Eny Cezarino, arguably was Brazil’s most famous
and powerful courtesan ever. Her Casa de Eny
had 40 rooms, a ball room, and dozens of
the most beautiful women money could buy.

Émerson Luís

Legendary poet/musician Vinicius de Moraes was there, so were Brazilian presidents João Goulart and Jânio Quadros as well as other famous politicians like São Paulo governor Adhemar de Barros and senator Orestes Quércia, the only one still alive in this list. The place in its heydays in the 50s and 60s received all kinds of celebrities, authorities, famed entrepreneurs and wealthy farmers and even a few priests. The place in question was Casa da Eny (Eny’s House), which was once called “Latin America’s best whorehouse” and has become the subject of a just-released best-seller book, Eny e o Grande Bordel Brasileiro (Eny, and the Great Brazilian Brothel).

According to Lucius de Mello, the journalist who spent 10 years researching the subject in archives and conversations with people who knew the famed madam, Vinicius was presented to Eny by Toquinho, his partner in several songs and used the House as hotel when doing shows in the interior of São Paulo.

Ex-president Jânio Quadros apparently went only to get political backing from the madam for his candidacy as governor of São Paulo. His visit is so described in the book: “Jânio Quadros visited the brothel in 1982: ‘What will my foes say if they see me here? That I got drunk? That I fell in love?’ Leaving the place he praised Eny’s elegance.”

Mello wrote about the visit of another Brazilian former president: “João Goulart also passed through the place. He slept with a woman called Ana Maria. She was married and prostituted herself for pleasure alone.” And about Toquinho and Vinicius: “Toquinho was the one who presented the place to Vinicius de Moraes. Friends who were looking for Vinicius had to say a password: ‘I got a broken leg.’ Only then the girls were allowed to disturb Vinicius.

Writing the book wasn’t an easy task for the journalist. Many people who knew Eny and her girls only agreed to talk after being assured anonymity; others simply refused to give any information. De Mello, who is 38, worked as a reporter for TV Globo for 14 years. He is now part of the journalism department of the SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão) network. He debuted in literature in 1987 with the short story book Um Violino para os Gatos (A Violin for the Cats).

Ambition

The famed bordello was erected in Bauru, state of São Paulo, 214 miles from the capital and with a population of about 300,000. It received its name from Eny Cezarino, arguably Brazil’s most famous and powerful courtesan ever. Occupying an area of 160,000 square feet, the Casa de Eny had 40 rooms, including two suites, two restaurants, swimming pool, ball room, and dozens of the most beautiful women money could buy. “The main attraction, however,” commented Mello, “was the discretion.” Eny would never confirm, for example, rumors that singer Roberto Carlos was one of her guests.

Part of Eny’s success had to do with the professionalism of her protégées. Women who worked for her had strict rules for proper dressing (with elegance and decorum) and were supposed to use only three kinds of perfume, all French: Cabochard, Fleur de Rocaille, and Quelles Fleurs. Eny insisted that women working with her took good care of their bodies giving special attention to skin, hair and nail. They were also encouraged to continue their academic studies so they would be able to talk about all kinds of subjects. A night with one of the girls didn’t cost less than $500.

Born in 1917 in São Paulo in the middle-class neighborhood of Vila Mariana, Eny refused to work delivering marmitas (tinfoil containers with homemade food) as her sister or in the chocolate factory as some of her friends. She first tasted a prostitute’s life working in a whorehouse in the Bom Retiro neighborhood. Moving to Rio she met Germano Flores, a man who would become her gigolo and teach her the inwards of prostitution. The celebrated madam would soon learn that a well managed vagina could be the fastest way to the power and riches she always coveted. Before establishing herself in Bauru, Eny worked as a prostitute in Rio and Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. But she only started her own business after a stint at Bauru’s Cabaret Maxim, then considered the best whorehouse in the area.

Eny, whose real name was Emy, was an influential person and owed much to former Bauru mayor and House Representative Nicola Avalone Júnior, better known as Nicolinha, who offered her not only friendship, but also protection. Dr. Bento Vaz, another friend, took care of those working for her who had an unexpected pregnancy or wanted to be sterilized. Apparently many were sterilized without knowing it.

Killed by the Pill

Eny was sent to jail once, not for pimping, but for selling cheap whiskey smuggled from Paraguay. She amassed a small fortune and was able to buy as many as 26 real estate properties. Eny e o Grande Bordel Brasileiro tells also that Eny helped to raise dozens of kids born to her girls and contributed regularly with food and toys to the Bauru’s orphanages. At the end, the pill, and the liberalization of sexual mores killed Eny’s business. “Today’s girls open their legs and I close my doors,” she used to complain. “With this whole host of inexperienced clitoris as foes, the best is to close shop and take my secrets to the grave.” She was almost blind when she died at age 69 in a hospital bed, on August 24, 1986, after having to get rid of her properties, in some cases for half the price they were worth.

