Carlos Heitor Cony is arguably Brazil’s most distinguished living author. Born in Rio in 1926, he has been a writer and journalist all his life. He has 17 novels and a host of literary prizes to his name, including Brazil’s Book of the Year, won in 1996 for Quase Memória (Quasi Memoir), from which this extract is taken. His books have not been translated into English but he is popular in France, where he is a Knight of Arts and Letters.