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Literature - 1 |
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Brazilian fiction, poetry, and drama account for about half the literary output of Latin America, calculated by the number of titles of individual books.
Literary development in Brazil roughly follows the country's main historical periods - the Colonial Period, from 1500 until independence in 1822, characterized mostly by writings in the Baroque and Arcadian styles, and the National Period since 1822. Important literary movements during the National Period can be linked to the country's political and social development: The Romantic Movement in literature coincided roughly with the 57 years of the Empire; the Parnassians and the Realists flourished during the early decades of the Republic, followed, around the turn of the century, by the Symbolists. In the 20th century, the ascendance of the Vanguardist or Modernist Movement, with ideas of an avant-garde aestheticism, was celebrated during the famous São Paulo Week of Modern Art in 1922. This movement profoundly influenced not only Brazil's literature, but also its painting, sculpture, music, and architecture.
Many of the notable writers of the Colonial Period were Jesuits who were mesmerised by the new land and its native inhabitants. Among the luminaries of this period were Father José de Anchieta (1534-1597), a poet dedicated to the evangelisation of the Indians, Gregório de Matos (1623-1696), who composed poetry layered on lyricism and mysticism but is best known for his satirical vein, and the famous preacher Father Antônio Vieira (1608-1697). The Arcadians, Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729-1789), Basílio da Gama (1740-1795), and Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744-1810), wrote lyric and epic poems and were also known for their involvement in the liberation movement called "Minas Conspiracy" ("Conjuração Mineira").
The transfer, in 1808, of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil brought with it the spirit of the incipient European Romantic Movement. Brazilian writers began to emphasise individual freedom, subjectivism, and a concern for social issues. Following Brazil's independence from Portugal, Romantic literature expanded to exalt the uniqueness of Brazil's tropics and its Indians, concern for the African slaves, and to descriptions of urban activities. Some of the best known literary figures of the Romantic Period were poets, such as Castro Alves (1847-1871) who wrote about African slaves and Gonçalves Dias (1823-1864) who wrote about Indians.
Manuel Antônio de Almeida (1831-1861) is credited with initiating picaresque literature in Brazil. José de Alencar (1829-1877) wrote a number of popular novels including Iracema about Indians, O Guarani, a historical novel, and novels on regional, social, and urban affairs. Among the novelists of the Romantic Period two are still widely read in Brazil today: Joaquim Manuel de Macedo (1820-1882), who wrote A Moreninha, a popular story, and Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay (1843-1899), the author of Inocência.
The Parnassian school of poetry was, in Brazil as in France, a reaction to the excesses of the Romantics. The so-called "Parnassian Triad" of Brazilian poets - Olavo Bilac (1865-1918), Raimundo Corrêa (1860-1911), and Alberto de Oliveira (1859-1937) - wrote refined poetry in which the poet's personality and interest in social issues were obliterated.
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