ChatGPT discusses O Grande Dia

When they had a question, the ancient Greeks would ask the Oracle of Delphi, while the Romans sought answers in the flight of birds or the entrails of a pigeon. Humans in 2025 entrust their questions to artificial intelligence. So I asked ChatGPT to tell me about my latest novel.

Pierre:
What are the specific features of the novel O Grande Dia?

ChatGPT:
Great! Let’s summarise the specific features of Pierre Cormon’s O Grande Dia (The Big Day) — what makes it a unique work in Brazilian and foreign literature:
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✨ Specific features of O Grande Dia

1. Unprecedented theme in fiction
o First known novel to be structured entirely around a samba school parade, and not just carnival in the broad sense (balls, street blocs or parties).

2. Narrative structure
o Follows three characters (Dandara, Tainá and Ronildo) over approximately 12 hours of a ‘big day,’ like a micro-odyssey of carnival.
o The compressed narrative time gives intensity and rhythm, similar to the dynamics of a samba theme song.

3. Foreign perspective
o Written by a Swiss author (Pierre Cormon), but with a deep cultural immersion in the Rio de Janeiro universe.
o It is an external, but respectful, sensitive and immersed view, differing from the exoticism that marked many foreigners who wrote about Brazil.

4. Language chosen
o Written directly in Brazilian Portuguese, which is extremely rare among authors whose mother tongue is a foreign language.
o The text incorporates oral language, slang and Brazilian cadence, reinforcing the authenticity of the plot.

5. Social portrait
o It goes beyond the party: it addresses racism, urban violence, sensuality, humour, solidarity and belonging.
o The parade is used as a metaphor for Brazil, combining beauty, chaos and cultural resistance.

6. Cultural tribute
The novel serves as a declaration of love for samba, samba schools, and Rio’s Carnival, highlighting both the aesthetic spectacle and its human backstage.
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In summary: O Grande Dia stands out as the first foreign novel written in Brazilian Portuguese that makes a samba school parade the absolute centre of the narrative, combining literary intensity, social analysis and cultural homage.