Finished reading THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY THE TURKS by Brazilian writer Jorge Amado. It was written in 1994 but not published in English until 2012. It is set in Brazil in the early years of the last century.
Jamil Bichara is a Syrian. Raduan Murad is a Lebanese. Syria and Lebanon are under Ottoman rule so Jamil and Raduan are called Turks. They arrive by ship in the eastern Brazilian state of Bahia, aiming for the conquest of wealth and women. They're in the right place at the right time. The local population is teeming with fornicators, womanizers, prostitutes, heavy drinkers and money grabbers, never mind the daily violence. Besides, virgin bush in southern Bahia is being transformed into an El Dorado promising more wealth from the cultivation and exportation of cacao. Jamil and Raduan waste no time sucking up all the opportunities.
This is a picaresque novella; I had much fun reading it.
