DESCOMPASSO by Onofre dos Santos

Holos is proud to have made another work possible. This time, DECOMPASSO by Onofre dos Santos.

The historical novel is a tool that makes it possible to rewrite, surreptitiously, the perception of truth. So nothing excuses the reader from taking extra care. In this case, moreover, some of the central characters are still alive, namely: Deodato Coutinho; Amadeu Castilho Soares; Fernão Fernandes Thomáz; Jaime de Sousa Araújo and Adriano Moreira. Each one lived this period intensely and (safe)guards their own truth. It matters to respect that.

By way of introduction, note that the dialogues are the author's creation and should be regarded as «Pure Fiction». As for the critical events that took place, with rare exceptions noted, they were scrutinised and verified, and in an appendix the reader will find a set of documents that add detail.

I naturally accept that this book may be judged as biased (are they not all?), because it presents the truth of Onofre dos Santos, who, taking on once again his role as a writer, defends it in a surprising and captivating way. May this argument also serve as an encouragement for more people to join, whether in reply or not, in this task of writing.

The novel unfolds essentially in 1961-62, a difficult and still little-studied period of Portuguese History; there is not yet enough distance. At the time, the President of the Council and Minister of Defence was Professor António de Oliveira Salazar, the Minister for Overseas Territories was Professor Adriano Moreira, and the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in Angola was General Venâncio Deslandes. It could be titled «The Good, the Bad and the Villain», leaving the reader to make their choice throughout the plot; or «Folly», for the inability to get the action right… so great was the «Descompasso» in the end.