Help me understand what happens in Brazilian newspaper article from 1907
June 25, 2020 6:50 AM Subscribe
A French woman ("Mme. Toché") came to Brazil in 1907 to give a conference and enlisted the help of Brazilian journalist João do Rio (the narrator). I can more or less understand Portuguese, but this is Brazilian Portuguese from 1907 there's a part in the article that I have trouble figuring out. Article extract below the fold.
The full article is here (A historia exacta de duas visitas) but I only struggle with the following bit. I don't need a translation, just an idea of what happens. I've written what I've understood (or not) in italics.
Essa senhora queria antes de tudo fazer propaganda do Brazil e almejava ser recibida pelo ministerio (she wants to make propagand in favour of Brazil and wants to see the Minister, Miguel Calmon). O Destino resolveu que a minha humilde pesso a fizesse chegar até Miguel Calmon (João do Rio goes to see the Minister). O ministerio da Industria recusava-se a sua palestra (what did the Minister do? Forbid the conference ?). Foi preciso applicar todos os meios, violentar portas, expôr com um calor extranho a situação (do Rio explains forcefully the situation to the Minister). Afinal, Miguel Calmon marcou um dia a uma certa hora (the Minister decides on a date and hour, but for what?). Corri ao Ministerio (João do Rio runs to the Ministry?). Estava no despacho collectivo que tinha sido adiado para aquelle dia ! (this phrase I don't understand at all)
- Meu Deus ! E a Toché que vem ahi ! (My God! Toché is coming here! But who is speaking ?)
- S. exa. disse, entretanto, que voltaria as 5 e que esperasse. (the Minister says that he'll be back at 5 and tells Toché to wait for him)
E até as cinco e meia, a conversar com mme. Toché que comprara na Praça do Mercado não quantos passarinhos, quantos micos, quantos cãzinhos, esperei s. exa. para impigir-lhe a propaganda (João do Rio waits with Mrs Toché until 5h30. They talk about the many birds, monkeys and puppies she bought on Praça do Mercado until she can see the Minister and tells him about her wish to do "propaganda").
(For context: at that time Brazilians were getting annoyed with all the pesky foreigners who came here, spent a few weeks, and then demanded money to praise Brazil ("propaganda") in their own country).
The full article is here (A historia exacta de duas visitas) but I only struggle with the following bit. I don't need a translation, just an idea of what happens. I've written what I've understood (or not) in italics.
Essa senhora queria antes de tudo fazer propaganda do Brazil e almejava ser recibida pelo ministerio (she wants to make propagand in favour of Brazil and wants to see the Minister, Miguel Calmon). O Destino resolveu que a minha humilde pesso a fizesse chegar até Miguel Calmon (João do Rio goes to see the Minister). O ministerio da Industria recusava-se a sua palestra (what did the Minister do? Forbid the conference ?). Foi preciso applicar todos os meios, violentar portas, expôr com um calor extranho a situação (do Rio explains forcefully the situation to the Minister). Afinal, Miguel Calmon marcou um dia a uma certa hora (the Minister decides on a date and hour, but for what?). Corri ao Ministerio (João do Rio runs to the Ministry?). Estava no despacho collectivo que tinha sido adiado para aquelle dia ! (this phrase I don't understand at all)
- Meu Deus ! E a Toché que vem ahi ! (My God! Toché is coming here! But who is speaking ?)
- S. exa. disse, entretanto, que voltaria as 5 e que esperasse. (the Minister says that he'll be back at 5 and tells Toché to wait for him)
E até as cinco e meia, a conversar com mme. Toché que comprara na Praça do Mercado não quantos passarinhos, quantos micos, quantos cãzinhos, esperei s. exa. para impigir-lhe a propaganda (João do Rio waits with Mrs Toché until 5h30. They talk about the many birds, monkeys and puppies she bought on Praça do Mercado until she can see the Minister and tells him about her wish to do "propaganda").
(For context: at that time Brazilians were getting annoyed with all the pesky foreigners who came here, spent a few weeks, and then demanded money to praise Brazil ("propaganda") in their own country).
Response by poster: Thanks Vacapinta! It seemed so simple but getting a few words wrong ("palestra", "despacho collectivo") rendered the sequence of events unintelligible. It completely makes sense now.
posted by elgilito at 7:20 AM on June 25, 2020
posted by elgilito at 7:20 AM on June 25, 2020
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posted by vacapinta at 7:03 AM on June 25, 2020 [1 favorite]