer
Foundation. She constanlly impresses me wilh her competence, fu lly
aware as she is that tl1e job involves not only preserving my work, but
also cooperaling with younger architects and giving the more
established Brazilian architects tlie support and publicity they
deserve. Ana Elisa I have already menlioned, but I should like to add
that she i s one or Lhe most generous people I have ever met.
The rest of the crew consists or the great-grandchildren and great­
greal-grandch i ldren on the way. . . .

When the idea to build the Memorial da Am erica Latina i n Sao Paulo
came up and I was commissioned wilh its design, I im med ia_tely
realized how important this undertaking was for me. This cultural
center was to convey an appeal, a message or ra ilh and solidarity ror
a l l Lalin American people. It would i n vite them lo come togelher,
share experiences, and fight more elTeelively on behalr or tl1 is highly
neglected and endangered continent.
The Memorial da America Latina was erected with a great deal or
technical skill and imagination: a set or while buildings boasling 2 3 1 -
and 297-root-long beams and elegantly rounded concrete slabs­
a beautiful, monumental complex Lhal perl'eclly suited Lhe grand
in itiative conceived by Siio Paulo governor Orestes Quercia.
For many months I closely rollowed the conslruclion work and
was quite moved by it. Despite having completely devoted myselr to
the project design, I felt that something was m issing, something that
would allow me to take part in Lhe polit ical nature of Lhe cultural
cenler, w hich was more important lo me Lhan its architecture.
11 I Thus, lo l'epl'esent Lalin Amel'ica, I designed ii ln,w·. 1 1 1111 ,
open-palmed hand, its fingel'S slightly bent lo com· ,·) d,•, 1 111I1 1111 ,
tl'ickle of blood ru nning clown to its cu!T. To explain 1111' ,pi! II 111
sculplu l'e, I wrote, "Sweat, blood, and povel'ty have- 111nrl 1 1•d 11111 ,1
jointed and opp l'essecl Latin America. Now it is n11d11I 1 11111
l'eadjust this continent, u n i te ii, and transform it into i11I 1 1 1 1111111 1! 111 ,
monolith capable or insul'ing its independence and hnppi111'"·"
Thus the 23-foot.-lall hand was erected. I t l'Cpl'CSC l l l 1·d II ' I 1111 11
and a fol'ewa rning rather than a pl'ovoca lion. It bl'ings 111 111 11111
shadowed past and a fulu l'e fu l l of hope and doubt. Onr hop,• 1111 11, ,
into bloodshed and revolt in ·1989 as the United Sli1les i1 1 1 11d1•tl II
small, unprotected countl'y of Panama. This sol't ur cTinll 1111I 1,
should have roused the protest or a l l othel' coun tl'ics IilnI d11li11 111 I
democl'atic nations-or a l l people who advocate democrnlic· ,. , , ,,, 1111 ,
the pl'inciplcs or equal rights, oppo,tunity, justice, and 1'1·,·c·d,1111 I h
U.S. justification fol' the invasion-the del'ensc or II d,·111111 111I1
l'egime-is certainly pl'eposterous, given that the U.S. gmc•r,II11I I ,
overtly supp0l'led Lalin Amel'ican diclalOl'Ships during mil ll) )1'111
Al such limes we must react. We must protest. We must 1111 1 111 1 1 I ''
this criminal inlel'vcnlion into the alTail'S or ouI· cxploil,•d 111111
offended Lalin Amel'ica. This lal'ge concrete hand, an cxprc·ssl1111 1,1
my a n ticipated pl'olesl., thus acquires anothel' signilica11c1·. II I, 111
longer a simple scul pl.ul'e, but a plea thal all visi tors lo the �l,·1 1 111! 111I
da Am el'ica Latina become awa l'e of the drama expcrien cl'd h.1 11111
brothers throughout this continent. Alt.hough sti l l po,11· 111111
u n del'-developcd, Lalin America is fu lly aware of its rights, s,11·I·1111
and hoI1es.
· As conslruclion WOl'k advanced, we were lilced with the i11C·1 iI111il1
question of al'LWOl'ks l'or the memorial. My concern was that I ,111111111
be the one lo select U1em and that they should be installed in ll i1 '1I
intended locations. Healizing I had a difficu l t problem before· 11 11•, I
decided lo voice my opinion in a n al'ticle published i n the 1-i,//111 ,/1
Scio Paulo newspapel'. Thankfully, this l'esolved the issue, i1111I I
l'eceived the governor's a u thol'ization lo select the propos,•d 111 1
wol'ks. Because the in legl'alion of al'l and al'chitectul'c is ,1111
misin lel'pl'eled, I think it is WOl'lh transcribing an exceqJI o r 1 1 1 111
al'licle wherein I define the a l'chilect's role as cool'dinaI01· 111' 11
buildi ng's fu rnishings and or the selection or al'lwo rks:

False modesty aside, I can shamelessly alTirm 111.1

position as lhe [Brazilian] architect who has included IIH'
largest number of artwol'kS in al'chileclural designs. Gustavo
Capanema, fo rmer minister of education and healU1, adopted
Lllis ancient pl'aclice in the constrnction of the m i n istry
b u i l d i ng. An i n te l ligent and cultivated man, Olli' friend
enLrnsted this task Lo Ll1e al'chilecLs he hil'ed. Following our
adv ice, he purchased works by Porlinal'i, Celso Antonio,
Bl'uno Giol'gi, and Lipchitz. Al the Lime, the lallel' was the
sculptor who wol'ked in close association wil11 Le Co!'busier.
There was no public bidding. Whal is mol'e, no one assumed
Lile narrow-minded attitude or l'eStl'icling the selection to Hio
de Janeiro al'lists. The issue at hand was to complete a work
of al'chileclure; it was up lo Lile al'chilect.s-and the architects
o n ly-lo resolve it.
I have a lways fo l lowed Capanema's exa mple.
Whenevel' possible, I have invited artists lo collaborate on my
designs. I first adopted U1is procedu l'e in the 1 940s in the
Pampulha project, for which I assigned Porlinal'i, Ceschialli,
and Paulo Werneck, and proceeded with Di Cavalcanti,
Mal'ianne Pel'elli, Athas Bulcao, Fil'm ino Saldanha, Joiio
Ci\mara,,,,., Brnno G iol'gi, Hon6rio Per,:anha, and many 0U1el's.
I never forgot them, even when I was WOl'king abroad. In U1e
Old Wol'ld Llleir wol'k is in tegrated into my archileclul'al
 designs as examples or Brazilian crealivity and rn l l 1 11·, , I 1111
content and proud to have adopted U1ese criteria, p;11·1irnl 1 11 I
when I remember Lhat I was U1e one who co1 1 1 1 1 1 I-.11 1 111 ,I
Porlinari's Tiradenles, a masterpiece of Brazilian pa i 1 1 1 l 1 111, 1111
a school in Cataguases. I remember how d i fTic11lI ii " "- I
realize my idea! Pirst I had Lo talk my friend l'< •i\11111 illh
having a mural painted on the twenty-meter w,oll I 111111
designed. Then I had to Lake Porlinari Lo Cataguas<·s, " 1 111 Ii
meant long hours drrving down the dirt country ro,11b.
Now, with U1e consl.J•uclion of U1e cu ltural c< ·III ,·1· , I 11111
facing Lhe same problem again. Once more I must providP 1111
necessary explanations, as if' I were talking to schooi l 'hi ld11•11
Every lime an architect designs a building and sees iii, ""' I
on Lhe drawing board, he visualizes it in its final ,· <·1·,1 1 1 1 1
Assuming Uiat he reels passionate about his job, he is d l' i 1 1•11
by curiosity and U1e u rge to go deeper and exami,u· sl111p1 •
and spaces, wondering where a panel, mural, scu lpI111·<·. 1 1 1
simply a black-and-white design might lit. While 011 11,1-
imaginary journey, he may start looking into details. Sh o 1 1 i 1 I
the mural be painted in lively colors to stand out f'ro111 1 1 1 1•
work as a whole, or in neutral colors to enhance it vis11,ol l.1 ,,
Should Lhe sculpture be light and abstract or repres,·11I 11
 beautiful woman? Should the drawing be linear or free or
figurative? F'urU1ermore, if Lhe external walls are or exposed
concrete, should Uiey contrast-the designer wonders-with
severe stone walls or wiU1 simple white masonry?
This is the creative act, Lhe h ighly sought-after
integration of art and architecture. It is Lhe only way to create
in a logical way, wiU1 a view to U1e indispensable u nity and
beauty or Lhe work.
Many are the factors Lhat guide an architect in his or
her seleclion of collaborators, even-why not admit it?-a
desire to keep working with long-lime colleagues, aides, and
friends who have proved themselves so many limes in Lhe joys
and sorrows of the job.
In U1e Memorial project design I adopted my standard
guidel ines and requested works Lo enrich the building
complex. There are sculptures by Bruno Giorgi, Weissman,
and Ceschialli; stained glass by Marianne Perelli; bas-reliefs
by Bonomi, Caribe, and Poty; painlings by Portinari, Scliar·,
G r uber, Vallandro, a n d Arruda; embroidery by Tom i e
Ohtake;'"'' and Liles b y ALhos Bulcao.

The memorial finally became what I had envisaged, U1anks Lo Uie

help of Femando Andrade, Maria Amelia, and primarily Cecil i a
Scharlach, w h o defended m y p l a n with t h e unyielding determination
or a revolutionary.

Today is Carnival Monday and I have spent Lhe day alone al the
Carlton Hotel i n Brasilia. I read an interview wiU1 Alberto Moravia
and a short book by Borges; I wrote a liLLle, L11en watched Lhe rain
beat on the window pane and L 1 1e heavy clouds gather over the city.
A sl.J•ange feeling of melancholy seemed Lo Lake hold of me. Only in
U1e evening did I finally switch on Lhe TV.
I t was U1e carnival parade. The Sao Clemente Samba School
paraded by; their motif was "The abandoned child in Lhis world of
illusion?' As I listened to Uie lyrics, I thought of Uie miserable poverty
that a111icts our country, the poorest chil dren wandering U1e
sl.J•eets1 sleeping on sidewalks, while a privi leged few enjoy all Lhal
money can buy.
Sitting in fron t of the television, I was moved by Lhe rhythmic,
repetitive 111usic and by Lhe lyrics Urnt made me si111ullaneously
happy and sad. On the one hand, here was d i re pm ,·1·1 1 , 1111
other hand, a call of protest was arising out of llrnl f"P slil , . 1 11 1 11
atmosp here i n which social conlracliclion and c!'lrl11·11i11111 1
side by side.
There are some aspects of" Lhe carnival parades lhal I 1 1111 1• 111
appreciated. For example, llie dancing and singing n·1 1il11tl 1111
outdated things, of U1e days of s lavery Uial should be 1011g 101 �1111
For a rew clays U1e poor descend from their h i l lsiclP sl11111ll1
celeb rate, and the bourgeoisie surround them with 1111 11,•1 1 111 1
appla use, only Lo forget about them the next morning. I 11!1111,1111 11!,,
how nice il would be ii; as during carnival, the poor we,·,· 111 ,·11111 , .. , . ,
them with songs of protest. Unfortun ately, this does 1101 happ,•11 1 1 ,
often. The samba schools have to meet U1eir expcnsPs. 111111 Iii ,
means compromise; the usual songs are vague and 1·11111 111111
harmless fantasies Uiat do nothing for the century-old ,1111 I
against social inj ustice.
I don't know why I turned off U1e sound Lo write lh,·s,· 11 11111
Later I called a friend who told me, surely with a smile, "Os,·111·, 11111 1 ,
cry:' or course I was not crying, although-who knows-perhap, I 11,,
close to tears. It was not just !he poverty that hurl me, b111 ;,l,n lhl
enormous inj ustice that we must eliminate.

I enjoy talking about Lucio [Costa], this great Brazi lian I lirsl 1 1 11•1 111
the "1 930s and Lo whom I am greatly indebted. I must go back i11 1 1 11 11
Lo tell you about U1e occasion when he generously allowed 1111• 111
spend some lime in the ol1ice he shared with Carlos Leiio.
Those were d i 11icull limes for me as a student, with a " if",· 111111
daughter Lo support and living on U1e rent from a house we ow111•d 111
Rio. Even so, unlike some of my colleagues I was unwilling 111 '"'' I
in just any ol1ice, pick up solutions Lo the practical problems 111 1111
profession, and get paid for it. ot me. I prererred Lo work for I .1"1 1'111
Costa for no pay at all. Today, when I l11ink back Lo that period. I I,•1 I
l.hal I was not just a mediocre student who parachuted i n to L1'wl11',
ol1ice by chance. No, I had a vocation for architecture and I wa111o•1I
Lo be a good arch i Leet.
I learned much about the real issues of architecture, 1111
importance of our old colonial architecture, l11e idealism llrnl 11 11•
occupation demands. I remember the old Limes: leaning over L1ki11'­
drafls, impressed by the beautiful houses he designed and 1111•
exquisite drawings he made Lo present them. I liked his civilii.,·d
manner, his courteous altitude, quite u n l i ke Carlos Leiio, who was
more outgoing a n d happily Look me around the downtown bars. I
was not much help, but I did know how to draw, so I tried Lo please
them, and we became good rriends.
I admired his enormous Lalenl, so genuine, which al lowed him to
become an urban planner practica lly overnight, creating the fine and
welcoming city lliat is our nation's capital. Lucio was an introvert
who had been hard hit by U1e somber shadows that rate casts on our
wretched lives. As a widower he became more distant and hermetic,
although attentive Lo every thing around him and always ready to
slick up ro r old companions.
I was very happy one day Lo be able to suggest Lo the then-govenor
of Brasi lia, Jose Aparecido de Oliveira, that we should include an area
named l"or L1:.Cio Costa in U1e Praca dos Tres Poderes (Plaza of the Three
Powers), and I designed il will, the alTeclion Uial my old rriencl deserved.

In the old clays of the PCB, where I learned so many things, the
inexorable question of deal11 sometimes came up in our discussions.
Soon one of the more passionate members would lay down
u,e line: "The important l11ing is U1e preservation or the human
species:' Despite my great esteem l'or the comrades, I could n o t
bring myself to accept U1is. I was sure that m y grandchildren a n d
great-gra nd-children would have the same fo rebodings about death.
 i was curious and I loved to read, particularly Sari n·. I •1111 11
there was a great deal of truth in his pessimism. 1 1 " '" 1 111 1
subject to raise. Some people had no interest in it; oll11·r,. 1 1 1 1 • 1111
privileged, were un moved and quite happy simply 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 11 11
ephemeral pleasures of this world. Not even the stale of' t l 1 ·,lll1 1 ll1111
which our poorer brothers lived was enough to move 1 111•111.
Personally, I was convi nced that trnU1 cannot be sliµ;h1 1 •d: 1 1111 1 I
it will triumph and be lasting and irrefutable. I rca liz,·tl 1h11I 11 1
universe was not made for us, and that, on the contrary, w,• '"' "' 11, ,
a tiny part of nature. And I thought that the world co11ld 1 1 ,, 1 1 111 II
place. Men could be conscious of their insignilicancc, co 11ld d 1•�111
power and wealU1, be brothers to the beasts of the earlh a11 t l 1 1 11• 11 11
of lhe seas. It would be an unbearable world to live in, m_y ,·1 1 1 1 1 1 1111!
prompUy an wered, without hopes, without fa ntasies, will111111 lh
dreams that allow us to live better.
I would l i sten lo them condescendingly. Yes, it is nice lo dr,·11111 , 11
forget unresolved problems and to fantasize, to give ou1· imagi 1 11 1 lht1
the free rein that leads us to conquer space and search ;1111 1 1 1 1� 1111
stars for the answer to the enigma of this wonderful un ivcrs1· 1 1 1 ·11111 1 11
us. As a veteran party member, I continued to say, Yes, 11 1· 1 1 1 1 1 1
dream, but we must do so hand in hand with ou1· proletarian hn,11 1 1•1
I read U1ese words and feel Urnt as I age, a warm f'et'li11� 1 11
fellowship is taking over my heart, overco ming old resenlm<'llls: I 11111
seeing the good side in everybody, which does not, of course, t'l'as,• 1 111
ind ignation toward Lhe im mense poverty throughout our world.
But joy and sorrow are ou1· old and i nseparable companio11s 1 1 1 1 11
with a smile, I see that Communism has not died, as they have lri,·d 111
tell us. My determination today is the same as al w;1ys. 11, 1
same unflinching cletenn ination with which Pidel, arm-in-ar111 11 llh
the Cuban people, confronts and shames the cholera of I ,:,,
reactionary attitudes.
But l i l'e goes on, unjust and not at all too generous, so l'ragll l '
and illusory U,at Sartre ends h i s book Qu'esl-ce que la lillt!rnt1111
wiU1 this ironic question: "Est-ce que le monde serait mei/le111· ·"""
Les honunes?'•JS

One mol'lling I was entering U1e building where I work when a s111all
boy approached to sell me some chocolates. H e looked so weak, s11
sad and humili ated, Llrnl I gave him some money.
As I rode the elevator, his i mage took on another d i mension; it was
not only this abandoned child that con cel'llecl me, b u t the
enormous poverty of which he was only a painfu l example. Pew take
it seriously, even when it becomes as generalized as it has in Africa,
where starving crowds scram ble for food supplies dropped from
planes, as if more human contact were not needed to help them.
Perhaps it is my age, but I could not help being so moved Urnt I asked
an assistant to bring the boy into the office.
We talked. I asked him whel'e he was from. I -le said he was from
Minas Gerais, from Caratinga. He had run away fl'Om home and was
Jiving on the streets, sleeping on the siclewa lk near the viaduct in
Lapa. He was eleven years old.
I asked h i m what he wanted to be. "A musician 01· a singer," h e
answered. I eyed h i m thoughtfu lly. How many poor boys like h i m had
become men of gl'eat importance, in the most clivel'se 11rofessions!
And I remembel'ed Camus, Chagall, and DUi ' own Machado d e Assis.
How many talents al'e being lost in Brazil clue to U1is permanent
neglect of abandoned children!
I told h i m I would like to help him, but that nobody would keep
him there against his will; he could leave whenevel' he wanted. I
asked someone lo take him out and get him some cloU1es-pants,
shirts, and shoes. And when he came back washed and decently
d l'essecl, I began to appraise the scale oflhe pl'oblem. "The U1ings you
come u p with!" my daughter Anna Maria said.
My cook a l the office, iVlal'ia das Gra9as, oll'erecl to have the boy
stay al hel' apartment. We agreed that he would be at the office
clul'ing L11e day and she would take him home in the evening. So there
was, provisionally at least, a place for h i m to live. But there were
problems. He lacked U1e papers needed lo enl'oll in school.
I talked to a friend. l l is wife kindly pl'omisecl to look into the
matlel' for me. Geraldiio, my party comrade, suggested a school in the
Mangueirn neighborhoocl. for four days we lived through this distul'bing
saga. I fel t that the boy was torn between going home or staying with
his homeless peers, l iving and sleeping on the city streets.
He disappeared twice and turned up Li,e next clay, lilthy and
almost naked, wearing only his unclel'pants. Everyth ing else had
been stolen from him. The lirst time, he seemed determined to stay
away fro m home-"l'm going to stay in the Lapa?' The second Lime, to
oul' surpl'ise, he prefel'l'ecl to go home.
With the litlle money I gave h i m , he bought a small camera and
asked me to have a photo taken of the two of us together. Aller an
 entire day spenl trying to obtain lhe police papers r1·q11IH•il 1111
minor to lravel between states, U1e kid was off to Carati11�11.
or course, the f'acl thal we were able lo get him 1 111' tit,• •11,
was a happy ending l'or us, but i l matters so, so little 1·1 1111 1 111 1 1 11 1
the incredible scale or abandonment that affects 1h 1 1 1 1 s11111I
children in Brazil. While poverty spreads like a plagu<', ;oil I 1 1111 ,t
to take part in the strnggle against Uie rich and powl'rr1 1 1 11 1111
lamish U1e image or our cou ntry is tell this little sto ry.

