Lima Barreto
Encyclopedia
Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto (May 13, 1881 — November 1, 1922) was a Brazil
ian novelist and journalist. A major figure on the Brazilian Pre-Modernism
, he is famous for the novel Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
, a bitter satire of the first years of the República Velha in Brazil.
in 1881, to João Henriques de Lima Barreto and Amália Augusta. His father was a typographer and a monarchist
, and was very linked to Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo, the Viscount
of Ouro Preto
, who would later become Lima Barreto's godfather. Barreto's mother would die when he was very young, and he was subsequently sent to study at a private school run by Teresa Pimentel do Amaral. Soon after, he entered at the Liceu Popular Niteroiense, after the Viscount of Ouro Preto decided to pay for his studies. He graduated in 1894, and in the following year, he would enter the famous Colégio Pedro II
. Soon after he graduated, he entered at the Escola Politécnica do Rio de Janeiro, but was forced to abandon it in 1904, in order to take care of his brothers, since his father's mental health was starting to deteriorate.
Barreto used to write for newspapers since 1902, but he achieved fame in 1905, writing for the Correio da Manhã
a series of articles regarding the demolition of Castle Hill. In 1911 he founded, alongside some friends, a periodical named Floreal. Although it only lasted two issues, it received a warm reception by the critics. In 1909 he published his first novel, Recordações do Escrivão Isaías Caminha, a contundent and semi-autobiographical satire of the Brazilian society. However, his masterpiece
, Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
, was published in 1911, under feuilleton
form, being re-released under hardcover form in 1915.
During his last years of life, Barreto was attacked by heavy crisis of depression
, what led him to alcoholism
and many internations on different psychiatric hospital
s. He would die of a heart attack in 1922.
One of his works that represents better this style is "Os Bruzundangas", a collection of tales he published in newspapers during a period of 20 years.
The author also heavily criticized the complex and difficult writing style, which was popular among Brazilian authorities as a symbol of "intelligence" and "high social status". Due this fact, Barreto adopted a simple style in his books, with less advanced vocabulary, so he could be understood by a majority of the Brazilian society. This provoked an increasing number of criticisms against the author, who was persecuted by the Brazilian elite for his non-classical style.
Barreto also used to explore the psychological conditions of his characters but, differently from realist authors like Brazilian Machado de Assis or Portuguese Eça de Queirós, this is not considered a great quality of Lima Barreto. Howsoever, his books are full of curious situations of its characters beliefs and thoughts: for example, Policarpo Quaresma (Barreto's most legendary creation) was a radical and almost utopian patriotic, and his beliefs led him to a tragic end. Policarpo was also innocent enough to believe the Brazilian "original nature" could be restored. Exaggerated innocence had also condemned the character Clara dos Anjos to a dishonored life (see "Main Works" below). As for the antagonists, Barreto explores the hypocrisy, the ignorance and the indifference to the others' suffering. Psychopathy
was presented in his posthumous book Clara dos Anjos by the antagonist Cassi Jones, who had typical habits of a social psychopath: absence of care to other people's feelings, selfishness and detailed planning to achieve his goals, no matter how vile they are.
Considered Barreto's magnum opus
, this story is frequently read in Brazilian schools and popular in the so called "Vestibular" (Yearly exams for University admission in Brazil). It tells the story of Policarpo Quaresma, a radical Brazilian patriot. Policarpo's dearest dream is to see Brazil as one of the world's most powerful nations. He notices many problems in the political and social structure of his country, realizing that Brazilian people loved the European culture more than their own country's and tries to change this reality.
