SEVEN LIVES OF SILVANO CORRÊA

 I met Silvano Corrêa at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when we were both undergraduates in the late 1950s. Born in Brazil and now living in São Paulo, Silvano has been my friend for almost seventy years. I have always regarded him as an honest, upright, optimistic, idealistic, and God-fearing man. I have had a few disappointments in friendship over the years, but with Silvano, I have always felt safe.

Some time ago, he sent me, in book form, a collection of letters he had written to Brazilian newspapers, decrying the state of affairs in his country and in the world at large. Minhas Cartas, expressões de um idealista is a compilation of his views on government, politics, and society in general.

Silvano has now published his memoirs, Seven Lives of Silvano: one story, seven ways, just one purpose (Amazon Books, 2026), in which he recounts his different stays in Brazil and the United States. This is, to my mind, a fine memoir of a bilingual and bicultural man and of his adventures navigating the English and Portuguese languages and cultures. Being bilingual brings many advantages, but also certain disadvantages, which Silvano explores both subtly and profoundly.

I myself am part of this memoir, having shared with him those long-ago days of two teenagers trying desperately to negotiate two worlds and two languages.  

May I recommend this well-written memoir to all those who struggle to remain sane in two crazy worlds? In the meantime, I thank Silvano Corrêa, my dear old friend and former college mate, for this wonderful read.