I am read ing a fine book on lhe Paris Commune, Gm11tl1 · / //1/111

de la Commune-live volumes Ulat narrate the origins and is,111 , ,
this movement, from Napoleon I l l lo its spread through lln1 11 1 ·1• II�,
a great crusade. ll reveals U1e French people's unceasing q,,, . ,1 lrn
l i be1'ly. The poor against the wealthy, centuries or strnggl,· 111111 I 1 ,I
by blood, violence, and lack or understanding.
Reading U1ese volumes rem inds me or U1e 1 955 upri,1 1 111 111
Brazil, when, on an infinitely smaller scale Urnn the Paris 11 pl'i•l11
but driven by the same aims and enU1usiasm, a group or 1 1 1111 1·1
and civilians l'oughl l'or l iberty. For some reason I U1ought ii 1 1ol�hl
be useful to include a short lext that I published in the .Jo rn"/ t/11
Brasil, prolesting against the ofncial version or the uprisi1 1 � 11t11 I
portrays it as a brntal and bloodthirsty adventure:

For years many mislruths have been spread about 1 1 11•

"intenlona comunisla," as they called this rebellion. Tiu•

I Communists did nol slaughter u·oops i n U1ei1· beds beca 11s,- .

obviously, troops do nol sleep when they are on standby i11
lheir barracks.
To gel an idea or what really happened on that tragi,·
night in 1 955, one only has Lo read Helio Silva, who quot1·,
statements from Marshal Dulra a n d Cap lain Frederil'o
M i ndelo and extracts from the memoirs or Agildo Barata,
Care Filho, and Luiz Vergara, etc. ,.,.,
I remember old friends who look part in lhe rebellio11
being dishonored by the rnonsu·ous distortion suggesting
thal Uiey lacked principle and acted in a cowardly mann er.
I n !'act, the rebel lion was a l l aboul enUlusiasm and idealism.
I reca ll our dear comrade Agildo Barala circulating
around Rio de Janeiro, ind iffe rent lo the threats made
against him and delivering, in our Copacabana ofnce, an
 account or what had really happened on Urnl unrorgellable
night. He was pe r'l'eclly ca lm, free from any hatred, all
courage and determination.
But U1ere was growing provocation, and with the help
or U1e most reactionary individuals the idea spread Ulrough­
out Brazil thal there had been a bloodthirsty allempt to take
power. As a result, an act or repudiation is held annual ly, but
such commotion surrounds it thal even the most liberal
people in Ule government reel embarrassed lo attend.
Nevertheless, p o l i t ica l l i fe in Brazil has made
progress; censorship, violence, and authoritarianism are on
the decline, so noUling justifies the extension or this long­
establ ished and regrettable f'arce.

Now back lo my book on the Commune. I t was Rimbaud who

sung ils praises: "La promesse sonne, a/'/'iere ces superstitions, ces
anciens corps, ces men.ages et ses tiges. C'est l'epoqu.e qui a
sombre!'••• And the book concludes: "But the sacrifice has brought
some men closer Lo the limes of rra ternity!'

---------------------
Today is a Sunday of rain and solitude. I am alone al 1111· 11II1,•p lit
of life, of this obstacle course of tears and laughter.
A n i mmense sadness overtakes me as I listen to a rc.-11rd l11,1 1 1I
songs that evoke U1e passage of time, fears, growing old. ' 1 '1 1 ,,11 "
elements of the past Uial I have never forgollen. Family, 11 1_1 1 1 ,,1111 ,
parents, fri ends who were so close . . . I cannot help cry ing, qIIl1 II
slowly, tenderly, with melancho ly. I close my eyes a11cl a ,111111
serenity seLUes over me, as if' I were off Lo meet them all ;1g1 1 l11
Then another song begins. It's old Alaulfo Alves si11gi 1 114 �1111
famous lune by Nelson Cavaquinho,,,, "Wipe U1at smil,· 1111 1 11 11
road, I'm com ing through with my sorrowful load:'
VVhaL boU1ers me is not life's few rough edges, but the In·111, ·111lt 1 11
suffering of the cleslitule confronted with the indifferenl s111il 1 ·, ,11 11 ,
well-to-do.

Al limes during our extended car trips Lo Brasilia, so11 1 1· ,1111111

incident would remain im pressed on our memory lik e s01 1 1C'l l I l1I
engraved Lhere.
En route Lo Uie capital, until we reached the other sid,· 1 11 1111
Pelr6polis Mountains, the varied landscape was quite allracl iv,·. 1 111 1
that, however, U1e la ndscape became barren a n d nearly 1 1 1 .. 1111
monotonous and tiresome. For m i les and m i les we crossed a n•14l1111
of sparse, stunted vegetation and scenery Urnt spread oul u11c·lw 1 1 141·II
into the distance.
Halfway lo Brasilia, on the first curve of the highway just 0111,1111
Juiz de Fora, we invariably spotted a gray-hairecl little old lady silll11
on U1e fro nt porch of her small house. Over lime we grew accusl11 1 1 11 •1I
Lo lincling her there, watchi n g peacefu l ly and quietly as lime n 1 1 · 1 •1I
before her sad eyes ever so mercilessly. For a few years slw " " �
always tl1ere al the encl o f the curve, as if" wailing for us. Aller h; 1 1 I 1 1 ,1
seen her so frequently we wished lo meet her, talk with her, lisl1·11 111
her stories, lincl out all about her life and her sorrows, and, " 1 1 1 1
knows, even help her in some way. The little old lady seemed 1 1 1 ,II
there on the porch all the lime, looking sad and obliging, waIcl li1 1 11
lhe cars pass by. We wondered what kinds of worries she m ight h;11 1 \
whether her fa mi l y gave her Uie loving care tlrnl people her age 11t· 1 ·tl,
or whether she was weary and un happy.
For years we focused ou1· attention on tl1e little old lady, until I 1 t ,•
clay we rounded the curve Lo lind a vacant fro n t porch. Right thc11 '"'
realized that sometl1ing was m issing from the scenery-the very 1hi 1 1 i4
that lent it a more human and tender touch. We missed the little old
lady and commented sadly on Uie life that had disappeared along
wiU1 its joys and sorrows, helpless against a merciless destiny. We
were fa ced with the drama of l i fe, tl1e encl of U1e line.
For a while we speculated on the old woma n's life. Perhaps she
had once been pretty and had aroused passionate feelings, or she had
been a n unassuming homemaker devoted lo her fa mily, realizing
sadly that her life was coming to an end. She may have su llerecl l i ke
a w i l ting !lower losing its petals.
If she was religious, then she died peacefu lly, believing in Uie
power and glory of the Lord. However, if she was not so optimistic,
that is to say, if she took life as it comes-short, u n fair, and
inexplicable-her last days would have been even more dismal.
Finally, afler concluding that U1e laller assumption was Uie most
probable, we drove on, discussing this indeciphernble world in w h ich
our hopes a n d dreams dissolve i n to tl1e precariousness of things a n d
Uie certainty or nothingness.

I t is on while paper that a boy amuses hi mself; on which he draws

houses, trees, land and sea ani mals, tl1e sun and the moon. I le enjoys
these magical moments in which beauty arises, pure a n d
 spontaneous, as it should always be. Aller that and tl 1 1 ·1 111fo\l llt lll 1
lifetime, paper accompanies him in all his activities.
Ir he becomes a writer, it is on paper that he will writ,· 1 1 1 , 1 11, ,
and create his most remarkable characters and settings or <111 1 1 1 1 1
beauty. Ir he becomes an artist, it is on paper that he will ,1,, . 11 Ii 11
. masterpi eces that will last throughout time. If he beconH· 11 ,1'11·1111 ,
it is on paper that he w i l l attempt to decipher the imml'11s,· 1 1 1 1 1 \ r 1
that surrounds us, to record distances, to ascertain new p1 1 1·1 1 1 , 1 1 to 1
and to demonstrate our relative insignificance in comp11 ri,1 1 1 1 111 11,
immensity of creation. Finally, if" the boy grows u p to I H ·1·111 1 1 1
architect, he w i l l use paper a n d innovative techniqtH's 1 1 1 oll'•I 1
palaces, theaters, un iversities, and otl1er shelters wlwr,· l111 111111
beings are born, grow old, and die.
Paper is the weapon or Iong-sunering people-those i r ulh 1<11 1 1,1
who rise up against the injustice of life. Paper was prcs,·1 1 I 1 11 11,.
development or tlie applied sciences-from facsimile devic,·s 111 ,111 1 ,
ol�the-art technology. And, oflentimes, it serves as a nwdi 1 1 1 1 1 1111
bonding lovers, transmitting painfu l frustrations, and dissl'1 1 ri1 111ll11
the worries and joys that destiny imposes on us.
It was on a sheet of ' white paper tliat Karl Marx announl·,·d II Ill'
world, which a privileged minority insists on postponing cndl,·"I\

I was designing a hotel in Tel Aviv when I was asked to do 11 """t1·1

plan for a small city in the middle or the desel'l. I was att racted 111 1111
project, since it was an unusual challenge. I t called for a comp.I! ' ! I'll\
to be built in a small area, but the city had to be expandable, so 11,111
new cities could be built over time and joined togetl1er to co 1 1 1 plo •li·
the project.
I was enthusiastic and began turning the idea over in my 111i 11il
during my free Lime. I reviewed urban solutions f'rom the pasl 11 111 1
had been modified gradually as human society progressed. I tho11gl 1 1
or the small medieval towns where everybody knew everybod) d"• •
where one could cross town on foot, effortlessly getting the cxerl'iso•
doctors recommend, walking to work, stores, and schools, 1 1 1 1 111
which were close by. I was interested in how the inhabitants 1111 1., 1
have been happy to enjoy neighborly relationships, stopping to IIH ' t'I
each other on tl1e street; to enjoy community solidarity, tlie way Iii', ·
on this planet ought to be. They would have had a small square in 111, ,
city where everyone got together. Life must have been morn hum,1 1 I
in those times.
 With the possibilities we have today, it should be easy to live tl1e
kind of l ire that I have always been attracted to-close to nature, rree
or the tramc problems that stifle our cities. I thought about a solution.
First, f would have to build a few high-rise residential towers-fifty
stories tall, regardless of the neigh boring buildings. They wou l d be
distributed around tl1e site in clusters, wiUl suitable gaps between
them. There would be filly apartments witl1 five h u ndred inhabitants
per tower; the city would have one h u n d red thousand inhabitants.
Near the towers would be the necessary facil ities: schools,
daycare centers, athletic fields, small-scale rntail facil i ties, and so on.
Business and commercial areas would gradually emerge, as would
tl1e govern ment agencies to manage the city. I n the center or tl1e city
I would create a large square, site of the seats of government,
administrative blocks, theaters, movies, and restaurants.
Divided into two sectors, the small city would allow vehicles only
around the outskirts; in the city proper pedestrians would stroll
through lush greenery, as in medieval towns. I could just see it,
planted in the middle of tl1e monumental desert like a small island,
green and bustling. But I would have to foresee tl1e city's future
development to insure that it did not become unworthy of its origins,
inhuman and polluted like all the world's major cities. I then created
a highway system Ulat anticipated the growth and m u ltiplication of'
otl1er small cities around a n d alongside mine, with areas for
research, ind ustry, and agricu lture.
On re-reading this, I have a feeling that this idea was neither
foolish nor impractical. It would neither be an unbearnbly dense and
vertical city nor a horizontal one involving huge distances, b u t a
small, human, and hospitable town of the kind now forgotten-except
for the historical ones we love to visit. I liked Tel Aviv, mainly
because i t gave me Ule chance to see my old rriend and colleague,
David Resnick, a great architect. f was pleased to see tl1at he lived
happily there.

I was always sometl1ing of a rebel. I- laving lefl behind a l l the old

prej udices of m y Catl1olic family, I saw the world as unjust and
unacceptable. Poverty was spreading as if it was only natural and
inescapable. I joined the Com m u n ist party and embraced the
thinking of Marx, as I still do today. But l ife brings both joy and
sorrow, and as u nprotected citizens a l l we can do is move ahead,
laughing and crying in tl1is harsh world.
 Perhaps Urnt is why I have al ways accepted Ih,· 111111111 11 1
pleasure that life offers, leeling Lhat we should live thc111 1'1 1 1 1.\ , ,, 1111,
what beauty and love there is. This explains my conlrndi l 'lon 11 1 1111,
their mixed feelings of' enthusiasm and anguish, as ii' ,w;, dllh 1 , ,
people had been living my life. I recal l Uiat despill' 11 1 1 , ,1 111 1, .. ,
pessimism, I have always shared fellowship with my rnri,;,,,1 1 I1 1 11
Somelimes I like to think back to I.he good old days " '' , 1 11 Ill ,
Clube dos Mari m bas, chatting lo friends on Uie beach al C :1 1 ( 1111 •1 1 !1111,
in lhe shade of U1e old tropical almond trees. Bors6i, I I(·II 1 1 , h, ,
Cavalcanli, Linhares, Silvio, Carlos Niemeyer, Gauss Eslc•llI1 1 , 111, ,
Bragu inha•;, would come by and we would sit there 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1111 1
reluctant to leave. We talked about l i fe, polilics, soccer, !;irl, , f ll'lll • I •
we knew. The mood of friendship and good cheer repelled 1111,v JII IN�ll,I,
negative feelings. O u r fami lies never came to U1e club. Mairii\ , 1 1 111,
a club for men who liked to share laughter, drink whiskey, .,; 1 1 , 111111
around, for·getling lhe world and its worries, idling the tim,· -1111 11 1
On Sundays, Bors6i, who l i ked Lo cook, would say, "I'll Ii\ 1 1 1 1 1 1 h
but you'll have to listen to my speech:' Laughing, he would 1 111, 1 1 1 1111 1
an i n ebriated ode to life, to Uie beauty of Copacabana, to "frl,•,ul
women, and soccer:' Chico Brito was a real wit. l i e on.en inll'l'l'll f lll•il
forcing Bors6i slop h i s speech and reply amusedly, "Chi t 'II, 111 1 to
whore's hell!" Then, being a polite person, he would add courI,,1 111al\
"Apologies to the ladies present:'

e: --
 The ladies in question were a few young women who often came
Lo the club. They were cheerful and uninhibited, and they acted so
naturally Lhal under thei r apparently bohemian altitude U1ey
disguised optimum friendship and i n tegri ty. I remember how one
evening M{rrio Catrambi was off to Brasilia when he spotted one of'
L11e girls on U1e corner of Avenida Rio Branco. He pulled over and
asked her to join him. She got into U1e car and of she went, with no
f

s u i tcase and only the cloU1es she was wearing, to spend a week in the
new capital.
Occasionally, the jokes went too far. I remember the n ight at the
club when we laid out Chico Brito, who was completely drunk, on a
table with a candle al each corner. It sure frightened the people who
came in and look il for real! Ah, old Chico, how we miss you! He
never worked a day. He spent his l i fe a l the beach, remarking to
people h e met there, as i l' he were al home, " I t was so nice seeing you,
come back again:' Chico used to drift into my olTice almost every day,
always smiling and in his bathing trunks. I-le failed to show up one
day, and we soon heard the bad news: feeling ill, he had taken a
sauna and U1en disappeared out on Uie ocean.
Every evening my cousin Carlos iemeyer turns up at the omce,
soon to be followed by R0mulo, Renato Guimaraes, Sabino Barroso,
Fernando Balbi, and a few other, less steady visitors. Our discussion
topic varies depending on what is happening in U1e country.
Somelimes polilics dominates, and then, since none of us thinks
alike, the conversalion heals up. Mom ents later, however, we are a l l
fr iends again, ready to su·oll of arm-in-arm. W e often L a l k of t h e past,
f

reliving our nighllime forays into Night and Day or Sacha's. We even
relive om experiences abroad, such as Uie evening of the bullfight in
Madrid when Hemingway crashed R0mu lo's box, a ttracted by the
lively goings-on there.
Yes, life can be tough, b u t some of us do have fu n!

