Gustavo Scarpa’s book reviews make Tolstoy novella top seller in Brazil

Brazilian footballer Gustavo Scarpa, a midfielder for Atlético Mineiro, has sparked a classical literature reading phenomenon among fans and teammates through detailed video reviews published on social media. His September 2 review of Leo Tolstoy’s novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich on YouTube surpassed 699,000 views, while a short clip shared on Instagram reached more than one million people. The surge in digital engagement drove the 19th-century text to become the best-selling book on Amazon Brazil in September, while Google searches for the novel climbed over 70% compared to the same period last year and jumped 300% from the previous month.

Impact on Book Sales and Digital Search Metrics

The sudden wave of public interest caught the athlete by surprise. In an interview with the local newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, Scarpa admitted he did not expect such heavy public engagement when he posted the video. The midfielder began sharing literary content on his platforms back in 2019, but recently shifted away from brief one-word captions toward comprehensive literary analysis. Before the format change, he wrote a summary of a summary or a single phrase, but now he records longer videos dissecting works he genuinely understands.

The digital traction translated directly into retail metrics across Brazil. Amazon Brasil recorded Tolstoy’s novella as its top-selling title for September, driven by the athlete’s analysis. Google search volumes reflected the same momentum, showing a 70% year-over-year increase alongside a 300% monthly surge. On Instagram, where Scarpa maintains a following of 1.5 million users, a single excerpt generated more than one million impressions.

Fan Clubs and Shifts Within the Club Locker Room

The literary movement quickly expanded beyond individual screen time into organized community groups. Carolina Marques, a 22-year-old supporter of the Belo Horizonte club, launched an independent reading group named Galeitura, modeled directly after the player’s recommendations, as reported by the specialized sports outlet Marca. The initiative gained 300 participants on its WhatsApp channel within the first 24 hours of launch, while its dedicated social media account surpassed 50,000 followers. The community established a three-week schedule to debate the twelve chapters of Tolstoy’s novel.

Quería que las personas le den una oportunidad a los libros que publico. Si no a esos, a cualquier otro, porque es un hábito muy lindo.

Gustavo Scarpa

Inside Atlético Mineiro, the midfielder’s reading habits altered the daily routine of the professional squad. Several teammates started bringing physical books to their physical therapy and kinesiotherapy sessions, inspired by the team’s creative midfielder.

Evolution of Scarpa’s Online Literary Reviews

Before joining Atlético Mineiro and playing for Palmeiras and Nottingham Forest, Scarpa posted short, casual story updates about his reading list on Instagram. In 2021, he began assigning informal ratings to classic literature. He described Machado de Assis’s Dom Casmurro with an internet abbreviation translating to traitorous laughter, categorized Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis as a clever insect tale, and characterized Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights as a strange and distressing romance.

Reflecting on his platform, Scarpa criticized the promotion of gambling websites by athletes, contrasting it with his own choice to spotlight books. He stated that he questions whether individuals endorsing betting sites understand the negative influence and harm they cause. Regarding his curation strategy, he noted that he recognized his public responsibility years ago and limits his reviews to titles he genuinely enjoys.

His upcoming reading schedule includes major works such as Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat and Other Stories, Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus, and Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, interspersed with commercial entertainment fiction by authors like Freida McFadden.