Looking for the splendid crib: The trajectory of a generation in O filho eterno

Abstract

The novel O filho eterno, by Cristóvão Tezza, presents the trajectory of an anonymous father through his relationship with his son, Felipe, who has Down syndrome. This essay proposes to read the father's story as a representative of a generation that experienced the impact of the military dictatorship and the country's redemocratization during their youth. The confluence between personal and national trajectories is related to the country's history and the father's class-based perspective of said history. The article examines the ways in which the novel links the trajectory of the father with that of the country and how it varies throughout the book, as indicated by specific temporal moments during the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s.