I t was in March 1998 that I most regretted not having cut back
sooner on my expenditures, which could cause problems for me
overnight, as my fr iends had warned (and as I myself' have
commented i n U1is book).
I had assumed personal and fam i l y commitments in limes of'
plenty, but our expenses multiplied rapidly, and what I had been
warned of came lo pass. My daughter Ana Maria was assigned to
control fam i l y expenses. She was shocked when she saw the
numbers and said, "Dad, just slop helping everybody!"
� Whal could I do? IL was an uncontrollable urge ro,· 11 11·. 1, lt1 ,
gave Luis Cal'los Presles an apartment, I wanted Lo <'iirrr l1111lr II
possi bility thal he might have housing problems, sir r,·1· 1 11• h
nothing Lo !'all back on. When I gave my driver a house. . . 11 ,·II Ii' I
water under U1e bridge now. WiU1 U1is altitude toward Iii',·. I 111111
hard to adopt the logical, realistic position Lhal otl11·r, ljilll
righUy defend.
I surely will build a home for my granddaughter. lrrdlil ,
extension Lo my employee Aurelio's apartment., do con1pli11 ,,.11I111
design work for U1e Museum of the Arts of Brasilia arrcl 1'1 11 11,
monuments in memory of Carlos Drummond, Luis Carlos l 'r'<'Nir
and Darcy Ribeiro. I shall continu-e, whenever I can, lo help 111 111•1 • 11
much as possible.
I take great pleasure in giving Lo someone who asks fo r lrl'lp 11 1
give so much that U1e person is astonished, I feel even happi,·r·. I\ lrllr
slJ•olling with fr iends, we frequenlly come across a homeless I"''"""
or a beggar in U1e slJ•eet, and I will give him or her the eq11ival1•rrl 111
five or Len dollars. Someone then says, "How silly. It's of no us,· HI rrll
But il is an unexpected burst of happiness for the needy irrclivlt1 I111l
and for a neeling moment, his or her life seems much better. I 1\111 111
four or five beggars who, over lime, seem to have beco111t· 1111
buddies. Two of them are i n a wheelchair, and when they spol 1111
car, they wave in greeting, happy Lo see me .

•
I I
 I remember a day in Algeria when I had received a considerable
paymenl. The guard of the governme n l -owned house where I lived
ran up to speak to me, and I immediately realized thal something
had happened. I had helped him out several Limes, and even paid
for his dentures, for which he seemed lo thank me every day by
smiling broadly lo show his new teelh. Thal day he was crying and
said he had lost his j ob and had lo m ove far away from Algiers with
his family. 1 gave him ail I had in my pocket, glad to see him so
astonished, as if a miracle had occurred.
1 have oflen felt, in this way, tJ,at someone deserved my help.
This was the case witJ1 my comrade Trilïn o Correa,,,, as I shall now
explain. For years Trilïno had been an inseparable friend and aide
of Luis Carl os Prestes. 1 remember the day he so ught my help. "1 am
desperate, Niemeyer," he said. "l've losl my daughter and I don't
know what I am going to do . 1 decided to ask you. You are the . on ly
person who will nol let me down. 1 need four hundred cruzeiros a
month, for several m onths!' 1 helped him oul. Severa! montJ1s later
I received this note from him; il shows such integrily thal il is worth
reproducing here:
"l have had a raise in my Army pension, so I would like to
reduce tJ1e amount you give me to t:wo hundred cruzeiros instead of
four hundred, which 1 consider lo be a large amounl. Therefore,
instead of c oming every montJ1 to pick up the two hundred, which I
know is a nuisance for you, I suggest picking up four hundred every
olher month. The next Lime will be in Mareil. As soon as possible,

I will be able to manage wilhoul the lw o hundred. Gratefully,

Trilino Correa!'
1 never wo1-ry about being thanked for helping someone out, but
il was a pleasure lo help a comrade like him!
I oflen have the desire lo write ab out tJ1is feeling, and I am proud lo
be this way. The rich should be reminded lhal fellowship is one of tJ1e
few things thal gives meaning to our wretched lives, lhal money is no
guide to a person's worlh, that we are ail equally fragile and insignili­
cant-rich and poor alike-when confronling tJ1is unjust world. Sharing
is the most beautiful word tJ1ere is, and to keep this precept close to
one's hearl is whal Cod would wanl us lo do, if He existed.

1 do n ot know where I read tJ1is-maybe I did not, maybe il is my own

idea: A woman is the physical and spiritual complemenl to a man.
Without her, wilhout her seductive charm and good company, man

,.
l oses his capacity to d ream a n d fantasize, wh i ch j u sL i fi r ·s 1 1 1
m . ani g to o u r l i es.
I recall l1o"v in. my yo u th , women x rted great po¥t1 e· 1· o v t • 1· 1 1
Even aft r I ,·vas married, it vvas n ot asy to ignore tl1at i 1·r s ist i t I I t
tion that men feel for women throu gl10L1t tl1eir l ives. I l1avc a I \/\' 11 , I
1ny wi� . She is beautiful uncomplicated, and devoted to ( ) t 1 1· ! i ii 1 1 I
befits her Italia11 origins. I have a lways resp cted tl1ese c1t1 a l i t i t ·. 1 I
and have tl1erefor• e felt painfully guilty on certain occasio n s. I s l 1 1 l i 1 1

j ustify this occasional gu ilt by b lam ing my perso11a, ID:')' ger 1 e1 i ( ' d ,1 I
vvho is nastier than I am; though :g netics o, b,rio• u sl do l1a,,p u 1t ,1
with m perm anent attraction to the female sex. I al, a s L1·ief l l o 1
paralle] love affairs, bu t life seems to set us u p. You su ,d de11 I. ti 1 1 1 I , ,
elf inevitably trapped, • O ften as a result of som p ro b ler 1 1 , t • ,,· 1 r
pl1ysical on• . In rea l ity this type of problem stems more fro r 1 1 !I t I
a tu r tl1an f1•o m m a n, beca11s , after al l, this is the wa)r s h (:� 1 1 1 t d 1

I sl1all say ,,ery l ittle ailO•Ut m · arcl1 it cture l1 ere, since I hav n i d I H'
tica l ly a ll there is to say elsewh ere. · eith er do I w i h to ta l ] a bo 1 1 I I I
old rational i sts. Tod ay we enjo total p lastic fr,e edom. Rei 1 l 1« 1 r ·, I
concrete has made new a 11 d unpred.i ctable forms p ossi ble, b,e gi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
wi tl1 Pamp11ll1a i n th e 1 940s. We are l iving i n a period •O f pa rt i < · 1 1 l
a rtistic er a tivity i n a rcl1itectu re, a peri od n1a rl ,e d b the sea rch. 11 0
bea uty ,. i nven tio11,. an •d fa n tasy; fo, r arch itecture seen as tr11. 1e a rt .
I d o not d isregai·d tl'1e p a t. Th indi i ,d uals who bu i lt th e }J ra 1 1 r i t l ,
or the e11ormous vau l ts, o r the o, l d cafu, dra ls, , . ere tru ly great ! l d< 1 1 1 0 1
see tl1 wat rshed as being between a cient a11 d modern ar h i teet u rt 1

bu1 rather, a _ Alvar Aalto says, fJet · een good and bad architectlt rc. I ,
a rcl1itectu r i s ,,ery p, e r onal, and it s l1ou l d not be viewed ,a s a 1 1 l ' '
school to be folio, - d . VVhat is essenti a l is that ach arcl1i tect 1n a l .l' I 11 L
own a rch i t - cture. I lcn o the entl1usi asm vve feel for a desir d sol t1 I io 1 1
and th e hope vvith which we concl ude a •d esign . n d tha t l1as t ( ) I J t •
re. pect d . I do not criticize my col leagues.
In the past, I oft n clash ed with those who reje ted n1y ideas as : 1 1 1
a rchitect. ot a ny n1 o re. Ail:e r a l l , th y are defen d i ng w l1at the h .a vi.·
ach iev,e d ,o e, r the years as go, o d professionals. ime goes by, a 11 d I
welco,m e ,a J l l{i nds o f a rcl1ite ture. Tl1 re are alwa s signs of t.a ]enl a n d
good a rcl1 i tectu r,a ] wo, r lc i n a l l of tl1 em, including those th at a re n ot n1.
favorite styl . I d o not bel ie e in so, c ia l i st a rcl1itecture in a. capi ta l i s l
cou n tJ:•y. lt tends to be pat rna l i stic; o r worse,. it p · I"versely i11 ten ds t o
n1i tigat sb·ttggl es aro u 11d old, h a rd-fought-for dema11ds.
 I do not tc.now wl1y I l1ave a lw,ay d ,e sign d large p u blic b u i ldings.
But, becal1se these buil,d in gs d o n ot a lways serve the fun ctions of
soci a l j ustic,e , I tr to m a l(e tl1em beautifu l a. n d spectacli la r so that
tl1e poor can stop to look at them, and be touched and n tl1 t1 sed. s
an arcl1 i tect tha t is a l l ] can do.
M architectu ra l oeuvre bega n ,11,, i th Pamp u l h a, which I designed
in sensual an ,d tine p cted curves. This was fue beginning of the
p lastic freedo· rn tl1a.t rei nfo1·ced concrete un leasl1ed . Tl1en cam ·
B rasilia, w l1ere I gl orified stru ctlire, i nserting architectural style i11to
it. By the time th e structu r was finished, architect11re and str uctu.re
w,e re there a s two thi ngs tha t 1nu s t be born togetl1er a n d th a t
togetl1er enrich eacl1 an •o th ,e r.
VVhen tl1 e military d ictato rs h ip was established, I vvas forced to
n1ove a b road. I n foreign coun tries, I wanted to expose not ,o n l my
a rc]1 i tecture, b L1 t a l so B, ir azil's a dva n ces i n e11ginee iri ng.
In p artnership "'ritl1 my e11gineer colleagues l filled spac s, red u ced
strL1 ts , a n d broke reco rds to s how tl1 e o rJ. d th at we i11
Lati n America, a con tinent so exploited wer• als,o capabl of doi n g
fine v orlt.
M .a rchite,cture became known a n d as executed ever he1·e:
France, taly Algeria, G reat Britain, Po rtugal, and v,e n Sa u d i · rabia.
Of cou rse, U1 is was something to lJe p roud of after l1a ing spent m ost
o, f my life bent over a drawing board . B l1t if I ere asked wl1at, o f a l l
tl1ese proj ects, l1a s gi e n m e the m.o, s t pleasure, I ou ld. say i t ,111as to
h ave ta l n t11e ti. m to th i n i a b,0 11 t life i n tl1is u nj u st vvorld tl1at we
n1 u st o• n e day transform .

-
1
I h ave a lways . �on f1:o n te d life as an un, . av,e ri11g reb l. After reading
Sa rtre, I ie ed life as an u 11fair a n d unrel nti11g trag d · . Wl1 en I
w.a a yot111g man of onl. fifteen, I vvas anguished to tl1 i n lt of man's
de ti 11)r , doomed as we are to tota l abandon men t, and. diefen seless
aga inst it. I vvas frigl1tened by the id · a of som da disappearin g
fore,rer. Lilt ever)•One else, I ha e tried to era sucl1 thoughts a n d
instead talte adva ntage o f tl1e pleasu res o f this bri,e f and j o fl1 l
passage o, n earth tl1at fate gr.a nts t1 s witho u t our co11 su ltation. I h ave
felt tl1 e ecstasy of the fan tastic nat11ral world arou n d us, and, a rm-in ­
arm w ith m frien ds, I cast aside t l1e d i stl1 rbi11g thoughts that so
afflictecl m e when I was alon . I wore a mask of you th fu l optim ism
and co11tagi ous good httinor. I was l<.n own as a h igh-spirited a n d
pontan 0 11 personality, a J over of the bohem ia 11 l i fe-sty } , w h i l
 deep, i 11side I n u rsed a trem ndou sorrow vv h, n l l. 1 1 0 1 1 , 1 1 1
h u 1na11 ity a11 d l ife.
I n my m o ments of soli tude, I anxiol1s]y pond ered l h is 1 1 1 .v . I I
un i erse arolt nd u s and recal l d o l d Pau l Ga u gu i n. , 1 1 0 vv r1 1 1 1 • c 11
of I1is p, a i n ti n gs so long ago, "Wl.1ere do vve , c o 1n e fr,0 1n vv l 1 0 1 1
where are w going? ' I resent d the terri ble inj usti ·e l l l a l . , 1 I
th e world, wh ich separ· a tes people fro, n1 one a11 otl1er a n cl d t ·v u l 1
certain social grou ps. I b,eca m a Com m u n is 4 and I l1 a � p, 1 1 ( 1 1 1
against pover1:)1 a ] l my l i fe.
At tim es, I have felt: that I ,1vas not wl101l)7 i n agreen1enl vv i t h 1 r 1 . 1
com rades. For example, I l1a e t1ever b lie,r d tl1at v e s l 11 1 1 1 l d I
opti m ists, that · we sh,o uld fotg t t]1e drama ,o f h u ma11 ex i l l' n , ·i • , 1 1
that what is important to t1s is not d eatl1 b11t ratl'i.er tl1,e perpc· t 1 1 H ' l. h 1 1 1 ,
the species. These argu rnents d .id not persl1ade n1e, and I fi gu rt 'd I I i
th.e n1oments o, f an iety th, a t 1J•ot1bled m wot1 ld a l so trou l > I P 1 1 '11 1 1
ch ildren .. I responded by quoti ng Anton.io Gran1sci, i ;.� wl10 once vv rn h • 1 11
l1is prison c l l i n ltaJ , "Optimism is often the vv isl1 to do 11 0 L h i 1 1 � 11 1
accept all:'
I based m id. e as o n Sa rtr 's ex i sten tialisin and on c i l ' l 1 1 1 1
p rogl'ess; con i nced that ev,e r th i 11g i s pr arious, a tru tl1 t lli1 l 0 1 1 1 1
to pr vai l . Son1 e cla imed that this a tti t11de repres - nted th 0 µ;1 · 1 I
nil1 il ism, the end of tl1 e g1� at fa n tasies and gra nd co, nquests t h a t I t, 1 11 1

•
 gi en ma n hop . I resp,0 11ded b g,o i ng back to Sa rtre, w l1 0 at the
sam e· tim e h declared a l l ex i tence to be a fai l u 1·e, was defend ing
Cuba a11d all oppressed peoples tell ing his frien ds ho he l il ed
· 11aving m o, ney in h i s pocket so l1e cou l d gi,re it awa
I believed,. as I sti l l do, i n M a r- · , s d octrine, an ,d I opti m i stica l l
awa ited th · better wo:rl,d th at we lool d fo rwa 1•, d to. Fo r years I was a
l o a l mem ber of tl.1 e Co1n m u nist Parly, pa ionately in olv d i n the
po] iti ca l st1'uggl a sup1Jorter o• f th O, c tob r Re o l u tio11, of - Lenin,
Sta l i 11, Mao- Prestes, Fidel, and ,,eryon who rose up to figl1t for
j 11stice . a 1nong men .
The ·· ea r ,¥ent b:y. I w i tness d tl1e Sov iet crisis an,d the col lapse
of the Com m u n i st wor] d, btit I rern a i ned unchanged , co nvinc d tl1at
what l1ad h app, e 11ed could som l1ow be explained, something tl1art tlte
old So iet Com n1 u n i ts wouJ d b,e able to clari f)•. I ,a s n stifled; I fel t
that my pol i tical po ition was not consistent -- i th the e ents tal i n, g
p la ce i n B razi l a 11 d i n th ,e worl d . M a ny peo p l e accepted. the
Commun ist d feat as a consequ - nee o, f old and i rr para b l m istal s,
a n d quite a few otl1ers tool i t ca lmly, sin ,c e i t was what fu ,ey had
'\¥a nted all . a long. . I refu sed to adopt th ose attitud s. I began to see the
Soviet crisis as a natura ] pl1ase of the poli tica l struggle, since
11u 1nanity sti l l l1ad not reached tl1e level t1i1at a Comn1u n ist soci ety,
11n i ted i n olidarity, dem a nded. I took refug in tl1 i dea that the
, Q ctober Revoluti o n w.h ]ch had. transfor1ned tl1e So iet nion from ai
coun tJ:y of baci<.ward p asants into the second-great · t world super­
power,. l1 ad. produced e- trao, 1�di.nary p, rogress. And th at v as qu ' te
enough fo1' me.
I bel i eved that o u r first step should be to tra nsform h u n1an i ty,
-
making us sim pler, more hum an capable of u n derstanding. I n the
vvords of T ill1 ard de Chard i n, "being is 1n or important tl1 a n
having:'•55 O f co 11 rs , I d id n ot critici ze Lenin. Tl1 ,e October Revo l u tion
wa an ess · ntial fi rst step- th sjgn that the world. ¥.rou l d cl1ange, tl1at
tl1e su bseque11t col l apse of the Sovi t regi me was an accident on th e
road to the f1 1tu re, tha t M arx's i deal s ren1 a .in u 11cl1anged, and tl1
stru ggle more conscious and m ore determined than ever.
I h af'v e ne . er been .a ga i nst any p ublic d ispla of protest. I t is
i n1perative to pro test. "vord of p rotest, spoken w i th col1rage at
tl1e righ t ti n1e, l1as great merit. Often, when pov rty is over· w l1 e l m ing
a n d i ndiv id u a l s con tinue to i gn o, re i t, th e sol u ti on is to re. a ct.
I t11 i nll of m o ] d Com m 11n i st pa rty com p,a ni o11s kil ] ed in po l i ti al
u prisings, m u rde1,ed in reactionary torture cham bers. I tl1 i n l, ,o f th e
heroic stru ggle of Cu ba and of Fid e l , lead ,e r of tl1 is sufferi 11g a n d
ex p,]oi t d Lati n A merica ,. and of h ow Lati11 A m eri,c a h a :-. I i
more v ulnerable since M oscow is o t1 t of the pi ctu re.
Th ,e day Man u11derstands that he is part of atu r , b ro l l i < r t 1 1
insects of tl1 e earth , tl1 birds i n the sl y, and the fi h. in thr .s t • 1 1 , 1
day he wil l understand his own in significance a11d beco n 1 t > s l 1 1 1 1 1 I
more realistic, n1ore h t1 man, and more sym path eti ,c .
Wi thin 1ny limitations as a simple arcl1itect, I fee l .sa c l I I t, 1
Brazil s curr,e nt situation, abou t the trem end o,us poverty 1·tr n 1 "1 1 1 1 1 1 1
and tl1 bourgeo isie who scornfL1 l ly cu]tivate e en m o re de t i t 11 1 1 1 1 1 1
see the need for radica l action. "We n eed to start th cot1 n. t r "'1 1 I t
clean slate," as Darcy Ri bei ro wou ld say. And this is a tasl l l 1 n 1 I d i
to tl1e com mon people and their organized forces.

