Olhai os lírios do campo (Look at the Lilies of the Field) is one of Érico Veríssimo's most famous novels. A true bestseller that even resulted in a soap opera in Argentina. The narrative of the first part is told in flashback. Eugênio recalls moments of his life as he heads to the hospital where Olívia is.
Eugênio was a shy and fearful boy. He had a poor childhood, was ridiculed at school, and his ultimate goal was social advancement; he would do anything to succeed in life one day. He thought what he had was ugly and uninteresting, from his clothes to his own body. He didn't socialize with his classmates and therefore devoted all his time to his studies. He dreamed of ceasing to be simply Genoca and becoming Dr. Eugênio Fontes.
He felt sorry for his father, the tailor Ângelo, with whom he couldn't communicate easily. His brother, Ernesto, didn't strive for an education and ended up lost in life. With great effort, Eugênio manages to study Medicine. At the Faculty, he meets Olívia – the only woman in the class. At the graduation party, the two become closer and share dreams and confessions about the future. They become great friends.
During the 1930 revolution, after an unsuccessful surgery at the military hospital, Olívia invites Eugênio to her home, and they spend a night of love. Days later, Olívia receives an offer to work in Nova Itália, and again she gives herself into Eugênio's arms.
During a medical consultation, Eugênio meets Eunice Cintra – the daughter of a very wealthy owner. Eugênio marries Eunice with the sole purpose of social climbing. His father-in-law arranges a nominal job ("signing documents") in one of his factories. Eugênio starts frequenting high society, but he doesn't feel like he belongs. His inferiority complex grows as he sees the contrasts of this other world, of contained emotions, of half-truths. He meets people like Filipe Lobo, a builder obsessed with constructing the "Megatério," a skyscraper, but who didn't care about his family. Unhappy and disturbed, Eugênio meets Olívia again, who introduces him to her daughter, Anamaria, the result of their last encounter. Upon arriving at the hospital where Olívia was, he receives the news of her death.
The second part takes place after Olívia's death and is interspersed with the reading of letters she wrote to Eugênio but never sent. Eugênio gathers courage and divorces Eunice – despite all social inconveniences. He goes further, becoming a popular doctor with ideas of socializing medicine. He works with Dr. Seixas, an old doctor who always treated the poor. Olívia's memory, in letters, in photos, or in Anamaria's gaze, strengthens him when he thinks about the difficulties.
The original work, with handwritten corrections by Érico Veríssimo, is now housed in the gigantic library of José Midlin.
Author: Renato / Lima Source: Google
