Article Search

 Speaking in tongues
    November 05 2009 at 04:01AM Get IOL on your
mobile at m.iol.co.za

Sao Paulo - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may be one of the most popular politicians on the planet, but he also has a way of mangling his language, as a new book reviewed on Wednesday showed.

"My mother was a woman born illiterate," is just one of the choice offerings by the former shoe-shine boy turned head of state, collected in the tome by Brazilian journalist Marcelo Tas.

The recently published book is titled Never Before In The History Of This Country, borrowing one of the favourite hyperbolic sayings of Lula, whose connection to Brazil's big poor population stems in part from the linguistic shortcomings that highlight his own modest origins.
Continues Below ↓





According to the daily Folha de Sao Paulo, which obtained a review copy of the work, the book is divided into 10 chapters corresponding to "professions" Lula has personified: metalworker, lawyer, actor and economist.

Under the chapter Lula The Philosopher, Tas reports the president saying: "The government tries to do what is easy, because what is difficult is difficult."

In a swipe at the media, Lula elsewhere is quoted as saying of Brazilian footballer Ronaldo: "I know he's thin. But I read in the press that he's fat. So, in the end, is he fat or not?" - Sapa-AFP

Email StoryPrint Story
BOOKMARK THIS STORY
Social bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser.

Use the links below to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice.

Read more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia - Social Bookmarking

muti



Watch IOLs latest videos on YouTube Join IOLs Facebook page Follow IOL on Twitter





     Online Services

Date Your Destiny
 
I'm a 23 year old man looking to meet women between the ages of 18 and 23.
 

     More Services

     More A Step Beyond Stories