As I mentioned befo re, death was a constant ,c oncer11 of 1n i n P, 1 1 1 I

the idea tl1at o u r bodies ottld simply disappear trot1bled 1 1 1 1 · .
a chi ld, I imagi n ed with great sadness that o n ,e day s1 1 d d < ' 1 1 I,
I 'Vvo u l d no l onge · e m 1 paren ts and brothers, or the mou n l a 1 111
rivers, and seas of m cou n o:-y. Over time, tl1ose t]1 0 11gih ts 1 1 1 1 ,
returned w i th i n creasing frequen cy d11ring mome11ts o f so I i t 1 1 c l •,
That i wh m eeting my f1·iends dail ,, lat1ghing a bi.t vv i.tl1 L h r 1 1 1 ,
banish ing thos fears, l1a s beco me indisp, nsable to my i n 1 1 t • 1·
ba[an ,ce. And tha t i. s w hy 1 avoid the solitude th at o lder peopl J i I c 1 1 1 11 •
often face.
So that is J1ow I go on l ivin a, tal ing advan tage of th e m o 1n e n. l s ol'
happiness that fate offers us on th ' s i 11evi ta b l m arcl1 to, a rcl 1 1 ! 1 ·
great unl{nown . TJ1i e certainty that we are Natu re's chilclre11 ,0 1 1 1 .v
deepen. s my d · pair. I am gradually trying to believe in the old adag< '
tl1at vvhat counts i s n ot age, bt1 t p l1ysica l con d iti ,o n . I n o ]onger 11a t ·
the same en th usiasm fo•r going d owntown w i th frie11 ids. N o vv1.•
simply n1eet a t the office, savoring o ur o l d stories o u r old ft111 a ri d
ga n1 es . a n d tl1e ,d r,e ams o f o u r y,o utl1 .
VVh at is essential is that we remain tru e to o u rse]ves, fi rm i n o t 1 r
convictions,. w hetl1er we chat abou.t p ,o litics and so, c cer or about o tr r
meager lives i n this fa n tastic universe, wl1ich, as we li;;,n ow . , vvas n o l
made s p cially fo r u s, tin IJe:itngs that vve aJre in the face o•f i t s
immense gran dell!r:.

I som etimes turn back to the distant past,. 110'", so remote, wl1en w
were still p, o ssessed with tl1e urge to l ea d boh ,en1i .a n lives. I recal l our
 old com pan io n s, the Ca. fe Lamas; tl1e pool tab les, Lapa, the ba. r on
Rll!ai C ,o nd ,e Lag s, th man with the m an d o l in . . .
Nlore flashbaclts from the past: getting m arried, tl1,e Fine Arts
school, n1y calli11g ai an archite t, liv ing· a more s ,e ttled . a nd conten ted
life. A n ,d o u r office in the Po rto Alegre b u i l d i n g, tl1 e Cafe
Vermel hinl10, and the Clu be dos Marimbas wl1ere under th e tropical
almond trees, gazing out to the ocean at Copacabana, ,11,,,e tallt d of
old tim s.
I thou gl1. t of a l l tl1is on that n igl1t. The m eeting vv ith my friends
h ad ended earl)', so I was h ome beside Annita, watching h er fa· vorite
soap opera on TV. I Iool{ed at her tenderly. How pretty she vvas! She
sat · iVith her chin resting o n h. e r right hand as always,. smiling at tl1e
e ents talling p lace on the screen or frowni ng app rehensively at th e
world's ev ils. I reca lled ou1· wedding sixty years ago, then tl1e birth of
0 11r dear· daughter nna M a 1·ia, and Annita tending our b orne. Tl1e
happy n1o ments w,e sha.red came to mind, the tri ps to different parts
of the vvorld : Pa r is, New York, Lisbon, Madrid, Bt1en os Air an ,d
Moscow. I cou l d see h. r back on tl1e 1Piaz, za San Marco i n Venice,
laugl1ing happi ly at the pigeons perched on l1er sho11lders ; or· in ew
York,. where we spe n t long st1mmer n1onths and stretched out on the
law n in Central Parlt while o u r l i ttle Anna Maria chased squirrels.
,i\ 1en the television episode ended, nnita got up. ''Oscarzi nho,,
I'n1. ,o ff to bed . D011't forget to tu rn off tl1e light:'

----�c...... ____ )---�--•---· �--=:s;;.=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=..:::....::.::::_

• u
 I look al U1e room packed wilh family photos. I hav!' 1 1 1 1·1 1 1 P1 1 1 I I
T
move Uiem aside ii" I w a n l lo get a book ol L h e shelves. Tl11· 1 1 11111, ,
walls are also covered wiUi large and small photos or 1 1 1 1 1 · 11 1 11111
Touched by Annila's evident devolion, I go lo Lhe wind,m 1 1 1 1 1 1 111111
oul. Night has sellled. Each apartment across the wa.1 1 1 111 11111
fortuitous joy. . . or inlinile sorrow.

Allhough originally Lhis book was not mea n t Lo dwell on ,111 l'\ pl111111
lion of my architecture, i l now becomes clear llrnl Lo a larg1· .-,11·111
U1is is what I have lo provide. Aller all, I have devoted 11,·, 1 1·1\ 1111
enlire life lo Lhis occupalion. IL has been my hobby and 0 1 1 1· 1 1 1 1111
grealesl joys lo devise new and creative forms sugg,•sl,·11 1 11
reinforced concrete. I have sought lo discover U1em, mullipl.1 1 111•111,
and combine U1em wilh slalc-ol�l11e-arl technology to aelli,·11· 1111
architectural spectacle.
In my lectures I have always emphasized Uial I do not ,·011,id < 't
architecture terribly important, and there is no contempt i 1 1 1 1 1 1
words. I compare architecture lo other things Lhal ,11·,· 1 1 1 1 1 11•
connected lo lile and Man; meaning Lhe polilical slrnggl,·, 1 1 1 1,
personal conlribulion Uial each of us owes lo society, parlicula rl.v 111
our less fortunate brolhers. \<Yhal can compare to Lhe slrng"IC' r1 1r 11
beller and classless world where a l l individuals are equal? In spil,· ol
Lhis opinion, archileclure has kepl me very busy, leading me, as I <1 1 1
now, Lo defend my works and my point of view as an architect, a 1 1 d
lo debate architectural issues with a passion llial l i fe, so fragile' a 1 1 d
insignilicanl, seemingly does not juslify.
I have always argued for my favorile architecture: beauliful, liglil,
varied, imaginalive, and awe-i n spi,·ing. These are words Lhal, m1wl 1
lo my delight, I found later in a Baudelairc poem: "L'ina11e11d11.
l'irregu.larile, La swprise et l'elonnemenl son/ une parlie essentiel!t· l"I
une caracteristique de la beaule."•3'
I will not delve into details here, however; I will merely prcsc1 1 1
my career as an architect, my doubts, my rebellion, my professiu1 1 al
courage lo do only whal pleases and moves me-fearlessly and with
no regard lo p re-established rnles. 1 divide my architecture into live·
stages: Pampulha, from Pampulha lo Brasilia, Brasilia, my inlern, 1 -
tional experience, and finally, the later designs. 1 have never
commented on how Lhese dilforenl stages were i n lluenced by whal
was happening i n Lhe architectural world and by my own U1inking as
a n architect. Nor have I discussed U1e reaclions Lhal my work
• provoked, 01· my way of counleracling. 'ow, as I go over my designs,
1 beller understand why an invariable trace of prolesl suffuses all Lhe
stages of my work.
On several occasions I have menlioned genelic informalion and
how, i n my opinion, il accounts for our qualilies and defects, Lhus
inlluencing our reaclions. 1 shouldn't complain about this hidden
being wilhin us Lhal genelic information creates and which so oflen
dominates us. I have already menlioned how l11is "double" conlrols
me when I begin a new design, taking m e by Lhe arm and leading me
in trance along the paUiways of fa ntasy lo Lhe new, unexpected
shapes llial are responsible for this architectural spectacle.
Neither should I complain about how Lhis persona shares my
enlhusiasms a n d acls of resistance in this l i felong dia logue,
interfering wil11 my reactions and my work, informing Lhe latter wil11
my feelings, making my architecture Lhe ret:eplacle of either my
interest or my conlempl and protest. Thus, if you examine my archi­
leclural work in its d ilTerenl stages you will see how Lhis old alter-ego
has always acted, transforming Uiese phases into sighs of relief i n
view o f Lhe blunders that, in m y opinion, have affected a rch itecture.
l l a l l sla l'led when I began Lhe Pampulha studies-my lirsl phase­
in which I deliberately disregarded Lhe celebrated right angle and
ralionalisl architecture designed wilh ruler and square Lo boldly
enter the world of cu rves and strnight lines ofTercd h,1 1·,•l11h11, I
con crete. On paper, while drall.ing these plans, I prn1,·s1,·d 11�11111
such monotonous and repetitive architecture, which w;is ·'" 1•11- 1
create that it quickly spread from the United States to .l.1p;1 11,
I made this first move with the unex pected bold111·" 1 h11) 11,
persona demanded, covering the Pampulha chu rch and 1 1 11' 11111 1 1 1 1 11
or the Caso do Baile with varied curves. This deliberate pm1,,,1 11111 ,
from the environment in which I lived, with its white IH•,,, . 1 1 1,N, II
huge mountains, its old baroque churches, and its h1·11 i 1 J l 1 1 1 l
suntanned women. Some individuals, w h o were sti l l bo1111tl hi 1111
f'unctionalist l i m i tations of the time, tried to criticize Lh<' l'11 11q111il11,
complex, but it was so appropriate that, years later, i11 1'111' 1,, , 111 1
Prench colleague De Roche stated: "Pampulha was the gre.11t·,I 1 1 1 1 I l l
o r m y generation:' I t was the world of new shapes conu·apos.·tl 111 1111
erroneous architecture on U1e wane.
Prom Pa mpulha to Brasil ia, my work fo l l owed tit,· s11 ,111
trajectory of plastic freedom and architectural inventiveness, 111111 I
became aware of the convention of defending it agai11s1 1 111
limitations or constructive logic . Thus, if I designed a d ifTe re 111 st111 1 11,,
I had to have arguments to explain it. Every time I designed " ,-111·11•,I
block standing alone on a site, for instance, I presented ii II Ith
accompanying sketches showing U1al the existing curved topo�rapl t \
itself' had suggested it . When I designed inclined facades, I Jik,·11 '"'
explai ned that these were intended lo provide greater sol11I
protection or exposure; when I designed an auditorium shaped lik,•
a n ink blotter, I was addressing the problem o f interior visibiliI ,1 ;
when I created a su·ut system i n the form o f a n open fan, reducin� 1 1 1 1 ,
number of su·uts on the ground noor a n d increasing U1em on th,·
upper noors, I cited economic reasons; when I proposed curved roo l:,
with inclined supports al U1e edges, my justification was related 111
the structural problem of thrust; when I proposed a solution 11taI
combined curves and su·aighl li nes, I deferred to difTerences i11
ceiling height. In this way I defended my architecture and 111,1
fa ntasies, creating new forms and architectural elements that 0l'l'r
time were added to Uie plastic vocabulary of our architecture, which
was often used by my col leagues but not always at U1e correct seal,•
and with the desired accuracy. I carried on like this for many years,
always searching for a differe nt shape and then ex plaining ii
afterward, as required.
During this period I took three trips abroad: U1e first one, at L1'.icio
Costa's invitation, lo join h i m in U1e design of the Brazilian Pavilion
for the 1959 New York's World Fair; the second to Venezuela, where,
inspired by the local topography, I designed a museum in the form
or an inverted pyramid; and the third to New York again, where I
won by unanimous vote a private competition for the design of the
United Nations headquarters.

I m ust confess that when I sla1ted my work in Brasilia I was already

weary of providing so many explanations. I knew that I was
experienced enough to be rid of such justifications, and I could not
care Jess about the inevitable criticism my designs were sure lo raise.
As with U1e Pampullrn phase, a feeling or protest. possessed me in
Brasilia. It was no longer U1e imposition of U1e right angle that
angered me, but U1e obsessive concern for architectural purity and
structural logic, the systematic campaign against the free and
creative forms that attracted me and wh ich were viewed
contempt-uously as gratuitous and unnecessa ry. People talked about
"purism"-aboul the "machine for living in," "less is more,"
"functionalism," and so on-without understanding that all this
would be derailed by the plastic freedo m made possible by reinforced
concrete. Contemporary architecture was vanishing through its
repetitive glass boxes.
J once imagined that the followers of contemporary architecture,
grown tired of so m uc h repetition, would someday become
disappointed with the dogmas U1ey once fiercely advocated and
choose something different, linally assured that invention must
prevail. This is occurring now, but once again they are making a
mistake by tacitly fo llowing the adventure of postmodernism,
reproducing the same building designs but adding anachronistic and
outdated architectural details . This is the same "gra tuitousness" they
once criticized and have now admitted in its most simpl istic form.
I sadly remember how, when a su·uctural fra mework was
completed, the architectural form necessary to finish the building
was often sti l l indefinite; noU1ing was known about it except Uiat it
would come later, as a secondary consideration. This was the result
of imposing an erroneous technical rigor that purist designers, with
their mediocre structures, had always accepted. In my opinion, it
was up to architects to anticipate structural problems, so Uiat by
combining their imagination with technical sophistication they
could create an architectural spectacle responsive to current trains
of U10ught.
 I decided to J'ollow this line of thinking J'or the pala,·,·, ,ii 11 1 11 lit
They would be characterized by their own i n novatil'< ' st1,11 1111 , 1
form. As a result, minor details typical of rationalist 1 1 1·,·ldlt 1 1 111
would recede against the dominant presence of the ne11· .s l l'II! I I I I I
Anyone who observes the National Congress comJ>I"' 1 1 1 1;1 )Ill
palaces o f Brasilia immediately realizes that once their s, 1,1 1 1 ,1 111 ,J
framework was built, U1e architectural design was al read.\' i 1 1 plllt 1
I sought to experiment with reinforced concrete, pri 1 1 1n l'il\ 11 llh
the supports that tapered to very slender ends, so thin Lhal tilt ' p l l ) t tt 1
seemed to barely Louch U1e ground. I remember my great J >l,•11, 1 1 1 1. HI
designing U1e columns of U1e presidential residence, LIH· il l rn t tt l l ll
Palace, and my delight at seeing my idea reproduced l'v,·ry11 I11,11
The columns were an architectural surprise Uial contrasted ;,, 1 1 1 1 1111
otherwise monotonous prevailing style. With the sa nH· il <'l'II
dedication I worked on the design of the presidential ollicc J , 11ildl1t
the �lanallo Palace; and the l<'ederal Supreme Court building 1 1 1 l 'i'll\lt
dos f'r�s Poderes. I pulled U1e columns away from the 1,,eacl" 111111
stood before the blueprint trying to picture myself strolling 111 1 ,111
them, trying to determine the different angles they would JJroc J 1 1 1,1,
This exercise prompted me to reject the simple, functional sti·1t)
required for the strncture and instead give deliberate prefcr,·n,·,· 111
the newly designed shape. All along I laughed wiU1 my double a1111 1 1I
the "mistake" that, hopefully, the prevailing mediocre critics w,·r,•
soon to d iscover. Nothing slopped U1em, however, and they were not
curious. If they had been curious, if only they had read a litlie more­
J'or example, these words by Heidegger- i t would have done them
some good: "Reason is the enemy of the imagination?',,,

One day, silting in fron t of Uie Doges Palace, completely in awe of its
admirable lightness, I found in that magnificent work by Calendario
Ll1e example of what my architecture represented. And right there
and U1en I wrote this brief text, imagining myself in dialogue with a
rationalist architect. It was a simple, Socratic dialogue U1at I wish to
reproduce here:
"What do you think of this palace?"
"Magni licent!"
"And what about its carved columns?"
"Very beautifu l !"
"But you, a functionalist, would still prel'er U1em to be simpler and
more functional?"
"That's correct?'
"But if U1ey were, there wouldn't be this splendid contrast
between the columns, J'u ll or arabesques, and the straight wall that
supports them?'
"That's true:'
"So you must agree that when a shape creates beauty, its own
justification lies in its beauty?'
My designs for Brasilia have continued to pour J'o rth. The theater,
for instance, was conceived in three days over carnival.
I never complained. II' Ll1ere was no time to think, there was also
no time to make undesired alterations. The search J'or an unusual
solution J'a scinated me. In the Metropolitan Cathedral at Brasilia, for
example, I avoided conventional solutions, which had produced the
old dark cathedrals reminding us of sin. On the contrary, I designed
a dark entrance hall leading to the nave, which is brighlly lit,
colorful, its beaulil'ul, transparent stained-glass windows facing
inlinile space. I always received understanding and support from the
clergy, even J'rom the Papal nuncio, who could not contain his
enthusiasm upon visiting L11e cathedral: "This architect must be a
saint; only a saint could devise such splendid connection between the
nave, heaven, and God?'
I designed the remaining buildings with the same degree or
architectural innovation. In the National Congress complex, the
dome and the saucer-shaped building were hierarchically arranged;
in U1e Minislry or J uslice building, water spouted fr1 1 1 1 I 11 1 1, 1 11
l'acade, like a miracle; and U1e Panlheon enhanced Lhc l' r;, �•11 ,1 1 1 � 1 ,
Poderes like a white bird. Only i n U1e Ministry o f ForPig11 11 , .1 1 1111 1 11
bui lding did I do something dilTerenl, eager lo show ho\\ ,·1 1 ,11 1 ,
could please everybody with a proper, generous but pros;ii,· " 'lillllt1i
Uiat required no sense and sensibility.
Now when I visit Brasilia I reel U,at our el ort was nol i 11 , 1 1 1 11 , 1111,1
T

