What dangers would you face to see Pelé play for the last time?
Pelé is one of those figures that will remain forever in the Brazilian and world imagination. Known as the “King of Football” and considered by many to be the greatest athlete of all time, he is an inspiration for sports lovers of any generation – including young people who have never seen him on the pitch. This is the case of Léo, a Santos supporter, a fan of Skin and protagonist of the book In the Time the King Played, by Paraná author Amauri Marcondes de Oliveira.
In the story, he has the unique opportunity to see the player in a match for the São Paulo team and seizes the chance, but first he will go through a series of problems alongside his sister, Luciana. The two, for example, recently became orphans: one day, when they returned from school, their mother was dead in the kitchen. For this reason, they went to live with an aunt in the interior of São Paulo, and it is in this place that they find an object capable of traveling through time.
What will become of us, Leo? asked Luciana, looking at the pedestrians through the stained-glass window. Most of those people were returning home after an exhausting day at work. And them? They didn’t even have a home at that time. They also didn’t have a father, they didn’t have a mother, they didn’t have anyone. Just an old aunt they didn’t even know. Not even a photo to know the facial features of the great-aunt they had. (In the Time the King Played, p. 16)
With the possibility of going back to the past, they decide to watch a soccer game played by Leo’s idol. The problem is that, along the way, they will have to flee from a murderer who will do everything to get rid of his incriminating traces. From this context, in a science fiction narrative, Amauri Marcondes de Oliveira deals with subjects such as the grieving process, the importance of friendships, family ties, the pursuit of a dream and the consequences of a violent society.
In time that the king played is the fifth publication of the writer, who developed a taste for reading and later for writing even with little access to formal education. Born in Corbélia, in the rural area of Paraná, he had to leave school early to help support his family. Currently, he divides his time between work as a mason and writing. He is also the author of the books “Trajectory towards the unknown”, “The return”, “The journey” and “The anonymous man”.
DATASHEET
Title: When the king played
Author: Amauri Marcondes de Oliveira
Publishing company: Roof tile
ISBN/ASIN: 978-65-5412-146-0
Format: 15,5 x 16 cm
Pages: 192
Price: BRL 59 (physical book)
Where to buy: Amazon | Editora Telha
About the author:
Amauri Marcondes de Oliveira was born in Corbélia, in the interior of Paraná, but lives in Cascavel. Coming from a poor family, he had few opportunities to study in the rural area where he lived. Therefore, he became self-taught after finishing elementary school. Currently, he works as a foreman in civil construction to earn his daily living, but he began to develop, in parallel, his passion for literature. He read several books and then started writing stories. “No tempo que o rei jovava” is his fifth published literary work, with other publications in his curriculum: “Trajectory towards the unknown”, “The return”, “The journey” and “The anonymous man”.