She didn’t like to be called madam. “Madam is someone who arranges men for a woman and charges a commission. I render services renting apartments and managing the income of restaurants and bars, ” she would say. Eny used to go to the movies with her girls. Marilyn Monroe was her favorite actress. She encouraged women working for her to adopt some tactics of the Hollywood blonde, including her raspy voice, kisses and faces.

During the good times, the girls used to get two or three good clients a night. They would flaunt their prosperity cruising the city in sports cars, something that made Bauru’s families cringe at the prospect of their own daughters getting ideas about the oldest profession. Eny used to say, “I’ve never gone to look for a girl. They were the ones who found out about me and came knocking on my door. Most of them came from the southern states, as well as from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The southern girls are the friendliest, especially those from Santa Catarina.”

Excerpts from Eny e o Grande Bordel Brasileiro:

“João levou as três velhinhas, Blanche e as bagagens; Luís Antônio esperou Preta, Olinda e Eny terminarem de fechar a casa. A maior parte dos móveis e os objetos pessoais já tinham sido retirados. Alguns ainda estavam cobertos com lençol e seriam removidos no dia seguinte. Quando viram Mariazinha latindo dentro do carro, os quatro se olharam e sorriram. Partiram deixando a terra de Eny definitivamente no passado. Uma vez um cliente comentou comigo dentro da pensão que o segredo da humanidade está na saudade, disse a cafetina, o mundo existe porque Deus tem uma infinita saudade do homem. Eu não entendi nada, mas achei bonita a frase sobre a saudade. Agora, além do Mauricinho, vou sentir saudades deste lugar, como vou sentir... Um colar de pérolas enrolado no pescoço, sobre a barriga e os seios grandes e flácidos, jóias com esmeralda, rubis e brilhantes. Um pequeno tesouro que a cafetina conseguira tirar do banco depois que vendera o bordel e guardava agora num saco de veludo preto no cofre da casa da cidade. A senhora até parece aquelas rainhas que a gente vê no cinema, disse Preta com os olhos brilhando feito as pedras que cobriam parte do corpo da patroa. A senhora tem tanta jóia e nunca me dá nada... Não dou porque você tem a mim! Precisa mais?, dizia Eny, esfregando lentamente uma corrente de ouro no rosto da empregada. E assim as duas ficaram longas horas conversando.”

II

Isso aqui é um palácio. Não sabia que em Bauru existiam áreas palacianas. O que meus inimigos vão dizer se me virem aqui, que me embriaguei? Que me apaixonei? Estas foram, segundo Nicola Avalone Júnior, as primeiras palavras que Jânio Quadros pronunciou quando entrou no bordel de Eny em agosto de 1982. O ex-presidente do Brasil estava em campanha para o governo de São Paulo e tinha Nicolinha como aliado político. A cafetina já sabia que receberia a ilustre visita e preparou-se para o momento tão especial. Ordenou a todas as moças que não saíssem dos quartos até ela mandar. Poucas pessoas estavam na casa. O garçom serviu vinho português e os três conversaram menos de uma hora sentados na sala. Conto com a ajuda da senhora, dona Eny. Desde o tempo em que Nicolinha venceu Sebastião Aleixo na disputa pela Prefeitura de Bauru, ouço falar na força que a senhora tem como cabo eleitoral. Obrigada, doutor Jânio. Se depender de mim, o senhor já está eleito. Ainda tenho uma vassourinha guardada numa das minhas gavetas, disse Eny se despedindo. Que pena que o senhor não tenha tempo hoje para conhecer e sentir o perfume do buquê de mulheres que Eny cultiva aqui dentro, Excelência. São flores da mais alta estirpe. Verdadeiras damas parisienses, afirmou Nicolinha.

Dois meses depois, a cafetina decidiu colocar o bordel à venda por 300 milhões de cruzeiros. Cada dia mais doente e endividada, ela sabia que seria impossível vencer a guerra contra os motéis. Procurada pela imprensa, Eny foi notícia nos principais jornais de São Paulo. Nicolinha e alguns empresários de Bauru tentaram convencê-la a ter mais paciência... Quem sabe daqui a alguns anos o governo libera o jogo e você transforma tudo isso num cassino, disse o político. Mas nada conseguiu fazê-la mudar de idéia. Com 65 anos, dizia aos repórteres que já estava na hora de se aposentar. Numa das entrevistas, revelou que era muito católica, mas para ser madrinha de casamento, tinha de confessar, e eu não vou contar as minhas coisas ao padre, concluiu. Sobre a fama, ela respondeu: Não sei como fiquei assim famosa. Acho que foi pelo bom atendimento. O repórter perguntou para onde ela iria depois que vendesse a casa. Ainda não sei, só quero vendê-la, depois vou pensar.

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