Triste Fim de Polycarpo Quaresma

by Lima Barreto

"Triste Fim de Polycarpo Quaresma" by Lima Barreto is a novel first published in 1911. It follows Major Policarpo Quaresma, an idealistic patriot obsessed with Brazilian culture and progress. His noble but impractical dreams lead him through three phases of disillusionment: promoting indigenous language and traditions, attempting agricultural reform on his farm, and fighting in the Armada Revolt. This satirical work critiques nationalism, corruption, and false patriotism in early Republican Brazil, portraying a quixotic anti-hero whose virtues become his downfall.