Brasilia marked a heroic period or labo1· and oplimis11 1 ; 1 1 1 111 111

architectural design duly reflects my slate of mind and my ,·1 11 1 1,11 111, 111
expose that which touched me most deeply. I n my design t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
the volumes and free spaces or Lt:1cio Costa's master pla11, ils n l 1 11
ordinarily well -conceived characterislics that produced a 1110 11 11 1 1 1 1 , 1 1 t111
and hospitable city.
During U1e twenty years in which a m ilitary dictatorship 1·11t1,t1
our counlry no one was parlicularly concerned wilh crili l ' i1.t1 1
Brasilia, U1ough permanent carelessness and contempt led 1 1 1 " "'"
parts of'the city being considerably downgraded. I refer main I.\ 1 1 1 111 1
subsequent construclion of mediocre build ings that dcstroy,·d 11 11 ,
city's intended urban un ity. I had no altcrnalive but to move ; 1 h rn111 t
Foreign countries are home lo some or the best projecls t 1,1 1 11,
designed, namely the French Communist Party headqu;11·1,·I·,,
Bobigny's Bourse de 1)·avail building; the Cultural Center ol' t .,•
Havre; lhe FATA Office B u i l d i n g in Turin; the Moncl;id orl
headquarters in M i lan; and U1e universilies of ' Conslanlinr ; 1 1 1 11
Algiers, in Algeria.
During this phase, my fou rU1, U1e prevailing idea was to ma11ili·,I
not only the plastic freedom or my archi tecture but also 1t o , ,
advancements in engineering in Brazil. I searched carefu lly l'or 11 1 1,
solutions that each project demanded, eager lo clearly define I 1 i,.
parameters of' my work as an architect. In the French Commu 1 1isl
Party headquarters, I demonstrated the im porlance of maintaining
harmony between volumes and free spaces on U1e exterior, whil ' h
explains why the great workers' hall is located un derground. In 1 111 '
Bourse de TI·ava i l in Bobigny, I showed a way in which il is poss.i bl < '
to make economical architecture. There I economized in the main
block but enhanced i t wiU1 the free shapes of the auditorium. I n th l '
Culturnl Center of Le I l avrc, I positioned U1e square below street lev<'I
lo shield it from the cold and from conslanl winds. This solution has
no equivalent in Europe, as it created �oil, almost abstract curves 011
the exterior walls. Accord i ng lo Massimo Gennari, U1is work received
the following u n expected compliment from Bruno Zevi, al the Cairo
 Congress: "I rank the Le Havre square among the Len best works of
contemporary archi tectu re?'•>' Al the FATA Office Building, I suspended
the five lloors from roof beams, an i nteresting su·uctural solution that
Massino Morandi, who designed it, described as follows: "For the
first Lime I had U1e opportunity to demonsu·ate what I know about
reinforced concrete?' At U1e Mondadori headquarters, I designed the
arches at varying widths to produce the u n ique, almost musical
rhythm that characterizes Uie buildi ng. In Algiers, the gnind free
spaces, the fifty-meter free spans and t h e twenty-five-meter
cantilevers create such powerful architecture that constrnction
del'ects Lhat resulted from the use of unskilled labor go un noticed.
Now, in Sao Paulo, at U1e Memorial da Am erica Latina, my design
radically follows advanced construction techniques. There are no
m i nor details, only seventy- to ninety-meter beams and curved
shells. These l'orm the greal free spaces recalled by the project's
Lheme. The memorial is a work whose monumental size corresponds
lo Lhe greatness of its objective: to unite the people of an oppressed
and exploited Lalin American continent.
I have worked on very few projects ofa social-welfare natu re, and
I conl'ess that when I have done so, I always had the ree ling that I was
conspiring wiU1 the demagogic and paternalistic objectives such
projects represent: to mislead the working class, whi ch demands

-�c--====--
..
.�
---=------
0 _:::;, �
better wages a n d equal opportuni ties. I always rej,·,·lt-d 1111
mistaken, mediocre idea ofan architecture Urnl is somcho11 ",11 1 1 1 111 1
closet· Lo U1e people?' Vl'h en we built U1e C l EPs, we were happ_\ 10 �, ,
that poor children liked U1em, as if the build ings gave the kids 1 1 11 1 1 1
or some day having access Lo what only U1e rich enjoy loda_1. A, I �1·1
it, this idea of architectural simplicity is sheer demagogy, 1 1 1 1 11, . ,·,. 1 11
able discrimination, and al times it shows a reluctance lo ,-r,·at,· 1 1 1 111
can only be explained by lack or talent.
On U1e 0U1er hand, monumentality never frightened 111,· 11 ltl'tt 11
stronger topic justilied il. Aller all, what rem a i ns in archilr!'lttn· 11 1 1
the monum ental works, U1e ones Urnl mark history and l<'d t t t l,·111
evolution - U1ose that, socially j uslilied or not, still Louch 11s. Tlti, I�
beauty imposing itself on man's sensibility.
Oh! How great were the o l d masters, those who dl'si/.\ttl'd
enormous domes, extraordinary vaults, ancient cathedrals!
Here, U1en, is what I wanted to tell you of my archilcel 1 1 n·. I
created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awaret"'" ol
the l"acl Uiat what is important is lile, friends and attempting lo 11111111·
U1is unjust world a beller place in which to live.
v, I l\odrigo J\lelo Franco de Andrade.
� Brazilian critic, art hisloric1n, and writer, lw
2 rounded !he Nt1tio11al llistorical and Artistic
1-leritage Service (SPIIAN), I.tier renamed
the Nalional l-lislorical and A1·tistic lleritage
Institute (IPIIAN), or which he was
fi1·s1 direclor.
2 Epitllcio Lindoll'o dn Sihu Pessoa.
Presidenl or Brazil, 1 9 1 9-22.
5 Trishio de Athayde, nom de plume
or Alceu Amoroso Lima. Hrazilia11 lawyer,
journalist, and Catholic thinker, he chaired
Centro Dom Vital. a civil org,111izalion linked
lo the Roman C;11!10lic Church, and was ;1
member or the Brazilian Academy or l..ellers.
4- Manuel Maria Barbosa du Boeuge
(1 765-1805). Portugucs(: poet known as a
libertine in the bohemian circles or Lisbon.
lle was arrested by the lnq11isi1ion in 1 797
;1nd imprisoned. llis collected poems were
published as Rimas in 1791.
5 Luis Carlos Prestes. Former
Urazilian army captain who wns an ;1clive
participanl in the 1935 Communist 11111·isi11g.
and 1.1 Fel.leral Dislrict senntor, 1946-48.
During the military dictnlorship in Brazil,
which hegnn in 1 964, Preslcs went inlu exile
in �luscow. Following the general amnesty
of HJ70, he returned to Urazil. lie died
in 1 090.
6 "'To sail is a necessity. To live is 1101 ,1
necessity..... Line from a poem by Portuguese
poet Fernando Pessoa ( 1 888-1935).
7 Gauss Es1elitu. Architect. IMmulo
Dantos. neal estalc cutreprcneur.
8 H.enato Guimaraes. Jo11rualis1 and
militanl member or the Urnzilinn Comm­
unist pm·1y, where he befriended Niemeyer.
Sabino Barroso. Archilect who worked
with Niemeyer in Brasilia. hun Alves.
Jourrwlist who met Niemeyer in P,1ris. lle
hecnmc presidenl or the Brazilian Press
Association (AHi). Fernando Balbi.
Engineer and businessman. Carlos Non1
de Niemeyer. Film maker and fo11111.lcr of,111
important television production company.
9 Joilo Aires Saldnnha. Sports journalist
and member or the Brnzilian Comm1111ist
party. Glanco Cn1111>elo. Architecl who
worked with Niemeyer in the co11str11ctio11 of
both Brasili,1 mu! the Mond.idori hemlquarters
in Milan. Hcrmnno Montenegro. Architect
who collaborated wilh Nit·r111•�t•1· 111 \lt1,1 till
and in llrasili.i.
IO Nightclubs ill Hio dt• J;nwil'n
11 H.oberlo de Olh• cirn «:111111111�
Brazilian economist, diplunwl. a111I 11111111
cian, he was the first minislt•r 111' 1·,·11111111!11
and planning of the mililar) tli 1·1111 1 11 111 1iq,
1964-67.
12 Lnurinha Tinguussu. 0\\ twi- ol /j
famous brothel in Lapa, n dislril"I in 1\111 ,I !
Jauciro where intellectuals aml h1 ,h,·111lu1111
gnlhcred in the 1 930s.
ll AnMnio Jncobinn. E11,-:i11nr 111111
Brnzilian swimming clw111pi1111. .runi+
Brandi\o. Bank executive <11ul tlin·1·1 1 11 111
Banco Boavista. llor8cio de Cunnlhu
Jlrnior. Journalist, owuer of lhc 11 t·\,sp11p.,,
Didrio Carioca. Silvio Can1lcn11ti. \' 0 111 1 ,
public i n l\io d e Jilneiro. Alfredo 111111
Casimiro l\odrigues. i\lerch,111ts. Tl1·0
Liberal . .lournalisl ror the 11c,,sp11p 1 •1
Dilirio Cariora. Oyama llios. Owm·r ul n
pharmaceutical h11siness.
14 Tom Mix and William S. llnrl
American heroes or enrly !loll� \rn 1 1,I
advent11re and cowboy movies, they sl,11T1·II
in doze11s or films from th1? ·teens 1hro111-(h
the 1920s.
15 IIClio Lajc Uchc')a Cnrnlcanll.
Architect who collabor.ited with Nicnu·.\t·r
on the design or lhe National Aero11.111111·
Center and !lousing Complex in Sfiu fo-. 1'•
dos Campos, and the lbirapuern l'arl,
complex in Sfio Paulo. Milton Hoberto.
Architect, pnrt11er in the �1.M.�I. I\OIH'rln
architecture ril'ln, which l.lcsigncd th1·
Brazili.111 Press Association (ABI) and Souza
Cl'IIZ Compa11y buildings in l\io cle Janeiro .
Jose l\eis. Architect who worked ;11
l..(1cio Cos111's office willl Niemeyer. Paulo
Cabrul da nocha Werneck. Self-laughl
drn0snwn and pninle-r who worked al lh t•
architectural firms �I.M.M. l\obcrto and
OsCilr Niemeyer.
16 Don Joi\o VI (1 767-1820). Kingofth t"
United Kingdom or Portugal, Hrazil, and lhe
Algar\'e. When Portug,il \\'HS invaded h.,
Napoleon nonaparle in 1807, the king ned 10
Brazil with his fon1ily. In 1 8 1 5, IH•
proclaimed the Portuguese colon)' or Bri,zil
1111 empire. lle was crowned Prince Bege111 or
Portugal in Hrazil in 1818. The lmperi;il
Ac.idemy or Fine Aris, the Hoyal Library, the
Roy;:il Press, nnd lhe Botanical Gardens were
created in l\io de Janeiro during his tenu1·e.
17 Darcy llibeiro. Brazilian nnthropol�
ogist, polilician, and intellectu;il who founded
the University or Urasilia. I-le held high
political offices until the military diclalor·
ship forced him into exile. After lhe genernl
amnesty or 1979, he relUrned lo Brazil where
he became vice-governor and later senator
or lhc state of Rio de Janeiro.
t8 CIEP: Centro lntegrado de Educai;.io
Pi"1 hliCil (Integrated Ce11ler or Public
Education). Designed by Niemeyer begin­
ning i11 1982, these innov,1tive schools were
conceived by l\io de Janeiro governor Leonel
Urizola (sec note 20) and Darcy l\iheiro (see
note 17) to address the problem or public
education in Brazil. The schools are open
throughoul the day. with rull student access
to facilities, meals, and recreation.
t9 JosC Curios Sussekind. Engineer
and a principal associate or Niemeyer begin·
ning in 1 980.
20 Leonel de Mourn Brizola.
Prominent Urazilian politician until the coup
of 1964, when he was persecuted .ind wenl
into exile in Uruguay. l\eturning to Ura:t.il
a0er the gencr<1I amnesty or 1979, he rounded
the Democratic Labor Party and became
governor of l\io de Janeiro ( 1983-87 and
1 9 9 1-9•1).
21 Jack 1...ung. French politician, French
minislcr of culture, 1 98 1 -86 and 1U88-9 1.
22 Carlos Bi11cncourt. Architect,
member or lhc team Iha! buill Brasilia. As a
student he bcrriendcd Niemeyer at lhc
Nt1tion.il School of Fine Aris. .Joiio
Cantlcanti. Archilect. As .i sludcnt he
befriended Niemeyer at the National School
or Fine Arts. l;ernando Salurnino de
Brito. Architecl who worked al Niemeycr's
Rio de Janeiro office.
25 LUcio Costa. Architect and urban
planner who is considered lhe falher of
Brnzilian modernism. I le desig11cd the mas­
ter plan for both Brnsilia and the district or
Barra da Tijucn in l\io de Janeiro. Costa also
headed the IC.till that dcsignel.l the Ministry
or Educalion and I lealth building (Pal(1cio
Gusta\'o Capauema) in nio de .Janeiro,
among milny other projects. Carlos
Azevedo Leilo. Architect, dransman, and
painter, he wns member or the te,1111 thnt
designed !he �linistry or Education and
IleaIth building in l\io de Janeiro.
24- Jorge Mnchado l\loreiru. Architect
and member or the leam !hat designed the
J\•l inistry of Education and Health building in
l\io de Janeiro.
25 Israel Pinheiro da Siha. President
of Companhia Urbanizndora da Nova Capital
(Novncap). the governmenliil building
authority in Brasilia, he become the
firs! mayor of the new capital in 1960,
anl.l later governor of the slate or Minas
Gerais, 1966-71.
26 Gustavo Cupanemu Fllho. l\•t inistcr
or education and health under president
Get1'ilio Vargas, 1934-45, he was ;111 impor­
tant conlributor to the cullur;il instilutions
or Brazil.
27 Carlos Drummond de Andrade.
Brazilian poet who belonged to the so-called
ivlinas Gcrnis school or Brazilian modernists
lhal released the cultural magazine A
Uevista. l\1u1111cl Cnrneiro de Souza
Bandeirn Filho. Hcnowned Brazilim1 poet.
Abgar de Castro Arai1jo nenault.
Brazilian writer, member or the Brazilian
Ae.idemy or Lel\ers. Afonso Arinos de
Melo Franco. Brazilian writer and polili­
cian, member of the Brazilian Acmlcm)' of
Lellers. Prudente de l\lorais Nelo, known
as Pedro. Journalisl and president of lhe
Brnzilinn Press Associalion (ABI), 1975-77.
l\1Rrio naul de Morais Andrade. Bra:t.ili;in
writer who organized the 1922 �fodcrn
Art Week in Sfio Paulo, which promotel.l
culturnl nationalism.
28 Cthulido Torc111alo Portinari.
r,1intcr, drnfisnrnn, and priuter. Juc,1ues
Li11chilz (Chaim .lal>0c l..ipchilz). Henowned
Hussinn-horn French sculptor who moved lo
New York in lhc 1940s. Celso Ant()nio de
l\leneses. Brnzilian sculptor who sludied in
l'a1·is with Bourclcllc. His sculplure Mora
reclimula (l\eclining woman) is installed in
the gardens or lhc Palilcio Gustavo
Capanenw in Hio de Janeiro. Bruno Giorgi.
Brazilian sculplor whose monumental
wo1·ks Monumento a j11ve11t11de (Monument
10 Youth), und Cuerreiros (W<uTiors) arc
inst:illel.l in the gardens of the Pa\i1ciu
 Guslavo Capancnrn in Hio de Janeiro, and the
Prn\:a dos 1'r�s Podcres in Brasrlic1.
29 Advisors ill the onicc of G11s1,wn
Cupancma, minisler of educntion ;111d heallh.
30 Nov.ict•J>. Companhia Urbanizadora dn
Nova Capilal.
ll Emilio Gurrnslazu MCdlci. Third
president of Hrazil (1 969-74) during 1he
military dictatorship that begnn a0er the coup
of 1964.
52 Afonso Eduardo Reidy. Archilect
who was associated with the design or the
master plan for IHo de Janeiro in 1929.
35 Marcus Vlnfcius Cruz de Morues.
llrazilian diplomat, poet, arid composer.
Curios Echenique. Salesman. Luiz Jardim.
Writer. E,;a. Nickuame of \Voller Garciu
Lo11es, renow11 ed lr.imp of the Lapa districl.
who befriended artists and intellectuals.
Gnldlno Du 11rut du Cosio Limn.
Architect who had monarchist ideas and
Communist friends.
l4 Madudcirn is a ncighborhood in Rio de
J;rnciro renowned for its bohemi;1 11s 1.fnd the
uncon,·entiorrnl lifestyle of ils residents.
35 Juscelino Kubilschek de OJh·eira.
President of Brazil from 1956 to 1961, he was
renowned for his ambitious public works. lie
commissioned the conslruetion or I.he new
capitnl, Brasilia.
36 Agildo dn Gama Bnralo Ribeiro.
�lili1;1 111 member of the Brnzilian Communist
Pnrty.
57 Francisco de Assis Chuleaubriand
Bnndeira de Melo. Brazilian journalisl,
poli1icic111, and diplomat, he owned the news
broadcast conglomerate Diftrios Associados.
58 Lele. Nickname of Joilo Filgueiras
Limn, an 1.1rchilec1 who w.is a close friend of
Niemeyer and member of his team in Bra sflia.
39 Gaslilo Luis Cruls. Brnzilian wriler
who directed the literary re\'iew /JoleUm de
,Irie/. Pedro du Sliva Nava. Brnzili1rn physi­
cian and writer known as a mcmorialist.
40 Aleijadinho ( 1750s-1814). Prolific
Hrazilian sculplor and archilecl, renowned for
his rococo statues and religious imagery,
which was opposed to the sobriety of
his churches.
41 Diogo do Couto (1542-1616).
Portuguese histori;in who wrole the last chap­
ters of Lhe Decadas da ,4sia, one of the first
great acco1 1 111s or E11 ropca1 1 u, ,·r-.1 ·,.,, 1 , 1,11♦
ration and colonizali11 11 b) Jrnln 111• 1\ 111111
J�erm1o Lo11es (c. 1389-c. MUO). 1'111111,c,11 1 •
historian nnd first roy.nl chrn1 1 id1· 1·. / w "u• ,.
key figure in medieval historio,-:rapll\
42 AnMnio \'ieirn ( IUOH 11111/ 1
Portuguese Jesuit missiouary, ,, rih'r, 111 111111
and diplomnl, he played an Ht'liv,· 1111 11 111
Portuguese ;1 11 d Brazilinn history. lli-. 111 111,111 111
sermons exhorliug the w1ri1111s r;u·,·� 111 1\ 1 0,II
lo join lhe Portuguese colonizt•rs in 111·111, 111,
considered the first exprc-ssio11 11I 1111
Bra;.:ilian national mystiq11e of l'ornii11J.t u 111,,\
mixed race. Alexandre llerc 11 h1 1 1 u 11
Carvalho e Arnlajo (1810-1877). Porl111,t11,·,1
historian, 110\'elist, and poel, h,• \\as a 111 .,,11
gious advocate of libera l opinion. It.· 1,
credited with introducing ronwnlin"im 111
Portugal. Jose 1\tarln de Efn de Qm·lru,
( 1845-1900). Portuguese writer commitl1·1I 111
social reform, he introduced 11 aturalb 11 1 111111
rcnlism lo Portugal. I-le is considcr<'d 0111· 111
the greatest Portuguese novelists. •JoU11 11l 111
Morla l\tachudo de Assis (1839-l!IIIHt
Urazilian 1>oet nnd wriler, he is considl'n·◄I 1/11•
classic master of Brazilian literature. lh· hnd
lillle interest in co111cmpor.1 1·y polilit'al 111 1d
social questions; inste;:id, his no\'els ren t•1·t hi-.
arislocrillic, cosmopolitan cyni c-ism ;rntl llu·
urban lifestyle in Hio de Janeiro.
43 1\ta.x Jacob. French poet who hclo111,:c·d
lo lhe circle of Cubist painters 01 11d St1l'rl'11li-.1
w1·iters in i\ lonlm.1rtre, Paris, al lhc begii11 1i 111,t
1
of the lwenticlh century; he influenc-ed 1h1•
new directions of modern poetry. Jac,1 1u--.
Monod. French biochemist who was aw;:1rtl t•d
the 1965 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his \\Od,
on the genelie regulation of cell rnelabolism.
44 Celso Ferreira dn Cunha. Brnzilian
philologist 11ml professor of Portuguese.
45 Jorge Leal Amado de Faria. known a�
Jorge Amado. l\enowncd twenlieth-c"ntun
Bra�ilian novelist nnd milil<rnt Communis;,
Ferreira Gullur, norn de J)lume of Jost-
1\ihamar Ferreirn. Contemporary Bra1.ilia11
writer, poel, and arl critic.
46 Alberlo Moravia, 110 111 de plume of
Alberto Pinchcrlc. llalian ju11 1·11 alist, shorl­
story writer, novelist, and key figure in
twcnlieth-ccntury lt,1lian letters.
47 Ricardo Jaimes Freyre. Holivian
poet and teacher.
 48 Gasogene. An apparalus used for
burning charcoal to produce gas fuel for
powering internal-combustion engines.
49 Slliomn Scllzer. Architect who con­
tributed to Niemcyer·s projects in S,io P,1ulo.
50 Gctl11io Oornelles Vargus. l..e;:1der of
the 1930 rebellion thnt put an end lo the
"coffee-elite.., or powerrul landowners' hold
on the go\'crnmcnl, he hecnmc presidenl of
Brn�il in 1930. lie im 11Jemented ii policy of
administrative ccntralizntion. economic
rwtionalism, and social reforms llrnt helped
lo modernize the country. Although his firsl
teuurc. 1930-45, evolved inlo n virlual dicta­
torship. he is revered by his followers as the
"Father of the Poor." for his hnlllc against
big-business und the landed gentry.
51 Oln,• io frins de Oliveira.
Entrepreneur and owner of the Falha da
i\lanhfi newspaper conglom"r.1le.
52 Jose Lo 1>es. Portuguese architect and
life-long associate of Niemeyer, with whom
he collaborated on projects in Urasflia,
Algel'ia, and Europe.
53 O16genes Arrudn CAmnrn.
Brnzilian Communist Party lcmJcr and
underground ncli\'ist during lhc rnilitnry
dictalorship.
54 Antc)nio Benedilo Vulndnres
Ribeiro. Go\'er1 1 or, congrcssio1rnl represen­
lali\'C, and later senator for the state of
�I inns Gerais.
55 Nfipole. Italian owner or a marble
store in !Ho cle Janeiro thal supplied material
for Nicme)•er's conslruction projects.
56 Millon Soares Campos. Brazilian
polilician from the slate or Minas Gcrnis, he
wns miuister or j11slice in 1964-65.
57 Marco Paulo Hnbello. Engineer for
the P,1 1npulha complex in Belo I lorizonte
and several buildings in Urasflia designed
by Niemeyer.
58 -1..e Corlmsit•r, aprCs rwoir longtemps
illmtn! la disdpline purisle cl la loymlli! de
/'angle droit, <l,l'llllt se11ti dews le vent le.�
prt!.mices d'tw 110111.:cau baroque ve1111
d'ailleurs, scmble avoir decide 1i'alwndo11ner
l'ho111u1te <mgle droit, s11r leq11el ii avail
repemlant Jc,ulanre 11 se ,·roire des dmits par­
tin,licrs. ,tu fond, le baroque-ut!. �. efait justire
a lui-mt!me, et romme toujours twee 1111
immense tale1ll." AmC:dC:e O;icnfonl. French
painter and thcorcliciun who, with Le
Corhusier, founded the art movement known
ns Purism.
59 Jon<1 utm Marin Moreira Cardozo.
Archilecl, engineer, nnd poet who worked
with Niemeyer, nolably 011 the construction
of Urasfl ia.
60 Nieme)'Cr refers to Pan1 11 e du
Gnmaleirn, nn exhibilion building in llelu
llori1.0ntc that he designed in 1968; the
strnctura l engineer was Joaquirn Cardozo.
During conslruction, in Febrnary 1971. part
of the Gamaleira building crumbled. killing
65 1>eople. The projecl was ubnndoned. u111I
Cardozo, a respected engineer, wus unfairly
blamed for lhe accidcnl. which rnined
his career.
61 JUiio Niskler. Hydraulic c11 gi 11ccr
who worked on severa l projects by Niemeyer.
62 "II faut faire clumter Jes poitits
tl'appui." Auguste Perrel. Belgian­
born architect who worked primarily in
Fr;rnce during the first half of the twcnlielh
ccnturj'. I le is known ror his co11trihulion to
lhc ,·oc.ibular)' of reinforced-concrete
conslruction.
65 Oscnr Nilzke. Swiss architect who
worked with Le Corbusier in P.il'is in the
1920s, and laler .ii Wnllace llarrison's firm
in New York during the design of the United
Nations headquarters ( 1947-50).
64 Budiansky. Engineer and on" of Ll•
Corbusier's associates.
65 Mux Abrnmo,·i1z. Archilecl and parl­
ner at \VnllilC-C l larrison's firm (l llll'l'ison,
fouilhoux, and Abrarnovi11.), which designed
lhe llniled Nations headqunrtcrs.
66 Milton Prnles. lln1zilian Air Force
pilol assigned to the constrnclion team for
Juscelino Kubilschck's residence in 8rnslli11.
67 Catelinho. Diminutive form of Catete,
the presidential residence in the former
Brazilian capital, l\ io de Janeiro.
68 In 1957, when Niemeyer began work
011 Drasllin, 19 cruzeiros was equivalent to
USSI. Thus forty thousand cruzciros equaled
roughly USS2, 100. The value of the crnzciro
fluctuated dramatically duriug the twenlif'th
century; in 1967, when Niemeyer designed
the Rio de Janeiro airport, the "n6vo ... or
new, cruzeiro was the offici,11 l'llrrency. and
NCr3.20 ec11rnlcd USSI (sec p. 86)
 69 Ca1,·aq11iuho: sma ll. four-str
. inged Unr oso. Composer
1 11slr ume 11t similar lo a lmnjo. � of Hrn z1/ 1a11 1 m1 111I
IIII/SIC nnd auth or of llllllH'l'Oll...
70 Cesar Prates, Owner of a nota 111,�
. ry pub­ 79 AndrC Sh'e. French proli•..-.111
he and friend of Jus celi no ul utl,
K 11 bits che k. >l<m niug <llld rnc1
ltoc hin hu. Free/o.ider who live ! 11 her of 1h 1• ir11t• r 1111111111
d ofTt he good 1 111'Y lhat sele
grace of others in Brasiliu. cted the 111;,slt•r phni j
Juen Chu,·cs Hrnsfli.i.
Buil der who also owned J uca's
l3:ir ill Hio d� 80 Heron de Aleucnr. l_,;in;.:mi
Janeiro. In Hrasflia, he di reeled w· 11-m l1t
!he con stru e­ at Lhe Universi
lion of Cntelinho, the preside11 l)• of Hrasfli,1. h1· \, .. 111 lltl
1ial resideucc. e ilc i 11 Pc1 ris,
B�ue Nunes. Pi;1n isl nncl � wlwrc he collahnm1,,,1 \\ 111
conduclor. Niemeyer on lhe
1
1

