The Salazar dictatorship in Portugal went somewhat unnoticed by the general public among the Franco, Hitler and Mussolini that existed in Europe throughout the 20th century. That is why it is important that stories like this one – which signs Nicolas Barral– that allow us to glimpse what happened in the neighboring country during more than forty years of authoritarian regime of fascist ideology.
The argument of “To the sound of a fado” It is briefly and quickly summarized as follows: Fernando Pais is a private doctor who lives alone, in the company of his cat, who uses his weapons of seduction on the women who cross his path, until his quiet life changes after an incident. with a young thug from the neighborhood. It is a minimal story loaded with great power due to the way it is told.
And Barral’s work is impeccable in all aspects: the drawing, the tones, the use of flashbacks at the right moment, the dialogues, the omissions and the particular architecture of Lisbon as an unbeatable setting. There are also a couple of interesting historical notes, such as the Portuguese occupation of Angola and the covert reference to the subsequent Carnation Revolution.
These pages are also full of contradictions and conformities: “Obedience is part of the nature of the Portuguese. Having only known the dictatorship, we have learned to be content with the well-being that Salazar grants us. And although that submission is well ingrained in us, doesn’t it also have some advantages? This project was inspired by the novel by Antonio Tabucchi “Pereira maintains” and, although it started in 2005, it has taken a few years to mature and acquire its current form. Like a good Port wine, this slow fermentation process has resulted in an excellent work.