The Azorean author’s collection of personal reflections explores faith, social responsibility, citizenship, and the experiences that have shaped a lifetime of community service.
The second volume of O Sótão do Infinito – Memórias em Jeito de Desabafo e Oração (The Attic of Infinity – Memories in the Form of Confession and Prayer), by Azorean author Roberto Rodrigues, will be presented on Saturday, November 14, at 4:30 p.m., at the Ponta Delgada Public Library on São Miguel Island.
Known for his longstanding commitment to volunteerism and social service, Rodrigues brings together personal reflections originally shared on social media, addressing questions of faith, human vulnerability, civic responsibility, and the challenges of contemporary society.
The book grew out of a series of short reflections written over time. Encouraged by his friend Tomás Quental Mota Vieira, who also wrote the preface, Rodrigues decided to collect these writings into a publication intended primarily as a legacy for his grandchildren and family, while making them available to a wider readership.
The cover was designed by his granddaughter, Isabel Andrade, reinforcing the book’s personal and intergenerational character.
Rodrigues describes the work as a record of difficult moments marked by uncertainty, anguish, and spiritual questioning, during which hope and faith provided consolation.
His professional career encompassed several sectors of Azorean society. He worked in customs administration, construction and hydraulic engineering services, and insurance, and also served with the British and Canadian vice-consulates.
In 1971, he joined the regional electricity company, eventually becoming head of its training department before retiring in 1995.
Retirement marked the beginning of another important chapter in his commitment to community service. He coordinated two vocational training projects for young people at risk of social exclusion at the João XXIII Social Welfare Center, initiatives co-financed by the European Social Fund.
He subsequently joined the center’s board in 1997 and served as its secretary-general from April 2003 until September 2006.
Rodrigues also volunteered for approximately ten years in the emergency department of Ponta Delgada’s Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, ending that service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The November 14 presentation will be conducted by journalist Santos Narciso, who describes O Sótão do Infinito as a work addressing three fundamental dimensions of human experience: faith and religion, social concerns, and citizenship.
According to Narciso, the author examines these subjects with conviction, confronting difficult questions directly and without avoiding their implications.
Through its combination of personal memory, spiritual reflection, and social observation, the second volume continues Rodrigues’ effort to preserve the experiences and convictions that have accompanied his professional and civic life.
The presentation at the Ponta Delgada Public Library will offer readers an opportunity to discover a work shaped by decades of service to the Azorean community and by the author’s belief in the enduring importance of faith, solidarity, and active citizenship.
Source: Based on a story in Diário dos Açores—Paulo Viveiros.