The story, then, can be divided in three distinct parts:
The cultural reform: Policarpo Quaresma tries to change the Brazilian official language (Portuguese
) to Tupi
, a Native American language. He sends a letter to the Government, asking for the Tupi language to be adopted as the official language of Brazil. His curious request soon becomes news, and Policarpo is ridiculed by the local press. Quaresma then retreats to the town of Curuzu, in rural Rio de Janeiro
, where he begins a new activity;
The agricultural reform: Policarpo constructs, with the help of an old black man, a little farm and tries to sell his products to the capital. His desire is to make people see how valuable could be the Brazilian lands. Unfortunately, a plague invades his field and he begins a little war against the ants and the vermin. A local politician then arrives in his home praying for electoral support, but Policarpo refuses the offer. Then, by revenge, the politician starts to damage Policarpo's farm. At this moment, a huge chaos is set in Brazil by lots of popular revolutions and Policarpo is recruited to war;
The military reform: while trying to defend a fort, Policarpo sees lots of problems in the Brazilian military structure and sends a letter to the president, Floriano Peixoto
, a rude and ignorant man, praying for better conditions for the war prisoners and the other soldiers of the fort. Floriano, when reads the letter, considers Policarpo a revolutionary man and condemns him to death. At the end of the story, Policarpo Quaresma is killed for the crime of high treason.
A collection of tales that Lima Barreto published in newspaper during the period of 20 years, approximately. It tells the life and customs of the People of Bruzundanga, an imaginary country that represents Brazil.
In the book, tale by tale, Barreto tells of the corruption present in every sector of the Bruzundanga's life, from politics to education.
Lima Barreto decided to create a new country to represent Brazil in order to escape from politician and any other authority's persecution. In fact, The Bruzundangas itself is a great allegory to Brazilian famous personalities and public institutions. A notorious example can be found in the book's first chapter, which is called "Special Chapter": the narrator teaches about Bruzundanga's literature, which is conduced by the elitist school of the "Samoiedas". In this literary school, the students get satisfied "only with shallow literary appearances and an ordinary simulation of notoriety, sometimes because of their intellectual incapacity and some other times by a vicious and careless instruction", as Barreto himself wrote. In this case, the "Samoiedas' school" is an allegory to the Brazilian classical writing style, which was still heavily influenced by the Parnassianism and Symbolism
.
This posthumous novel presents the character Clara dos Anjos, a girl from a poor family that lives in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro
. The story is about Clara's passion for Cassi Jones, an unscrupulous boy and son of a richer family. Cassi, who has made an uncountable number of women pregnant and abandoned them all, seduces Clara for his libidinous purposes. Clara, who is innocent due her parents' severe protectionism, ends up pregnant. At the end, Cassi flees and Clara finds herself abandoned and "dishonored". In his book, Barreto intends to show how disgraced is the destiny of poor women in Brazil, as he demonstrates in Clara's last quote: "We are nothing in this life". More than that, however, the author also shows the hypocrisy of rich people (mainly represented by Cassis' mother, who constantly protects her son) and the absurd selfishness
of the Brazilian youth (represented by the character Cassi Jones).
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 novelist and journalist. A major figure on the Brazilian Pre-Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
, he is famous for the novel Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma is a novel of the Brazilian author Lima Barreto. Scholars consider the book as a Pre-modernist work in Brazilian Literature....
, a bitter satire of the first years of the República Velha in Brazil.
Life
Lima Barreto was born in Rio de JaneiroRio 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...
in 1881, to João Henriques de Lima Barreto and Amália Augusta. His father was a typographer and a monarchist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
, and was very linked to Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo, the Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
of Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto
-History:Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village," the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule....
, who would later become Lima Barreto's godfather. Barreto's mother would die when he was very young, and he was subsequently sent to study at a private school run by Teresa Pimentel do Amaral. Soon after, he entered at the Liceu Popular Niteroiense, after the Viscount of Ouro Preto decided to pay for his studies. He graduated in 1894, and in the following year, he would enter the famous Colégio Pedro II
Colégio Pedro II (Rio de Janeiro)
Colégio Pedro II is a Federal Public School named after Pedro II of Brazil. It was founded on December 2 1837, and made official by Imperial decree on December 20 of the same year. It was named after the Emperor, since it was founded on his birthday....
. Soon after he graduated, he entered at the Escola Politécnica do Rio de Janeiro, but was forced to abandon it in 1904, in order to take care of his brothers, since his father's mental health was starting to deteriorate.