01lcrmu110 lteis. Guitnrist who design fo r lhe I u H ,•t•lh 1 ,

composed Const,1 11 tinc in Alge
grenl Hmz ilian hits. ria.
71 Tiberio Cesar Gadelha. Jou 81 Mig uel Arr acs de Alcnrur. 11,111 111111
rrw lisl J) li lici;rn who was forc
who worked for Niemeyer before �. ed info nil ,· au,, , Ho•
esla hlis hirt" nul ltary coup in
his own J>uhlic-works c·onslrurlio 1 96,�.
n comJ);}ll)� 87 Luis lllhlebrnudo Pcrei ru
72 Succesors to Jusc elin o Kuh clu •"' lhM
ilschck Scie ntis t and research
their hctdly-ndrni slered presiden er at Ille l! 11 i, ,·n11, 111
cies pm·ct; S;_io Paulo who wcn
lhe \\'II)' for lhe mili tary coup of l inlo exil e iln 1•r 1111' rnlll
1964. Jfln io l<iry cou p in 1964
da Sih•a Quadros. Coiorful . 111 Par is lw ilir,Tl•••I M
nnd .-11 lime s P;1 ste11 r lnsl ilutc
ccentri � pop ulis l, he unexpectedl te,1 11 1 of rcseard1t·r, "'"""'
� y resig11ed a vaccine aga inst
1e pres1 dcnc_y nllcr se,e11 mon mahn·ia. Ubfraj11ru llrltt1
lhs in office Scien1is1 who ,,·cu
(Jnn.-Aug, l96I ). Joiio Belchio l into exil t' an(•r flu- 111111
r Mnrques lary cou p in 1964
Goulurl, known ns Jnngo. Le0 . In Eur ope he rol/:1/Jornt. ,I
ist politician, wil h .� icm eyc r
he ndvoc,1 ted II protective, on !he desi ;.rn for 1111
n.1l iuna lis1 U11 1. versi1y of
eco uom ic poli cy and land -rcd Con stan linc in \l,1,w , 111
islri lrnti ou Ein·uldo l\lnllos.
progrnrn dur ing his presidency, Physician rrom ll;1 hin \, 1111
1 9 6 1-6,J. fie wor cd as <In
Wi!S depos(•d by the lllililary C0tJ � intcn1 in P.tri s, " lo·r,• 11,
p. befriended Niem eyer.
73 Murcos Jnymovilch. Arch
il('cl who 8l Evundro Cn,•nlcauli Lin s
wor ked wilh Niem eye r in .� Slh u
Ura slli11 aml le1 1owned Brnz
l�ecnme Niem cycr's secrct,1ry ! ilian rnagistrnte and j1111r uul
in exile, in JSI who was min
l•,uropc nnd Algerin. islc r of foreign rela1io 11, 11,
1963 <111<1 minister of lhe Fede
74 hem de Souza Mendes ral S 11 111·1· 11 1t>
. Arnl)' Court. 1963-69.
gen e rn l nnd temporary gov
ernor of the 84 Carlos Magulhiles du Sih
l•edcrn/ Dis11·ict of Hio de J.i11 t·lro
eiro, he w;1 s Architect who
ilppoinled hy dicl,1lor-preside worked wilh Nicmewr 111 111
11t llumhertu mnrried his dau
C;,stello Br;u1co in l !J64. ghter, Anr w �laria.
75 Colonel Manso 'elo. One 85 Amnuri Kruel. IIcad of the
mili 1:,n
of the omc c of the presidency.
pri 1 1 cipn/ iall'isers of Ge11 1 9 6 1 -62 and mm .-.
er;il Emi lio lcr of war . 1962 -63.
Garrnst.izzu i\ ll!dici, who at the
lime was 86 m•griuha. Hac isl Por111g11esc term
preside 111 of Brnzil. The epis li,r i,
ode narrHtcd )' Otrn g blac k mau
here took plate iu 1971 . . This derogatory l<•rrn \\1.-.
commonly used lo refer lo bl.1cks
76 M6rio Cnlrmnbi. Physici,11 1 and and m 11 ln1
jujitsu los i1 1 Brazil, and is reve
wrcstlC'r who hung out wilh alin g oflh e prejutl11·,·
Nien)('yer's that pernw;iled Brnz
bohemian group al Clu hc dos ili.in society d11 ri11 " 1111•
�lar imbas·. period Nit>meyer describes in lhis
77 Sir William llnlford. Brilisli book."'
,1 rchilect 87 lfum bcrlo de Aleucar
and member or the internation Cush!lo
al jury that Bronco. Firs! prcs
selected the nrns ler plan fo r B rn idenl of !he mili!nry· dit·la
sflia . lorship in Brazil, 1 964-67.
78 Di Cnn1Jcn 111i. Painter and c.iric
.ilur­ 88 Aslrojildo Pereira Ouarle
isl, lw \\'HS Onl• of lhc organizers Sih n.
of the 1922 Fo 11 1 ulcr oflh c Bra
i\ lodern Arl Weck in S.io Pm zili11 11 Com mun ist Parh·. ul
1 /o. llis work which he was lhc first Sccrcl,1ry
focused pre dom i11 ar1l ly Hrn zili1 General: 1 11·
1 11 them es was .trrcsled hy lhe
fc;it urin g lhe fem ale figure. Ari mili 111 ry dictatorship iu
E,,ongelisln Oclober I 96•J.
 89 Birungn. Nickname of architect
Oswnldo Cinlra Can-alho.
90 Murin l..uizu de Currnlho. Director of
/\1/;dulo. Marcus Lonlru. Arl critic, writer for
M6tlulo. \'era Ll1cin Guimurilcs Cubrch-u.
\larkeling and advertising associate al
J\!6dulo. Afler the publication was
discontinued she worked as associate in
Nic•meyer·s firm.
91 Paul Nb.on. Polilically engaged, le0-
wing French writer, he was n member of lhe
Frcuch Communist Party until 193 1 .
92 Charles Gosnal. French congressio11 11 I
reprcsenlilti,·e and secretary or l11w 11ce or lhe
French Communist Part)'.
93 lh1:,•mond Aron. French sociologist,
historian, and political commentator, con­
temporary of Jean-P,rnl Snrtre. llis work
l'Opium dt:l' i11tt:llect11els (The Opium of the
l ntellccllials) ( 1 955) criticizes left-wing
conformism aud the tolalilarian tc1 1dc1 1cics of
Marxist regimes.
94 Cluude Leroy. French Communist
Party le,uler and director the Communist
newspaper l'J/un1tmilt.
95 Jean Genet. French criminal 1111(1
soci.il oulcast-turned-writer whose novels
denounce social inj11 s1ice. lie became 11
pioneer of avant-garde I heater, especially the
The.itre of the Absurd.
fl6 Dejelloul. Vice-president of Algt'ria.
llounri Uoumedienne. Algeri.1 11 army
officer nnd revolutionary of lhe National
Liberation Fronl or Algeria, he became prcsi­
denl of Algcri,1 ill 1965 .incr i11 sligating a coup
.igainst l'rC'sident Ahmed Ben llelln.
97 Georges Marchnis. Sccrclou·y general
of the French Cumm 11 11ist Parly, 1972-9 k 1 108 ArukmH1. Japanese-bor·n ard1 itccl
Juc<1ues Tricol. French engineer, builder.
1 1HI PCF acth•ist.
98 Jean Prou,•e. French engineer nnd
builder known for his conlribulions 10 the art
and technology of prcf.thricalcd metal
construction. !le wns responsible for the
structural desig11 of lh" French Communist
Plll'ty building in Paris, designed by Niemeyer.
Jean de Hochc. French architect who col­
laboraled with .'liemeyer in Paris. Paul
Chcmelov. Fre1 1ch 11rchilcc1 who founded
lhc Atelier of Urban Science ;1nd Arehilecturc.
99 "Osc,1r, Marie is dcncl. A grc.1 t sorrow.�
100 Nauru Esre,·es. Archilecl who
directed Nieme)'er's office in Hrasfli,1.
101 Originally quoted in English.
Konrnd Lorenz. Austrian zoolo�ist ,1 1 ul the
ucknowlcdgcd fouudcr of ethology, he won
lhc 1973 Nobel Prize for �lcdicine.
102 Giorgio i\1ondadori. ltnlian
publisher who commissioned Niemeyer wilh
the design of the headquarters of his pub­
lishing comp,111y, �londadori, in �lilan. lie
published se\'cral books 011 and hy Niemeyer.
IOl Cecilia Sclrnrlnch. Architect who
collnboralccJ with Nicmc)'CI' on several pro•
jects, including the Memorial dn AmCric.t
J.;11ina in Sf10 Pnulo.
I0•J. Lionello Pu1>1•i. llalian ,1rrhitcc-
1 11 re history teacher .and crilic al lhe
Univcrsily of Padovn, llaly, who wrote two
books on Nieme)•er's work.
IOS Filip110 Calcndnrio. Italian archi­
tccl and sculptor aclivc in the first lrnlf of
the fo11 r1cenlh century. Among his nwjor
works is the Arsenale in Venice. The design
of the Palace of the Doges, 01lso in Venict•, is
in part allrih11 1cd to him.
I06 .Jorge Vale. Architect who collabo­
rated wilh Niemeyer 011 sevt�ral projccls,
i11cluding in Algeria.
1 07 Edgnrd Grnef. Brazilian nrchilect
who at the time 1a1 1 ght at tile uiversily of
Brasilia. Fernando Lo1>es Uurmeislcr.
Brazilian architect who join<'d Niemcycr·s
Algerian te;im in the 1970s. Fernando
Andrade, known tu his friends as Capacctc
( l lelmet). Architect who worked al
Niemeyer's fir111 hcgiunin� in 1973, when II('
joined the team in Algeria.
who scllled in Siio Paulo a 11d joined
Niemeyer·s team in ,\lgeri,1.
IOU Jose A1u1recldo de Olh•eira.
Journalist and polilician who was. al the
time. co11gressional representative from
Min.is Gerais.
1 10 ArnribOln (Vicious Snake).
,\lorubixab.1 Indian who. in the mid­
sixtecnlh century, helped Porluguese
settlers expel lhe French who had founded a
colony in Iii(' r.uarwlmra Hay
1 1 1 Lily de Cun-ulho Marinho. Frcuch­
horn wife of llorficio de Ct1 rrnlho.
 1 1 2 Jeuu BHJ>lisle Debret. French
Jrninter who, in the carly-ninelcenth
century, lravcled lo Rrazil where he nrnde
portrails of the nrazilinn imperial fomily.
11 S Monclr Gomes de Souza. Engineer
who directed lhe engineering department of
Novacap, the govcrnmentnl building
•rnthoril)' in Brasflia. Perl Hoehn Frunce.
Engineer, director of Nov11c11p.
I 14 Gilberlo de Melo l�reyre.
Brazilinn sociologisl and politician. Among
his renowned works is Ca:m graru/e and
sen=.ala (The !\!asters nnd the Slaves),
an account of the relationshi 1> hetween
Brazil's Portuguese colonizers and their
African slnvcs.
1 15 Niemeyer refers lo the so-called
Coluna Prestes (Preslcs Column), ,1 fomous
two-and-n-lrnlf year, 1 5,000-rnile protest
march against the government by ,1 group of
some 1,500 lroo1>s led by Prcstes. a captain
in lhe army. Though the nwrch foiled to
pro\'oke real politic.ii clrnnge, ii sparked
popular support and become :almost a
mylhologizcd even! i11 Braziliau history.
I 16 Snlomdo Mull nu. Engineer and
rnililant member of the Urazilian Con111111nis1
Party; he was clcclcd clwinnau in 1 987.
Geraldllo, nickname or Geraldo Uodrlgucs
dos Sunlos, n dockworkers' 1111io11 lender
and memhcr of the PCU.
1 17 NClson Wcrncck SodrC. Urazilian
army officer illlll historia11 whose hooks arc
consi<lcrcd classics.
1 1 8 .Jose A1>arecido de Olh·eiru.
Journalist and political figure. lie served as
Brnzil's minister of culture in 1985 and
go,•crnor of Urasflin. 1985-88.
t 19 Barbara llcpworlh. Uritish
abslr,1ct sculptor who hcfricnded Henry
Moore during their studies to�cthcr.
Charles DcsJ>iuu. French sculptor who
de,,clopcd a scnsilivc. clnssicnl style 1.1kin 10
that of Aristide �lnillol. Aristide Malllol.
One of the most important sculptors of the
twenticlh century, he allempted to prcservt•
and purify lhe tradition or classic,11 Grct•k
and Homa11 sculptun·.
120 l-lon6rlo Pefnnhu. Briizilinn
sculptor who crcat<'d lhc statue or Juscelino
Kubilschck for the J K �lcmorial.
1 2 1 AdolJ>ho Uloch. l\11ssin11-born
business-man and publishl•r ur l/a111 /11 I,
he supported the cons1r11clio11 ul 1\ 1 11•111�
Ainu� lamaison. 1\ lnyor of B 1w•,lliu Ii 11111
1979 lo 1982.
122 Sarah Luiso Gomes clt• 1•.-1111111
Kubitschek. Wife of Jusccli11u l\11l111 .. , II•·� .
she presided over the co11str1 1 t·ti1 1 1 1 nl 1111•
JK Memorial.
125 Joiio Bnlisln de Olh 1•l111
Figueiredo. President of Ur.izil . 1!1711 N"
124 Marin A.mCliu Melo. ,\rd1ih'l'I \\ 11 11
worked with Niemeyer on lhc �l t•1 1 iorl11 I du
AmCriea Latina project in S,io Paulo 1 1 1 1 11
several plans for bttildinss in ,\ J ina., c: ..,111,
and Brasilia. IIClio Pcntcado. Ard1111•, 1
who collahon11cd with Nicrt1C.)cr 011 pluu,­
for the state or Silo Paulo. IIClio 1•11,.111
Architect who worked with Nic1111·)1·r 1111
several projects in Silo Pnulo. l'miln
Mendes da Hoehn. Renowned Hr.11.ilt1111
architect. Ubirajurn Glglioli. Bnu•. il111 11
archilccL Massahi lh1y Ohlnke. HC'nm, 1wd
Br:1zilian :irchilecls. Eduardo Coronu
Archilccl who worked with NicmC.)'Cr al 111 ..
Hio de Janeiro ol"licc. Clro Pirondl
Architect and former prcsid<•nl of 1111•
Brazilian Institute of Archilccls (IAB).
125 Juir Vuleru. P11r111er of Nicm t') t·r·,
granddaughlcr, Ana Elisa. HI the arc-hil t-c·
lurnl firm that produces lhc bluepri11ts 1'111·
Nicmcyer·s projr.cls.
126 Marianne Perelli. French 11ai11ln
and stained-gl;1ss window designc1· ,, ho
settled in Brazil, where she designed lh t·
slaincd-glass windows of the ,\lctrupulil,111
Cathedral at llrnsllia. Athos Bulcilo.
Urazilian painter and draOsnrnn " h n
collaboraled with C,'lndido Portinnri aud
Niemeyer. Firmino Saldnnha. Archikt·I
and abstract pai111er who designed th e•
stained-glass window/mural al !he C.ti:\H
Econt.mica federal (f'edcrnl Savings ;111d
Loan Bilnk) building in l\io dt• J;1 11ciro.
Jollo Camara 1:m10. DrnOsmnn, J>ainll'r.
1:111d printer.
I Z7 F'runz Weissman. Austrian-horn
sculptor who settled in Brmdl. Atrrcdo
Ccschialti. llrazilia11 sculptor whose works
;1re in lhc collections or se,•er.11 Hrazili1111
museums. and the Brazilia11 cmbnssies in
Moscow ;111d Berlin. CuribC, nicknnmc of
lleclor Julio Pnridc Ber11ub6. Argentine
painter who moved to Brazil and settled i n u,, Anlonio Grumsci. 1\venlicth-ccn­
Uahi.i. Poly, nickname of NaJ>Ole6n ltlry llalian inlellectual and 1rnlitical lhe­
Polygunra Lnzzarotlo. Dransman, printer. orisl. he founded the Italian Communisl
and illustrator who made the mural for the Party. lie spent the last ele,·en )' Cars of his
Acls llall of the i\lemorinl da AmCric.i Lulina life in 1>rison; his writings Lellcrc <la/ carcerc
in Sfio Paulo. Carlos Scliar. Brnzilian (Lcllers from Prison) were published
JHtinlcr, draOsman, and printer. MHrio posth11111011sly in 1947.
Gruber Correia, Luis Antonio ,1allundro U5 Pierre Teilhnrd de Churdin.
Kculing, aml Vlclor Arrudu. Brazilian French Jcsuil priest, 1►hilosophcr, nnd palc­
pointers. Tomic Ohtuke. Japanese-born ontologist who was involved in the discovery
nrazilian painter and printer.· of Peking !\Ian in 1929. llis wrilings were
128 Niemeyer has misquoted Snrtrc's JH!hlished posthumously, as the Jesuit order
statement: �/.e morl(/C peutfort bie11 se pass­ banned them during his lifetime.
er de la littCrature. Mais ii peut .ie passer de tl6 '-The uncxpccled, irregularity. sur­
/'J10111me encore mieu:z:... ..The world can well prise, nnd awe arc a characteristic and
do without 11rchilcc111re. But ii can do even essential part of hcauty.M
better wilhoul �Ian... 157 Mnrlin Hcidegger. German
129 IIClio Hibeiro da Silrn. Physiciun, philosopher who is counlcd among lhe
jo11r11alisl, and historian. Enrico Gas1•or main exponents of twentielh-cenltlr)'
Dutro. Army officer and president of Rrnzil, Existentialism.
1 9•J6- 5 1 . Frederico Mindelo. Army officer ll6 Bruno ze�· l. \\'ell-known twentieth­
"ho wns promoled lo Army general aner cent11ry llalian nrchitccltlre critic.
he supported the military coup in 1 964. Jollo
Care Filho. President or Hrazil, 1954-55.
Luiz l'ergnra. Urazilian journalist and
adl'isor lo president Gct1Hio Vargas, whom
he accompnnicd until the end of his
polilicnl career.
uo ··The promise resounds, despite all
these superstitions, these ancient bodies,
these arrangements, and these ;1gcs. II is
toduy·s age that has gone under." Arthur
ll.lmbnud ( 185•,-1891). French poet and
advcntun·r. renowned among the Symbolist
movement, who nrnrkcdly innucnccd
modern poelry. In 1871 he was a ,, o\unleer
in the forces of the Paris Commune.
1 .5 1 Atoulfo Ah·es de Souza. Popular
composer and singer from Lhe 1940s. Nelson
Cm'oquinho. One of the most renowned
composers of Urazilian popular music.
ll2 Uors6i. nusinessman in the printing
industry. Silvio ' icmC)'Cr. Hrazilian
architect und cousin of Oscar Niemeyer.
Brngulnlrn. �lerchant.
ISS AndrC Tritino Corren. MiliWnl
Communist ;1 11 tl army officer who took JJill'I
in the 1930 revolution and lhc 1935
Communist uprising. lie was s11hs<'qt1ently
1·eceivcd a dishonorahle discharge from the
army, hut was rf'storcd to the r.ink of captain
in 1968.

