Resumo
O Ateneu (Chronica de Saudades) (1888) by Raul Pompéia is a Brazilian novel blending Realism and Naturalism, often considered a precursor to modernist literature.
Narrated by Sérgio, it recounts his experiences as an eleven-year-old boy entering the prestigious Ateneu boarding school in Rio de Janeiro. The novel explores the harsh realities of boarding school life, exposing the hypocrisy, authoritarianism, and moral corruption beneath the institution’s grandiose facade.
Led by the pompous director Aristarcho, the school is a microcosm of societal flaws, with themes of power dynamics, adolescent struggles, and loss of innocence.