A Escrava Isaura (novel)
Encyclopedia
A Escrava Isaura is a novel
written by the Brazil
ian writer Bernardo Guimarães
. It was first published in 1875
by Casa Garnier publishers in Rio de Janeiro
. With this novel, Bernardo Guimarães became very famous throughout that country, even said to be admired by Brazil's last Emperor Dom Pedro II.
In 1976, a Brazilian telenovela
adaptation produced by Rede Globo
was titled Escrava Isaura. It was a worldwide success.
In 2004, a second Brazilian telenovela
was produced by TV Record. It was also titled A Escrava Isaura
. This adaptation also aired at Telemundo
in the United States
. This version was dubbed into Spanish
and titled La Esclava Isaura.
worker and a freed black woman, is an enslaved
girl that endured hard times before she was freed and finally married her star-crossed lover, Álvaro. Meanwhile she suffered greatly at the hands of Leôncio Almeida, the landlord of a plantation and main antagonist in the plot, who wanted to make her a concubine. She even became briefly engaged to the humpback dwarf Melchior and almost married him to avoid prostitution
, before Álvaro came in her aid.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian writer Bernardo Guimarães
Bernardo Guimarães
Bernardo Joaquim da Silva Guimarães was a Brazilian poet and novelist. He is the author of the famous romances A Escrava Isaura and O Seminarista. He also introduced to the Brazilian poetry the "verso bestialógico" , poems whose verses are very nonsensical, although very metrical...
. It was first published in 1875
1875 in literature
The year 1875 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*October 1 - American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe is reburied in Westminster Hall and Burying Ground with a larger memorial marker. Some controversy arose years later as to whether the correct body was exhumed.*...
by Casa Garnier publishers in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. With this novel, Bernardo Guimarães became very famous throughout that country, even said to be admired by Brazil's last Emperor Dom Pedro II.
In 1976, a Brazilian telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
adaptation produced by Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
was titled Escrava Isaura. It was a worldwide success.
In 2004, a second Brazilian telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
was produced by TV Record. It was also titled A Escrava Isaura
A Escrava Isaura (2004 TV series)
A Escrava Isaura is a 2004 Brazilian telenovela based on A Escrava Isaura, an 1875 abolitionist romance novel by Bernardo Guimarães. The series tells the story of a coffee-plantation owner's passion for one of his slaves...
. This adaptation also aired at Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This version was dubbed into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and titled La Esclava Isaura.
Story
Isaura, daughter of a PortuguesePortuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
worker and a freed black woman, is an enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
girl that endured hard times before she was freed and finally married her star-crossed lover, Álvaro. Meanwhile she suffered greatly at the hands of Leôncio Almeida, the landlord of a plantation and main antagonist in the plot, who wanted to make her a concubine. She even became briefly engaged to the humpback dwarf Melchior and almost married him to avoid prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, before Álvaro came in her aid.