(
 Chronology

1900s
1907 Oscar Niemeyer is born in Rio de Janeiro.
1920s

1929-34 Bachelor's degree 1n architecture from National School of Fine Arts (ENBA) in Rio de Janeiro. where LUc10 Costa becomes director in 1931.

1930s

1930 Revolution against the so-called "coffee presidents. " the elite landowners, bnngs President Gerl/ho Vargas to power.

1935 Begins work at LUc10 Costa's office.

1936 At LUc10 Costa' s office, part1c1pates in the design of the Ministry of Education and Health building.
Meets Gustavo Capanema and Le Corbus1er m Rio de Janeiro

1937Vargas se,zes absolute power and msurures a highly cencrahst adm1mstrat1on known as Estada N6vo (New Stare}.
Designs the Obra do Berc;o building 1n Rio de Janeiro.

1939 Goes to New York: w,th the team that designed the Brazilian Pavilion at the World's Fair.
Receives the New York City Medal.

1940s

1940 Juscel1no Kub1tschek, mayor of Belo Honzonte. commissions Niemeyer to design the Pampulha complex

1945 Vargas ,s ousted by the m,/Hary.

Joins the Brazilian Communist Party.

1946 A republican constItut10n is adopted ,n Brazil.

Designs the Banco Boav1sta headquarters at Candelaria m Rio de Janeiro.

1947 Goes to New York with the committee comm,ss,oned with the design of the UN headquarters. In the bid. his design ,s selected ,n f1rst place

1949 Awarded Honorary Membership In the Amencan Academy of Arts and Sciences

1950s

1954 Designs a building for the res,denual complex Hansav1ertel ,n Berhn. for which 15 1nternat1onally reno�-.red a•c"' :e-c:s .-. e·e
comm1ss1oned Travels to Germany, Pola"'d Czec---cs-0.a• a a--= '...� Sc�- ... - �:,..
:::-e-s ;-!:: -�� \J,:i,�..,.. ,:.- I.,,� C .:.r..:.., -=-:..ea,
 1955-61 Juscef,no Kub,tschek ,s pres,denl o• Braz;.

1955 Founds the journal M6dufo in Rio de Janeiro.

1956 Juscehno Kub1tschek commissions Niemeyer to design the new capital of Brazil.
Appointed head of the architecture department of Novacap, the governmental building authonty for Brasilia.
Member of the Jury to select the master plan for Brasilia.

1957-60 Designs m Brasilia. among other bu1ld1ngs. the pres,denual residence. Palacio da Alvorada (Palace of Dawn): the Nauonal Congress complex.
the presidential office building, Palac,o do Planalto (Palace of the Highlands); the Federal Supreme Court

19605

21 April 1960 Brasffla ,s dedicated as the off1c1af capital of Braztl.

1962 Appointed coordinator of the School of Architecture at the University of Brasilia.

Travel to Lebanon to design the permanent Rachid Karam1 International Fair m Tripoli. and a sports complex.

1963 Receives the International Lenin Prize.

Appointed honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

1964 M1htary coup deposes President JofJo Goulart; beginnmg of m,hrary d1ctatorsh1p ,n Brazil.
M1htary dictatorship bans the publicauon of M6dulo
Appointed honorary member of the Amencan Academy of Arts and Letters

1965 Leaves University of Bras(ha m protest agamst the educauon policy imposed by the new regime.
Travels to Paris for the exh1b1tion "Oscar Niemeyer-L'arch1tecte de Brasilia" at the Pav1hon de Marsan.
Receives the Juliot-Cune Medal and the Grand Prix of Architecture and Art awarded by L'Architectured'aujourd'hw.
Begms to design pro1ects m Afnca and Europe, mclud,ng the headquarters of the French Communist Party m Paris

1967 Unable to work m Brazil because of pohucal pressure, he settles 1n Pans.

1968 Designs the Mondadori pubhshmg house headquarters m Milan, Italy.

1969 Designs the University of Constantine in Algeria.

 1970s
1971 Releases in France the prototype of an armchair. h is first
example of industrial design

1972 Establishes his off ice on the Champs Elysees.

Des,g�s the Bourse de Travail bwldmg in Bob1gny and Le Havre Cultural Center.

1975 Desrgns the FATA Office Building m Turrn, Italy.

M6dulo resumes publicat ion In Rio de Janeiro
Decorated with Ihe Order of Infante D. Henrique m Portugal.

1978 Founding member and first president of Centro Brazil Democr8t1co-CEBRADE (Braz,! Democratic Center).

1979 General amnesty restores political righ ts in Brazil. Many exiled Braz1hans return home.

Decorated with the Legion d'Honneur in France.

Retrospective exh1bn1on "Oscar Niemeyer. Archnecte" opens
at Ihe Centre Georges Pomp1dou m Pans. and travels to Venice
and Florence.

1980s

1982 Designs the Samb6dromo used for samba parades during Carn ival In Rio de Janeiro.

1 983 Retrospective exh1b1t1on "From Ale11ad1nho to Niemeyer" opens at the Museu de Arte Modema m R io de Janeiro. and travels to the UN
headquarters m New York and the Architecture Department of the Illinois lnst11uIe of Technology m Ch icago.

Desi gns Centro lntegrado de Educa�ao PUblica-CIEPs (Integrated Centers of Public Education) uniIs with Darcy Ribeiro.

1985 General elections end the military hold on the government.

Resumes the design of pro1ecIs for Brasft ia.

Decorated with the Grand Official Order of Rio Branco m Brazil.

1987 Desi gns the Memonal da Amenca La11na In Sao Paulo, and the headquarters of the newspaper L'Humanite m France.

Exh1b1t1on "Oscar Nremeyer-Archltetto" opens at Palazzo a Vela, m Turin. and travels to Bologna and Padua.

1988 A democratic consr,ruuon ,s adopred m Brazil

Receives the Pri tzli:.er 0, ze 'o• A•c.., ·ec:_·e

1989 Rece ives the Princi pe de Asturias Pr·ze 'o• :�e .:..�s a,·.a·::::ec :. -..-e =--,�o-- ::-.;-,::c.,ax � �.as. Sc-ar
 Appointed Honorary Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

1990s

1990 Leaves the Brazilian Commun ist Party.

Receives the Medal for Merit awarded by the College of Architects of Catalonia, Barcelona.
Decorated Kmght of 1he Order of St. Gregory 1he Great by the Vatican.
Exh1b1tion ··Oscar N i emeyer" opens at the Fundac16 Caixa de Barcelona, and travels to London and Turin.

1991 Designs the Museu de Arte Contemporanea of N11er61, R io de Janeiro, and the Parlamento da America Latina in Sao Paulo.
Publishes Conversa de arquiteto.
Receives the Gra-Cruz Order of Rio Branco in Brazil.

1992 Publishes Meu s6s1a e eu.

1996 Des igns the monument Eldorado-Mem6ria, which he donates to the Movement of Landless Rural Workers
Awarded the Golden Lion at the 6th lnterna11onal Arch itecture Show at the Ven ice 81ennale.

1997 Preliminary sketches for the Cammho Niemeyer {Niemeyer's Way), Niter6i, A r o de Janeiro.the Museu de Arte Moderna,
Brasiha: the headquarters of TECNET-Tecnolog1a and the Americana City Hall Sao Paulo. and the R1ocentro Convenuon Center m Rio de Janeiro.
N1emeyer's ninetieth birthday is commemorated with a senes of exh1biuons of his works throughout Brazil.

Pubhshes Museu de Arte ConremporAnea.

1998 Receives the Royal Gold Medal awarded by the Royal Institute of Bntish Arch itects (RISA).

Prelim inary sketches for the Santa Helena Cultural Center in Parana: the Ulysses Gu imaraes Palace and Memorial In Rio Claro, Sao Paulo.
the Gu1omar Novaes Mus ic School m Sao Joao da Boav1sta. Sao Paulo; the Darcy R1be1ro Memonal at the Rio de Janeiro Samb6dromo;
the Maria Aragao Memorial in Sao Luis. state of Maranhao: the Touros Landmark Monument and the permanent Na11vity Scene, 1n Natal. state of Rio Grande do Norte.

1999 Des igns. among other pro1ecIs. a new theatre for the lbirapuera Park m Sao Paulo; the Cultural District In Brasiha; the Admirnstrauve Center m
Bet1m, Minas Gerais; the Commemorative Monument of the fifth Centennial of the Discovery of Brazil m Sao Vincente, Sao Paulo.

