São Paulo – Journalist and Middle East expert Diogo Bercito (picture above, right) tells the story of Brazilian political families of Syrian and Lebanese descent against a background of immigration to Brazil in his first non-fiction book Brimos: Imigação sírio-libanesa no Brasil e seu caminho até a política [Brimos: Syrian and Lebanese immigration in Brazil and its path to politics] (Fósforo publishing house). The book can be acquired on the website of the publishing house and will be launched on July 22 in several bookstores and Amazon.
The Syrian and Lebanese immigration from the late 19th century and early 20th century brought to Brazil the world’s largest Arab diaspora at approximately 10 million people. Based on in-depth journalistic research – Bercito surveyed over forty people in Brazil and Lebanon over three years – the author, who’s a master and PhD student in the topic, brings up stories of Syrian and Lebanese families who broke into politics, such as the Boulos, Feghalis, Haddads, Kassabs, Malufs, and Temers. Brimos also tells the stories of institutions such as Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Club Homs, Syrian Sport Club, and Mount Lebanon Athletic Club.
Among the immigrants, some were small shopkeepers and travelling salesmen who didn’t speak much Portuguese, while other arrives with means and college degrees. In a little over a century, they blazed a path for the profusion of Arab surnames that have earned their place in the national news and have had a key role in Brazil’s recent history.
The book features a visual notebook with color images of archives of the Arab community in Brazil from the first half of last century and pictures the author himself took of the Lebanese houses and villages of the families that made history in Brazilian politics.
Diogo Bercito is a journalist and author. He was a correspondent for the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper in Jerusalem and Madrid and writes the Orientalíssimo blog in the website of Folha. He holds a master’s degree in Arab studies from the Autonomous University of Madrid and Georgetown University, where he’s currently pursuing a PhD degree. He wrote the Jabuti Award-nominated graphic novel Rasga-Mortalhas (Zarabatana),
Quick facts
Brimos: Imigração sírio-libanesa no Brasil e seu caminho até a política
Diogo Bercito
Editora Fósforo
272 pages plus visual notebook
ISBN: 978-65-89733-10-2
BRL 74.90
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
