Superb Sentences: Nelson Rodrigues

A series of beautiful phrases, sentences, and excerpts from Brazilian literature leading up to Brazil’s National Day of the Book on October 29.

Although Nelson Rodrigues (1912-1980) was much more known as a playwright, this comes from his 1968 collection of anecdotes and short stories, “O óbvio ululante: primeiras confissões” (“Ululating obviousness: first confessions”): “Deve-se ler pouco e reler muito. Há uns poucos livros totais, três ou quatro, que nos salvam ou que nos perdem. É preciso relê-los, sempre e sempre, com obtusa pertinácia”

One should read little and re-read a lot.
There are just a few books in total, three or four, that save us or that lose us.
One needs to re-read them, always and always, with obtuse pertinacity.