Barreto used to write for newspapers since 1902, but he achieved fame in 1905, writing for the Correio da Manhã
Correio da Manhã
Correio da Manhã is a major daily Portuguese newspaper , published in Lisbon. It is published by the publishing division of the Cofina group.It is regarded as the most read general newspaper in the country....
a series of articles regarding the demolition of Castle Hill. In 1911 he founded, alongside some friends, a periodical named Floreal. Although it only lasted two issues, it received a warm reception by the critics. In 1909 he published his first novel, Recordações do Escrivão Isaías Caminha, a contundent and semi-autobiographical satire of the Brazilian society. However, his masterpiece
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma is a novel of the Brazilian author Lima Barreto. Scholars consider the book as a Pre-modernist work in Brazilian Literature....
, was published in 1911, under feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
form, being re-released under hardcover form in 1915.
During his last years of life, Barreto was attacked by heavy crisis of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, what led him to alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and many internations on different psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
s. He would die of a heart attack in 1922.
Style
Barreto was a very sarcastic author, and he passed this personality to his books. His favoured target of criticism was the perceived mediocrity of the Brazilian people, mainly the government and the commercial / military authorities.One of his works that represents better this style is "Os Bruzundangas", a collection of tales he published in newspapers during a period of 20 years.
The author also heavily criticized the complex and difficult writing style, which was popular among Brazilian authorities as a symbol of "intelligence" and "high social status". Due this fact, Barreto adopted a simple style in his books, with less advanced vocabulary, so he could be understood by a majority of the Brazilian society. This provoked an increasing number of criticisms against the author, who was persecuted by the Brazilian elite for his non-classical style.
Barreto also used to explore the psychological conditions of his characters but, differently from realist authors like Brazilian Machado de Assis or Portuguese Eça de Queirós, this is not considered a great quality of Lima Barreto. Howsoever, his books are full of curious situations of its characters beliefs and thoughts: for example, Policarpo Quaresma (Barreto's most legendary creation) was a radical and almost utopian patriotic, and his beliefs led him to a tragic end. Policarpo was also innocent enough to believe the Brazilian "original nature" could be restored. Exaggerated innocence had also condemned the character Clara dos Anjos to a dishonored life (see "Main Works" below). As for the antagonists, Barreto explores the hypocrisy, the ignorance and the indifference to the others' suffering. Psychopathy
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
was presented in his posthumous book Clara dos Anjos by the antagonist Cassi Jones, who had typical habits of a social psychopath: absence of care to other people's feelings, selfishness and detailed planning to achieve his goals, no matter how vile they are.
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Tragic Death of Policarpo Quaresma - 1915Considered Barreto's magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, this story is frequently read in Brazilian schools and popular in the so called "Vestibular" (Yearly exams for University admission in Brazil). It tells the story of Policarpo Quaresma, a radical Brazilian patriot. Policarpo's dearest dream is to see Brazil as one of the world's most powerful nations. He notices many problems in the political and social structure of his country, realizing that Brazilian people loved the European culture more than their own country's and tries to change this reality.
The story, then, can be divided in three distinct parts:
The cultural reform: Policarpo Quaresma tries to change the Brazilian official language (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) to Tupi
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
, a Native American language. He sends a letter to the Government, asking for the Tupi language to be adopted as the official language of Brazil. His curious request soon becomes news, and Policarpo is ridiculed by the local press. Quaresma then retreats to the town of Curuzu, in rural 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...
, where he begins a new activity;
The agricultural reform: Policarpo constructs, with the help of an old black man, a little farm and tries to sell his products to the capital. His desire is to make people see how valuable could be the Brazilian lands. Unfortunately, a plague invades his field and he begins a little war against the ants and the vermin. A local politician then arrives in his home praying for electoral support, but Policarpo refuses the offer. Then, by revenge, the politician starts to damage Policarpo's farm. At this moment, a huge chaos is set in Brazil by lots of popular revolutions and Policarpo is recruited to war;
The military reform: while trying to defend a fort, Policarpo sees lots of problems in the Brazilian military structure and sends a letter to the president, Floriano Peixoto
Floriano Peixoto
Floriano Vieira de Araújo Peixoto , April 30, 1839, Maceió, Brazil — July 29, 1895, Rio de Janeiro; born in Ipioca , was a Brazilian soldier and politician, a veteran of the War of the Triple Alliance, and the second President of Brazil.-Election and Succession as President:Floriano Peixoto...
