Help me understand what happens in Brazilian newspaper article from 1907

June 25, 2020 6:50 AM

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).

posted by elgilito to Writing & Language (2 answers total)

Best answer: From the native speaker in our household who also does historical research:

O Destino resolveu que a minha humilde pesso a fizesse chegar até Miguel Calmon
Destiny gave Joao do Rio the chance to introduce the Lady to the minister (and this is sort of summing up what’s coming next where he elaborates how this came to pass.)

O ministerio da Industria recusava-se a sua palestra (Minister refused to see her)

Foi preciso applicar todos os meios, violentar portas, expôr com um calor extranho a situação (Literary exaggerations to say he went to extremes to persuade the minister to receive her).

Afinal, Miguel Calmon marcou um dia a uma certa hora.
(Minister sets a day and hour to receive the lady.)

Corri ao Ministerio.
(JR rushes to the Ministry to be there to witness the meeting, one supposes or to make the introductions between the lady and the minister)

Estava no despacho collectivo que tinha sido adiado para aquelle dia !
(The minister was at the cabinet meeting that had been postponed precisely to the day of the meeting with the lady - meaning minister was unavailable.)

- Meu Deus ! E a Toché que vem ahi ! (thinks JR to himself as he realizes a fracas is about to happen - he seems to have arrived ahaed of time and Toche was not there yet)

- S. exa. disse, entretanto, que voltaria as 5 e que esperasse. (someone at the Ministry informs JR that the Minister says that he’ll be back at 5 and tells JR - and Toche, who presumably will arrive soon if she hasn’t already- 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 and JR refers to himself as the vehicle of propaganda presumably because he is the one about to introduce the lady to the minister

Also "that last bit, JR is talking about himself as a vehicle of propaganda because he is faciliatating for her"
posted by vacapinta at 7:03 AM on June 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

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