I knew of Clarice Lispector in passing, a residual by-product of some superficial mapping of famous South American authors long ago. Beyond the usual names, very rarely do you see them being hyped as much as their European or Asian counterparts. Or maybe it’s just my lack of initiative, probably. But somehow the name stuck in my head, mostly cause of how unique it sounds (one would think she was Scandinavian, no?). Years later, here I am picking out what turned out to be her last work before her death, A hora da estrela akaThe Hour of the Star.
The narrative unfolds through Rodrigo SM, a writer describing his profession. Almost meditative, the writing is a medium for Lispector to channel her personal thoughts and beliefs, before easing it into a marriage with fiction. The fictional portion revolves around Macabea, a destitute teenager living in Rio, originally from the North-East of Brazil just like Lispector herself. Macabea’s had a terrible upbringing, heavily moderated by her soulless Aunt and deprived of every joy possible. Her looks, her penury, and her genuine but naive nature are constantly ridiculed by those around her – roommates, colleagues, and boyfriend alike. You feel extremely sorry for her throughout the novella, as she has absolutely nothing going for her. As a frail typist living on nothing but hot dogs and Coke (the drink, guys, the drink), she has no ambitions in life and is resigned to her fate of absolute nothing and often mentions the pain she’s living in. The categorical candour with which she states this with her existentialism at the fore is quite unlike I’ve anything I’ve ever read. It is important to note that these are also Lispector’s self-premonitions of her own death, dealing with her personal pain which grounds it all the more in reality. Macabea is adorably inquisitive, desperate to gain answers about an eclectic mix of questions but nowhere close, constantly rebuked by kith and kin for being too curious. Her colleague, Gloria, seems to possess everything that the protagonist doesn’t, continuing to feed her ugly duckling syndrome and Macabea just suffers and suffers constantly.
The read: The book opens with: “Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born.” It feels like Macabea’s life, channeling that of Lispector’s too, is one of a series of yes’ combining to hand them their fate as it is, without any say of their own. And even in the parts, where they want to will things their way (Macabea tries really hard to sustain her relationship with the arrogant Olimpico), it seems like they’re just handed a raw deal and a resigned acceptance of the same. The narrative flits from character stories to philosophical ideas about life and its oddities constantly, which makes it very disconcerting to read at the beginning – took me a while to get in. However, Lispector’s writing while abstract in nature is beautiful to parse once you get a hang of it. Almost poetic, she mixes comic relief and hard-hitting truths in an effortless manner. I will close with these lines from the book which couldn’t have described it any better: “I swear that this book is made up without words. It is a mute photography. This book is a silence. This book is a question.”
10/365. (Double digits, woo-hoo!)
Trivia: Sao Cristovao, the neighbourhood in which Macabea resides is home to the São Cristóvão de Futebol e Regatas football club. It is supposedly the only club with just one kit ( no away uniform) permitted by FIFA. The SCFR team and its fans are also known as “Os Cadetes”, because besides the all-white uniform, at the time of the title there were many soldiers who frequented and played in the club, due to the proximity to barracks. Also, popular for being the youth club for Ronaldo Phenomeno, their stadium is named after him. (References 1, 2)
Documentation:
Book: The Hour of the Star
Author: Clarice Lispector
Year of Release: 1977
Publisher: New Directions