2000
2000 Exhibition "Escultutura de Oscar Niemeyer" at the Museu de Arte Contemporanea, Niter6i, R io de Janeiro

Des igns M6du!o Educac;ao lntegrada (Integrated Educauon Unit) (MEil. daycare centers integrated withi n the CIEPs system
: AbramO\'ilZ, i\lax. 69, UH Cnstro, Fidel, 52, 80
"C Alc11c;1r, Heron de, 88, 181 Castro Neves. I lcnriquc. 85
c Algcrin. 9•l, 96, 105-6 C.ilaguascs school, 118
Al\'es. i\ln11lfo, 52 Catrumbi, �l:irio. 87, 159, 182
Ah· es. lrnn. 14, 178 Cm alcanti. Andre. 9
Ah orndu Pnlacc. 122. 172 Cnn1lcanti, Jo;io. 24, 28, 150. 179
Anmdo. Jorge, 44 Cm·alca11ti, Silvio. 16-17, 178
Androde, Fernando (MO:qmcclc�). 106, 155, 159, 185 CEHI\AOE (Centro Brasil Democratico. 126-27
,\ndr:ulc. i\l:\rio de. 26, 179 Ccshialli. Alrrcdo. 157, 159
Andrade. l\odrigo Melo Frunco de, 6, 41, 42, 49. 52, 58, 62, 124, Cahpcl or s,10 Francisco de Assis (Pampulha). 6•1. 1 rn-17
1l4, 178 Ch:1te;1ubriand. Assis. l2
A1110r1io. Celso, 20, 157, 179 Cl111,·011, Juca, 81, 181
Aparccido. JusC de Oli\·cira, 108, 120, tl0, 141, 185 ChemelO\', Paul. 96, 185
Apulliunirc. 44 CIEPs (Ccnlros l11tegrados de F.d11c;ic;io Pl1blic.i), 20-21, 1711, 17N
Apolcose Pl.iza, 21 Corona, Eduardo, 154, 18,,
Aragn11, l...011is, 94, 180 Co1-rea, 'l)·ifino, 161, 185
Ari11u.�. Alonso, 26, 179 Costa, Li'1cio, 2,t-25, 26, 59, 60, 65, 67, 77, 85, 97, 1,10-11, 1711, 1'711
Aron. l\a)' IIJOnd. 94, 182 Cruls. Gasl,io Luis, 41, 180
Armes, i\ligucl, 88, 182 Cultural Ccnl<'r ofLc ll.lvre. 174
Arruda C;inmra. Di6genes. 56, 1 8 1
Arrud:i, Victor, 159, l 8
1
,
Dani.is. 1\01111110. 14, 159, 178
Alhaydc, Trist1io de, 9, 178 Dehrct, Jeau Uaptis1e, 122, 185
Dejelloul. 105, 182
Bnlbi. Fernando. 14, 159, 178 Di C.walcanli. F.milinno. 87, 157, 182
Unnco da l'rodu�·;io (Juiz de Fora), 70 Dimanche, Louis, l2, 185
Bmtt'O do Urasil (Dimn;mtina), 70 Duclos. Jaet111es. 59, 181
Unndeira, i\1:inuel, 26, 41, 179 Duprat. Galdi110. 28, lO, 54, 55, 82-84, 121, 125-26, 17!1
Barnt:i. 1\gildo. l2. 56-57, 144
Harroso. Ari. 87 "Etn�. Set: Lopes. \\'alter Garci;i
Uurroso, Sabi110. 14, 47, 72, 97, 159, 178 Echenique, Carlos, 28, 54, 57, 179
Bfltimcnl de Classes, 95 Emery. Marc, 108
Helo l lorizonte. 57-59, 61, 64, 70 Eslclila. Gauss, M, 47-52, 66, 87, 150
neuedito \'nladarcs. A111t111io. 58, 61, 181 Estcn.'s, Nauro, 97, 181
l\f•ni,;n. Arnndo, 16
Ucny11hif1, i\lohamcd Scddik, I05, 106 FATA Office Huilding ('l\1rin), IO,l, 174, 175
"l\ir1111gn". S1·e Can• alhn, Oswaldo Cintra Federal Supreme Co11rt huihling at Pr;1�·a dos 1H•s l,odercs
l\ilh:!llt' Ollrl, Cn!'los, 24-, 179 (Hraslli:1), 1 15, 172
Uloch, Adolpho. 152, 184 Filguciras de Lima, Jo:io, 98
llonifl'lcio, Jose. 16 Flurninesc Futehol Clubc, 16
l\u11111edil'lllle, I louari, 95, I05, 182 France, An.itolc, 44
Hoursc d(• Tr11w1il building (Hobigny, Fmncl'), 174 France, Peri. 122, 185
l\rand11o, Jmio, 85 French Comrnunist Pnrty, 59, 96-97, 174
Hrand;lo. Luciano, 85 Freyre, Gilberlo, 124, 18.l
Urnsflin. 70-72, 85, 99, 122-25, 152-5.), 154-55, 170-74 Frc�rc. Ricardo Jaimes. 44, 180
Hr,nilinu Com1111111isl Part)·. 14, 89. Sre olso PCU Frias. 01/1\'io. 54
Hrnzilinn l'a,·ilion for 1959 New York World's Fnir, 170-71
Hrilo. Chico. 150, 159 Gndcllrn. TibCrio CCsnr. 821 84, 92, 181
llrilo, Fernando Saturnina de. 24, 46, 47-52, 54, 55, 179 Gnrcla M:\n:1uez. Gabriel, 44
Brito, Uhirajara, 88 Geimar;ies. 1 lon6rio de Freitas. 45-46
Hrizoln, Leonel de i\luur.i. 21, 178 Genet. Jean. 9.1,, 182
Hulc.io. Alhos. 157, 159, 184 Ge1111nri. �lassirno, 104
Hm1ucl. Luis, •14, 180 MGcrald:io�. Sec l\odrig11es dos Santos. GC'raldo
Hurmcister, Fcrunndo, I06, 18.) Giorf.tio, llnrno. 26, 157, 159, 179
Gosnut, Chal'les. 95, 96, 97, 182
Cnrc Lamas. HI, 17, 121, 122 Goulnrl, Jmio ("Jm1go"), 22, 84, 181
Cnlcmlnrio, Philippe, I04, 185 Grn�·as, i\1:iria das, 155, 145
Cflmnra, Joilo. 157, 18,, Graef, Edgard, 106, 185
Cnmpclo, Glnuco, 14, 97, 178 Grarnsci, A11to11io, 164, 185
Campos, i\1111011 Soares, 58, 181 Grasse (Frnucc). fl<I
"Cnpm·t•t(•�. St• t• A11dradc Fcrn.111do Greene, Graham, 94-95
Cnpa11emn. Gustm·o, 25-27, 59, 61, 91, H7, 178 Gruhl'r Correia, i\lflrio. ll9, 184
Cardozo, Jo111111im, 65-66, 91, f81 Guimar;ies, l\cnato. 14, 126-27, 159
CaribC. .Se,• Pnridc Hernali6, I lector J11lio Gullnr. Fcrreirn, 44, 102
Can·nlho. Fl'lisbcrto H11ll1Ucs. 45
0:1r\';1lho, ll orticio de, 16, 1 2 1-122, 185 I lalford, Sir William. 87, 88, 182
0:11'\'0lho, Oswaldo Cinlru (�llirun;::a�), 91, 98, 182 llarrisou, \\'all;icc, 67-69, 99
Casa das �lnni;abeirus (llelo llorizonte), 70 llil<lchr;indo. Luis, 88, 154, 182
1111nrnr.aty P;ilrice (Ministry or Foreign !\elations building). National Congress complex (Urnsflin). 1 14, 152-55, 172, 17l
154-55, 174. Src ttlso Hrasllin Nation;il Historical and Arlistic lleritagc S('n•icc. Sce SPIIAN
Nav;i, l'edro da Sil\';1, 41, 180
Jacob, i\lax, 4--4, 180 Neto, Colonel �lanso. 86, 91, 181
Jncobina, AruOnio, 16, 178 Ne,·es, Tancn."<.lo, I08
"NonhO� (uncle). Set: l\iheiro de A\m('idn. AntOnio Augusto
"Jaogo". Su Goulart. Jmio
Jnrdirn, Luiz. 28, 178 Niemeyer, Oscar
Jnymovilch, M;ircos. 85, 92, I04, 181 artisls apprccinted by, ll1
Jcannerel, Charles-Edouard (Le Corbusier), 59-61, 6.l, 67- 69, 75 artisls, collaboralion wilh, U0-59
99, 157 1111111S
"'JK". See Kubi1schek, Juscclino Alzira, 28
Juscelino Kuhilschek �\e111orial. Ill. See also K11hitschek, Eleonorn (wire or Uncle NhonhO). IO, 1 1
Juscclino i\lnrin Eug�nia Ca,,nlcanti, 7, 1 5
Ziza, 7 , 9 , 1 5
Kruel, Amauri. 90, 182 brother's
Kubitschck, Juscelino ("J K"), ll, 58-59, 61-62, 64, 70-71, 72, Carlos Augusto. 7 , l5, 15, 22-25, 28, S9, 7 1
8t -82, 85, 90, 99, 125, 1.5 1-52, 170 Puulo, 7 , 10, 12, ll, 15, 22, 25-24, 28, 59
65, 7l
Kubitschek. S11r;1h Luisa Gomes de Lemos, ll2, 184
cousins
Camargo, 1 1
Lam<1ison, AimC. 152, I 8•l
Carlos, 14, 112, ISO, 159
Lang, fact111es. 21, 179
Laranjeiras (J\io de Janeiro), house in, 7-9, 11, 12, ll, 15, 17-18, 19 llelolsn, 9
l...c.io, Carlos. 24, 28, 54, 60, 140, 141, 178 �lacedo Soares. 121
;\lilota, 6, 11-12, 19, 56, •15
Lcblon (Rio de J,meiro). house in, 19
Sih-io, 150, 18•1
Le Corbusier. See Jc;1nnercl. Carles-Eduunrd
daughter (Anna ;\lnria), 7, 14, 18, 19, liS, 108-9, 1 1 5,
Lcme. Ernesto. 89
14.l, 159, 167
...Lemos, Fernando, U4
grnndfother (l\ibciro de Almeida), 7, 1 1, Sl, 1 2 1
Leroy. Claude, 94, 96, 182
grandcla11ghlers. 108, 1 l l , 1l4, ll5
L'lhmumitt, 88-89, 9l
Ana Cl:\udia, 108
Liberal. Tico. 17, 178
Ann Elis;1, 154, ll5
Lins e Sil\'a, Evandro 89, 182
Lipchitz, Jaet111es. 26, 1l7, 179 Ana l..1'icia, 155
Lonlra. i\lMCUS, 92 grn11dp:irents, 7-19, I I, 15, ll, l5, 1 2 1
grandfather (mother"s). 1 5
Lo11es. Jose. 55, I 80
i::rnntlmother. 9 , 55, 1 2 1
Lopes, Peteira, 85, 97, I06
Lopes, Waller Gnrcia ("f:(,;.i"), 28, lO, 46, ,1,1, 54, 82-8'1-, 179 l\iheiro dl' Almeida. 7 , t t , l5, 1 2 1
Lorenz, Ko11rad, IOO gn1111lsons
Carlos Eduardo, t 15, 155
Lllcia, \'era. 92
Cntfos Ost· 11r. t ll, 155
Lufza, �!aria, 92, 182
Lyr;i de Sil\'11, I IPrminia, 15 nephew (Joiio), ll<I
origin or n.une, 6
Maciel, l\larco, 27, 52, 85 parents. 12-ll, 18-19
�l;ig.ilhf1es de Sih·cir,1, Carlos. 90, ll5, 182 rather. 12. ll, 16, 54, l9, 80
i\\alina, Salom:io. 128, 185 mo1her. 15, 16, 18, l<l, 55, l7, l9
schooling or, 15-16, 24
i\lnlraux. Anttre. 4l, 76, 95, o,,
i\larchnis, Georges, 96, 182 st..·ul11turc \\Ork by, 1l l-l5, 156
sisters. 7, 12, ll, 14, IS, 18, 19, 59
i\larinho. Gilberto. 85
Judith, 7, ll, 14
l\laltos, Ell\·aldo. 88, 182
Melo, i\lilria AmNia. U4, U5, ll9, 184 Leonor, 7, ll, 15
�lcmorial da Aml::ricn l.,nlin.1 com11lcx (S.io l'malo). 122, Ill Lilia, 7, ll, 15
ll5, 175 uncles
Antonio Augusto J\iheiro de
Mendes. home in, 28-29
Alml'ida. i, 9-10
�lendcs da Rol'hn. Paulo. 15,,, 184
Metropolilan Cathedral (Hrasflin). 151, 156-57, 17l. Nelson Cin•.i\canti, 7
wire (Annita Ualdu). 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, lO, 51, 40, 108,
See fllso llrasflia
i\linistry or Ecl11catio11 11ml Health (l\io de J;uwiro), 60-61, 67 I l l, 162, 167
MOtlulo, 86, 90, 92 ,,Tilers, inllucnce or. 45-45, 129, 144-45, 16-i,-65
i\londadori, Giorgio, 102-5, 18l NicmcyP1-, Silvio. 150, 184
Mondadori heatlq11;irlers (�lilan), 17•1 Niskier, Julio, 65, 181
i\lonod, J.icqucs, ,w, 189 Nitzke, Osc,1r. 66, 9!), 181
�lonlenef.trO, J lerma110. 14, 97, I06, 178 NovacaJ) (Co,npunhia Urlmnizadora dn No\'a Capital). 27
i\loraes, Vinicius de, 28, 102 Nunes, Ilene, 81, 181
i\lorais Ncto. l'ru denll' de ("l'rmlcntinho"), 26, 41, 42, 46, 179 Nunes, Joiio. 1 5
Mora\'ia, Alberto. 44, 180
i\loreira, Jorgl', 24, 28, 54, 61, 106, 178 Ohtake, l\11y, ll4, 184
l\loscow. trip to. 50-ll Ohtake, Tnmie, 1l9, 184
Oli\'eira Figueiredo, Jmio Hntistn de, ll2, 184
Ouro Preto hotel. 59 SPIIAN (Nalional llis1orical and Ar1istic llcri1;1i,:f• �t•r, h ••I.
Ouro Preto (1own). 41-42, 59 26, 41, 49, 124
Ozenfant, Amt'!dl:c, 61, 181 Sussckimf, Jost'! Carlos, 21, 178

P,1lacc or Government building. 59 Tnrso, 1'111110 de, 66

Pnm1mllrn complex, 61-65, 64, 70, 99, t07-8, 157, 158, 165, 169-71 Tel Aviv hotel, 148
l'aridc UernalJ6, llector Julio, 15� Ticte l\i\'er project (S:io Paulo), ll4
Paris, lt, 12, 91-94, 100-102 Tini::uussu, L.aurinha, 16, 178
Pla11nlto Pnlacc, 172 Tortura Nunca �lais monument, U I
Passos, Pcrcirn, 45 'J)'icot. Jacques. 96, 182
Pasta, l lt-lio. t.H, US, 184
PCU (Urazilian Communist Party). 14, sb-s1, 12l, 128, 14t Uch6n. IIClio, t9, 24, 28, 87, 150, 178
Pe�·anhn. llon6rio, UI, 157, 181 United Notions headquarters (New l'ork), 59, 67- 69. 171
Penleado, lll:lio, U4, US, 18'1- Uni\' ersity of Algiers cnmpus (Algeria). 06
Pcreirn, Astrojildo. 90-91 Uni\'ersity ofConstnntinc c.impus (Algeria), 95- 96, I05, I N
Peretti, Mariunnc. U7, U9, 184
Perret. Auguste, 67, 181 Vale, Jurgc, 105, 185
Pessoa. Epi1flcio, 9, 178 Vnlera, Jnir, 154, 184
Pinheiro, lsrnel, 25, 59, 701 72, 85, t 18-19, l'.12-21, 178 Vallnndro Keating, Luis Antonio, 159, 184
Pirondi. Ciro, 154, 184 \'nrgas. Get(11io Dorncllcs. 51, 56, 180
Pom11ido11. Georges, 96 Vinhas, �lauro, 90, 92
Portela, Petronio, 85
Portinari. C.'mclido. 26, 99, U7, 158, U9, 179 Weissman, Fram., 159, 184
Potygm1ra l... n1.znrot10, Napolc6n ("Poly"), 159, 18,t Wcrne, llorftcio, 16
Prales, Ct'!snr, 81, 181 Werneck, N61son, 128, 185
Prates, Millon, 70, 81, 181 Werneck, Pnulo, 19, 157, 178
Preslcs, Luis C,u·!os, 12, 46, 57, 74, 85, 98, 127, 160, 161
ProuvC, J!!nu, 96, 182-85 Zcvi, Uruno, 11,a.-15, 185
,.
Pn1dentinhoM. Sec �lornis Neto, Prudente de
Puppi, Lionello. to,,, 181

Quadros, J:\nio. 8,t, U4, 181

Quercia, Orestes. 155

Rabello, Ajnx. 62
Hnbello, �Im-co Pnulo, 62, f81
Heidy, Arouso Eduardo, 28, 5•1, 179
l\eis, Dilerrnnno, 81, 181
l\eis. Jose, 19, 25, 178
Remmlt. Abgnrd. 26
l\cs11iek, Dm•id, 149
Ribeiro, Darcy, 20, 21-22, 79, 85, 95, 1 12, 152, 160, 178
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Ribeiro de Almeida, Ant6nio Augusto (uncle), 7, 9-10

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Ribeiro de Ahneidn (grandfother), 7, I I, 15, 121
Rio Grande do Sul, trip to. 47-54
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Rios, Oynma, 17, 178
l\oberto, i\lilton, HJ, 24, 25, 178
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Hoehe, Jcn11 de, 65, 96, 181 (] ,., ✓ ,., � . ... . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . ..
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Rodrigues. Cnsimiro, 17, 178
Rodrigues dos Snntos. Geraldo ("Gcrnldilo"), 128, 141, 185
l\ua Conde L.-igcs (l\io de Janeiro), house on, 45-46
Rua Visconde de Pirajd (Rio de Jnneiro). house on. 12

Saldanha. Firmino. 157, 184

Saldnnha, Ju11o, 14, 57, l 12, 178
Samb6dromo, 20-2 1
Sfio Paulo projccls, 28, 154, US.
Sec also Memorial cla AmCricn Lalina
S.irtrc, Jcnn Pmil, 44, 75, 95-94, 142, 165, 164, 165
Sclrnrlnch, Cecllin, IOl, t.H, 155, 159, 181
Scliar, Cnrlos, U9, 184
Seltzer, Siliomn, 49, 180
Si,·e. AndrC, 87, 187
Sih•a, ll61io, 144, l84
Souzn i\lendcs, General h• an de, 86, 91, 181
Souza, �loacir cle, 122, 181
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