Parrot prose

An unusual narrative starring a charismatic parrot is the winner of the 2009 SESC Literature Award in the novel category. "PROSA DE PAPAGAIO," Minas Gerais diplomat Gabriela Guimarães Gazzinelli's debut in the genre, was chosen by the final committee, comprised of Ana Miranda and Luiz Ruffato. "The novel maintains the narrative thread, presenting a linear plot, yet with thematic freedom, set within a family built within contemporary characteristics," the authors analyze. One of the 44 novels pre-selected by the judging subcommittees, PROSA DE PAPAGAIO won the most competitive edition of the award: in 2009, the SESC Award received 667 entries, the highest number since its inception in 2003. The 2008 competition, for example, received 457 entries. To captivate the judges and win the fierce—and increasingly high-quality—contest, Gabriela crafts an elegant narrative, an undefined (but recognizable) space-time, and an unusual character: a parrot with the air of a philosopher. PARROT PROSE is the story of a family told by their parrot, Louro. It consists of short episodes of ordinary life that the garrulous parrot colors with his philosophical, literary, and other idiosyncratic ideas. The bird's eye view, erratic and fleeting, gradually reveals the frailties and anxieties of the different characters. Louro seeks to understand those around him, dictating his observations with erudition, refinement, and a certain melancholy. The bird spends its life observing everything that happens around it with its attentive bird's eye, crafting a sarcastic and enthusiastic portrait of the fragile human condition. "As a parrot, Louro is a displaced narrator: he participates in a world to which he doesn't belong, that of human beings. He is an 'other.' His ornithological perspective favors a critical and 'deconstructive' understanding of human nature," explains Gabriela.