On the threshold of spring

On the Threshold of Spring is a book about the life of Raimunda Barbosa dos Santos. It tells the story of the life of a simple person who, over the course of 70 years, lived a humble and true story, centred on her Christian faith and building a family. The book makes indirect reference to the literary thinking of João Cabral de Melo Neto (Morte e vida severina), Maria José Dupré (Éramos seis), Machado de Assis (Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas) and Rachel de Queiroz (O Quinze and Dora Doralina). However, it is a personal production by the author, with information gleaned from his own experience with the honoured woman and that of her family and friends. There is also a tribute to his sister - Nair Alves Barbosa, who first gave him the idea to write the book, but who died before seeing it typed up and published. The text is simple, and the veracity of the information is due to the author's closeness to the honoured woman, as well as that of the other contributors.