A Verdade Sufocada
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A Verdade Sufocada - A História que a Esquerda não quer que o Brasil conheça (in English: The Suffocated Truth - The story that the left does not want Brazil to know) (2006) is the second memoir[3] of the retired colonel of the Brazilian Army, Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the first Brazilian military man convicted of practicing torture during the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985).[4]
| |
| Author | Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra |
|---|---|
| Language | Portuguese |
| Subject | Historical revisionism |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Published | 2006 by Editora Ser[1][2] |
| Publication place | Brazil |
| Pages | 541 |
| ISBN | 8586662607 |
The book presents Ustra's version of the left-wing armed struggle in Brazil during the military dictatorship, as well as recounting his experiences as head of DOI-CODI, one of Organs executing agencies of political repression, in which opponents of the dictatorship were tortured and murdered.[5][6][7][8] According to Ustra and his family, the book was boycotted by bookstores at the time of release and the family needed to finance their print runs because of publishers' denials.[9] The book received attention after being quoted by Jair Bolsonaro during his vote for Dilma Rousseff's Impeachment in 2016.[10] In the weekly ranking of Folha de S.Paulo on June 4, 2016, the work was the sixth best-selling nonfiction book in Brazil.[9] In 2018, it reached its 14th edition.[10] The book received criticism from the academic world. Historians and sociologists warned of the book's unreliability as a historical document.[7]
The book
Criticism
For UFPE sociology professor Luciano Oliveira, "as a history book, 'A Verdade Sufocada' is null. As a historical document, it serves a purpose: it is yet another confirmation that, within what I usually call modern sensibility, torture is an action that, regardless of its results, disgraces the person who employs it."[11]
Neusah Cerveira, PhD in Social History from FFLCH/USP, draws attention to the absence of explicit bibliographic citations in the body of the text. She also says that "it is an extensive book, although superficial. With a strong title, but not very deep".[7]
Bibliography
- de Castro, Fernando Cibelli (2010). "A comunicação persuasiva como estratégia de controle da memória coletiva". PUCRS..
- Fernandes, Fabricio (2017). "As estratégias discursivas de perpetradores reflexões sobre a ditadura militar brasileira". ContraCorrente: Revista de Estudos Literários e da Cultura (2): 23–42. ISSN 2525-4529.
- Santos, Clarissa Grahl dos (2014). "As esquerdas pelas direitas: memória sobre a luta armada e atuação política de direita em livros escritos por militares que atuaram em órgãos de repressão durante a ditadura civil-militar" (PDF). Anais do XV Encontro Estadual de História. Florianópolis: ANPUH-SC.