The O Homem Cordial is a collection of essays centered around the eponymous essay that comes from Sergio Buarque de Holanda’s magnum opus Raízes do Brasil. The choice of essays feels disconnected, as the book attempts to be a broad introduction to the author rather than defending a central thesis, which makes the reading experience weaker.
The essays themselves are taken from larger books. This has mixed results, as some of them have a clear central thesis, such as O Poder Pessoal, but others are open-ended and less focused, such as Experiência e Fantasia. Without a clear point in the essay itself, the dense writing style is hard to follow.
The titular essay, O Homem Cordial, is the most interesting of the book. It has a central and compelling thesis on Brazilian society, it being based in personal affect, without a clear separation between private and public interests. The problem is the same as many sociological analyses: in fields where data collection and experimentation are nigh impossible, theories tend to be unfalsifiable, making it hard to take it as a proper scientific theory. While creating such a theory was not the author’s goal, it limits the usage of the thesis as a basis for further analysis. In the end, it functions as an assumption rather than a rigorous model.
While I did not like the book, I might engage with Raízes do Brasil in the future. If I do, I should temper my expectations: the reading will not be easy, and it will be based on hypotheses rather than facts.