, a rude and ignorant man, praying for better conditions for the war prisoners and the other soldiers of the fort. Floriano, when reads the letter, considers Policarpo a revolutionary man and condemns him to death. At the end of the story, Policarpo Quaresma is killed for the crime of high treason.
Os Bruzundangas
The Bruzundangas - 1923A collection of tales that Lima Barreto published in newspaper during the period of 20 years, approximately. It tells the life and customs of the People of Bruzundanga, an imaginary country that represents Brazil.
In the book, tale by tale, Barreto tells of the corruption present in every sector of the Bruzundanga's life, from politics to education.
Lima Barreto decided to create a new country to represent Brazil in order to escape from politician and any other authority's persecution. In fact, The Bruzundangas itself is a great allegory to Brazilian famous personalities and public institutions. A notorious example can be found in the book's first chapter, which is called "Special Chapter": the narrator teaches about Bruzundanga's literature, which is conduced by the elitist school of the "Samoiedas". In this literary school, the students get satisfied "only with shallow literary appearances and an ordinary simulation of notoriety, sometimes because of their intellectual incapacity and some other times by a vicious and careless instruction", as Barreto himself wrote. In this case, the "Samoiedas' school" is an allegory to the Brazilian classical writing style, which was still heavily influenced by the Parnassianism and Symbolism
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
.
Clara dos Anjos
Clara dos Anjos - 1948This posthumous novel presents the character Clara dos Anjos, a girl from a poor family that lives in the suburb of 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...
. The story is about Clara's passion for Cassi Jones, an unscrupulous boy and son of a richer family. Cassi, who has made an uncountable number of women pregnant and abandoned them all, seduces Clara for his libidinous purposes. Clara, who is innocent due her parents' severe protectionism, ends up pregnant. At the end, Cassi flees and Clara finds herself abandoned and "dishonored". In his book, Barreto intends to show how disgraced is the destiny of poor women in Brazil, as he demonstrates in Clara's last quote: "We are nothing in this life". More than that, however, the author also shows the hypocrisy of rich people (mainly represented by Cassis' mother, who constantly protects her son) and the absurd selfishness
Selfishness
Selfishness denotes an excessive or exclusive concern with oneself, and as such it exceeds mere self interest or self concern. Insofar as a decision maker knowingly burdens or harms others for personal gain, the decision is selfish. In contrast, self-interest is more general...
of the Brazilian youth (represented by the character Cassi Jones).
Other Works
- O Subterrâneo do Morro do Castelo (1905)
- Recordações do Escrivão Isaías Caminha (1909)
- O Homem que Sabia Javanês e outros contos (1911)
- Vida e Morte de M. J. Gonzaga de Sá (1919)
- Cemitério dos Vivos (1920)
- Histórias e Sonhos (1920)
- Outras Histórias e Contos Argelinos (1952, posthumous)
- Coisas do Reino de Jambom (1953, posthumous)
Further reading
- BARRETO, Lima, Prosa seleta. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Aguilar, 2001.
- BARRETO, Lima, Um longo sonho do futuro: Rio de Janeiro, Graphia, 1993.
- BARBOSA, Francisco de Assis. A vida de Lima Barreto. Rio de Janeiro: José Olympio Editora, 2002.
- PRADO, Antonio Arnoni. Lima Barreto: o crítico e a crise. Rio de Janeiro: Cátedra, 1976.
External links
- Anarchist Encyclopedia
- Ephéméride Anarchiste (in French)
- Lima Barreto's works (in the Portuguese Wikisource):