Son of a psychiatrist and grandson of a physician, Octávio Chaves de Souza began writing as a teenager and made curiosity his primary working tool. That is why he chose journalism as his profession.
Okky de Souza, as he was known, was born in London on November 27, 1952. He came from a family in which medicine, culture and the investigation of the human mind spanned generations.
His grandfather, Octávio de Souza, was a professor at the Porto Alegre School of Medicine, a leader of the Medical Society and one of the founders of the Medical Union of Rio Grande do Sul.
The journalist's wife, Elenita Fogaça, recounts that his father, Décio Soares de Souza, also a physician and psychiatrist, played an important role in the introduction and dissemination of Kleinian psychoanalysis in Brazil.
"But Okky chose another path to investigate the human being. As a teenager, he came into contact with a generation and transformed national culture with the first Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine," she says.
The publication brought to the country a new way of writing about music, behavior and youth. His wife recounts that his interests were never confined to those areas.
Over more than four decades, he produced interviews, profiles and features on culture, behavior, science, religion, the environment and society.
"He had an ease for moving between subjects and sought to understand not only the facts, but the people and the transformations behind them," she says.
In 1981, he joined the magazine Veja, where he remained until 2015 in various roles, including that of editor. At the publication, he continued his trajectory covering culture, music and behavior, while also dedicating himself to other topics.
In 2004, his book "São Paulo, 450 Anos Luz: A Redescoberta de uma Cidade" received an honorable mention at the Jabuti Prize. The work reflected another of his interests: trying to understand the changes that the state capital had undergone over time.
"For decades, he asked questions of artists, researchers and figures from different fields in order to understand the times. The typewriter, then the computer and the tape recorder were his working tools; the ability to listen and the willingness to ask questions were an essential part of his craft," says Elenita.
Married since 2008, he maintained a life that extended beyond newsrooms and assignments. "Okky was brutally frank and, at the same time, gentle, kind and loving. It was an honor to have lived with him. He is deeply missed," she said.
The journalist is survived by his wife, a daughter and a stepson. Octavio Chaves de Souza died on September 6, at the age of 73, following a cardiac arrest.
