“Não foi nada disso que nós combinamos”

Vaicomdeus, SARL, by Júlio de Almeida, a Fictional Account of Angolan History

Abstract

Vaicomdeus, SARL, a novel published by Angolan writer Júlio de Almeida in 2017, establishes — through the (mis)encounters between the characters Eugênio and Cecília — a complex relationship between Angolan history and literary creation. Divided into three parts — “Vivos” (lento ma non troppo); “Mortos” (allegro con spirito); and “Renascidos” (finale: alla breve) — the novel chronicles, over the course of four days during which the narrative unfolds, nearly forty years of the country’s history, from the liberation struggles to the civil conflicts that followed. Various moments in national history are discursively revisited through events, characters, and a shared memory among the protagonists. As yet another variation or nuance of contemporary Angolan history, Júlio de Almeida’s work persistently invites us to compare the characters’ fictional memories with the author’s political trajectory, his active participation in the FAPLA, and, later, in the governments of Agostinho Neto and José Eduardo dos Santos. From this generational memory narratively evoked by the characters, we are interested in the convergent and/or divergent positions, affiliations, and confrontations regarding the political and social changes notably experienced in Angola before and after the attainment of independence. For our reading of the work in question, we draw upon the studies of Achille Mbembe and Zygmunt Bauman, among others.