THE MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE by Wladimir Weltman

I have just returned from a trip to Holland where I went to the opening of AUGUST WILLEMSEN - DE BLADZIJ EM DE WERKELIJKHEID (AUGUST WILLEMSEN - THE PAGE AND THE REALITY) by Frederieke Jochems, a very special documentary. It deals with the life and work of Dutch writer August Willemsen, who before becoming a bestseller as an author in his country, was the most important translator of Brazilian literature in the Netherlands. Thanks to him, names like Machado de Assis and Carlos Drummond de Andrade became bestsellers in Dutch bookstores.

I met August in 1984 when I went to visit a friend who was finishing his studies at the Royal Dutch Academy - the photographer Sergio Zalis. He presented as his final work at the academy a book of photographs illustrating poems by Drummond translated by August into Dutch. The marriage of photos and poems was so perfect that the then-Brazilian ambassador in The Hague, Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, opened the embassy halls for an exhibition with the photos and poems.

Aware of what was happening and having met Augusto personally, I thought that all of this would make a great story for my TV show at Globo, VIDEO SHOW. The embassy staff lent me some old videotape equipment and I interview August. On my return to Brazil, I offered the story to Ronaldo Curi, the show’s director. He liked it a lot, but the station's artistic direction found the material too sophisticated for the VIDEO SHOW’s audience. Ronaldo then suggested I offered it to Eric Nepomuceno, editor-in-chief of JORNAL DA GLOBO, the late-night newscast, the most sophisticated in the station. Eric liked it. He asked me to produce the story, which aired with good repercussions. For those who want to see it, here is the link: https://youtu.be/vRJfG3U295c

At the same time that the story aired, August arrived in Rio to work on what would be his first authorial book – CARTAS BRASILEIRAS. A collection of his correspondence with Dutch friends during the 4 visits he made to Brazil over several years. The final part of the book he wrote at my house - an old mansion in Cosme Velho, which my father had bought and was under construction. It was just dust and mess. But Augusto loved the place, as it was next door to the house of Machado de Assis, one of his literary idols.

Interestingly, August's trips to Rio were always celebrated by members of the Brazilian Literature Academy, the Brazilian writer’s highest institution. The national literary community in general was very hospitable to August, as having his books translated by him in Holland was a guarantee of a decent income for our writers, victims of dwindling royalties.

The book CARTAS BRASILEIRAS (BRAZILIAANSE BRIEVEN) was launched in 1985 and became a bestseller in Holland overnight, launching Augusto's career as an author.

Writing letters was one of his hobbies. I have had the privilege of corresponding over the years with him. And I got to visit him in Holland. My wife and I stayed in his apartment in the multi-ethnic Bijlmermeer district of Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, Augusto died in 2007, partly as a result of the consequences of his addiction to alcohol. The documentary deals with this and many other aspects of the life and personality of this brilliant writer and dear friend.

After the screening of the documentary at the theater of the OBA public library in Amsterdam and a reception attended by Brazilian diplomats, Ambassador Paulo Roberto de Caminha França and Consul José Luís Viera, Brazilian delicacies and caipirinha were served to those present. Days later, there was also the inauguration of a bust of August in the Amsterdam cemetery, next to his tomb. The statue of the writer's very personal face (he reminded me of the American comic Danny Kaye), made by the Dutch artist Pépé Grégoire, has a characteristic that Augusto would love – the inside of the head is hollow, and with openings so that birds can make their nest in the inside. Perfect for someone who has always had a mind full of beautiful things.

Thirty-seven years later, the Brazilian publisher Arte&Letra finally launches the book CARTAS BRASILEIRAS in Brazil in its Portuguese version, and we will be able to get to know Brazil seen through the eyes of this perceptive and critical Dutchman, whose amusing but blunt text outlined a profile of our reality which enchanted the Dutch people. I also hope that a Brazilian distributor takes the hint and gets the documentary AUGUST WILLEMSEN - DE BLADZIJ EM DE WERKELIJKHEID to be shown on Brazilian screens.

#augustwillemsen #holland #debladzijendewerkelijkheid #braziliaansebrieven #cartasbrasileiras