Oscar Niemeyer’s architectural oeuvre comprises hundreds of buildings and spans over seven very productive decades. Unfortunately, only very few comprehensive books dedicated to him have been published in English (let alone German), a circumstance that makes the present volume all the more valuable: ?Oscar Niemeyer – Minha arquitetura/My architecture 1937-2004“, published by Editora Revan in 2004. The book collects Niemeyer’s major buildings alongside personal stories, memories and occasional annotations to the buildings. Despite the sometimes quite bumpy translation of his Portuguese texts, the book provides wholesome insights into the life and work of the master, shaped by Niemeyer’s characteristic tone of melancholy and gratitude. Although not the beatific one perfect volume, “My Architecture” nonetheless is a book I treasure a lot.
