Rabo de Rocket is both a historical document and a literary work, immortalized by Ferreira Gullar, one of the greatest names in Brazilian literature. This edition features previously unpublished images.
In Rabo de Rocket , the personal and the historical intertwine: it's a memoir with the rhythm of a novel. In these pages, Ferreira Gullar recounts how the leaden years of Brazil's civil-military dictatorship affected him and forced him to live in exile during the 1970s.
An active voice against the imposed regime, Ferreira Gullar was forced into illegality in the late 1960s. He was sheltered by friends in Rio de Janeiro, then exiled to countries such as Uruguay, Argentina, the Soviet Union, Chile, and Peru. His odyssey ended with his return to Brazil in 1977, still a political persecutor, which led him to the dungeons of the DOI-CODI.
In the words of writer and critic Davi Arrigucci Jr., "the exemplary fate of the poet, transformed into a character of himself, has a particular and symbolic value that reaches each and every one." This personal account expresses the pain and anguish shared by those politically persecuted in Latin America during the decades of dictatorships on the continent.
The José Olympio edition also features photographs of the exile and previously unpublished images of Ferreira Gullar's passport – cancelled by the dictatorship – and reports from the National Information Service (SNI) on the poet's whereabouts.
“ Rabo de rato , Ferreira Gullar’s memoir about his years of exile in the 1970s, during the military dictatorship in our country, is more than the account of an individual experience, it is the story of a human destiny in the global historical context of our time.” – Davi Arrigucci Jr., Folha de S.Paulo
“One of the most important writers in the history of Brazilian literature.” – Estadão
"His legacy is his work, which sometimes makes us forget his biography. But that's not the case. He had a beautiful, difficult, and dignified life. The suffering of exile didn't take away his grace." – Nélida Piñon in a statement to O Globo
"The strongest image of Ferreira, for me, comes from my time in prison. He was, along with Gil, Antonio Callado, Paulo Francis, and others, in a cell next to mine. His lucidity and firmness made him the best companion imaginable. All the young people in my cell were grateful to him for his solidarity and effective help." – Caetano Veloso
“What always marked Ferreira Gullar’s conduct, beyond the extraordinary quality of his work, was the courage to take on the defense of freedom at critical moments in Brazilian life.” – Antonio Carlos Secchin, O Globo
