Pedro e Paula by Helder Macedo: impossible fraternity?

Abstract

The novel of Helder Macedo Pedro e Paula unfolds, as the title indicates, the story of two twin siblings, for a historical period that includes the last decades of colonialism and the first years of democracy. The fraternal bond presents itself troubled by the fact that they have different ideological options and life trajectories: Paula follows the path of freedom and adherence to revolutionary principles, while Peter adapts himself to a bourgeois existence. The desire for possession of Pedro over his sister subverts decisively the relationship of the siblings, leading to growing tension culminating in the brutal rape suffered by Paula. In this story of “antagonistic twins”, the author seeks to associate the representation of individual and collective dimensions, claiming the liberating power of an identity that is made with the acceptance of difference and overcoming of dualities.