The Insomniac Bear’s Literary Links

Three links in English with information about Brazilian literature to browse the day (or night) away:

1. The Riff Agency is one of the best known literary agencies in Rio de Janeiro. Their website includes a section with descriptions in English, of a long list of Brazilian writers.

2. For more on Brazilian writing, take a look at the MultArte site. Not every section on the site is available in English, but there is a load of information on literary topics. Click on the “Literature” link for a dropdown menu with articles in English about Monteiro Lobato, Ruth Rocha, Augusto dos Anjos, and some stuff about Brazilian poetry.

3. English language reviews of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American cultural events, including a few postings on Brazilian literature, at SPAlit. If you can deal with all the Google ads, it’s worth a look.

Brazilian Literature in English: excellent resource

London-based Brazilian journalist and translator Paula Goés has put together a superb list of Brazilian literature available in English translation on her Portuguese language blog about language, literature, translation and life in literary London, Talqualmente.

Each translation is listed with Portuguese and English titles, author and translator name, publisher, year of publication of the translation, and isbn. Click on the tab literatura brasileira traduzida at the top of the blog and scroll down to the list to see this excellent resource. In her Portuguese introduction to the list, Paula points out that her list does not claim to be definitive, and it may contain errors or omissions. Comments and additions to the list can be sent to Paula in English via the contact form on her blog.

Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair – until the 23rd of September

The Rio International Book Fair is now on.

Since my earlier post about the fair, the full programme is now available on the English version of the fair’s website, here.

This year’s fair pays special tribute to Gabriel García Marquez and Ariano Suassuna, both of whom were born in 1927 (did anyone watch the excellent film Auto da Compadecida, on Globo last Saturday? It’s the film version of Suassuna’s 1959 stage play of the same name).

Check out the official blog of the event (in Portuguese).

The Mystery of the Bronze Spectacles

On Sunday 26th of August, Salvador broadsheet A Tarde* bemoaned the news that the statue of Vinicius de Moraes in Itapuã, Salvador, is in a sorry state. According to journalist Rita Conrado, in her column Tempo Presente, the poet’s chair and spectacles are missing, presumed stolen, and it may not be long before someone takes the rest. The piece also mentioned the damage caused to engravings of the poets’ lyrics, corroded not by vandals but by the salty sea air.

In the Brazilian blogoshere, Felipe Jucá expressed his disdain at this apparent example of gross disrespect to the memory of the man who wrote some of the most beautiful lyrics of the twentieth century. And on his cultural blog, Mendes Junior also recently commented on the plight of this and other statues of great national writers.

Then, Last Sunday, the 9th of September, two weeks after the original piece appeared in the paper, A Tarde provided an update on the situation, with a full page written in verse by creative journalist and poet Zezão Castro. It would appear that the truth behind the disappearance of the chair and glasses is that they have not been stolen at all, just removed for repair. Castro spoke to Paulo Lima, director of the Fundacao Gregório de Mattos, the Salvador cultural organisation which created the statue and square in homage to Vinicius in Itapuã in 2003. Lima confirmed that the items will be back in their place by the 5th of October. True or not, the poet for the meantime remains without a chair and specs, no doubt disappointing tourists to Itapuã, who are unable to sit alongside the bronze man and take a snapshot.

Vinicius de Moraes is best known as the writer of world famous songs such as Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema), with music by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tarde em Itapuã (An Afternoon in Itapua) with music by Toquinho, and the play Orfeu da Conceição on which the 1959 film Black Orpheus is based.

And this month also saw the launch of the book Cancioneiro Vinicius de Moraes – Biografia e Obras Seleccionadas – a brand new comprehensive biography and songbook. The book was compiled by Paulo Jobim (son of Antonio Carlos Jobim) and Susana Moraes (the daughter of Vinicius). It is made up of a biography by journalist Sérgio Augusto, a compilation of 57 photographs and a songbook of music and lyrics of the poet’s best known work, including seven for which he wrote both the music and lyrics. Read more about it in Portuguese here.

You can read more in English about Vinicius de Moraes, Bossa Nova and Itapuã at Bossa in Bahia, a great introduction to all things Bossa and all things musical in Itapuã, written by one of the owners of this pousada (guesthouse) owned by an British-Brazilian couple. The Brazilian half of the couple is a musician and a Bossa Nova expert. My friend Emma stayed in their pousada earlier this year and highly recommends it!

Cancioneiro Vinicius de Moraes – Biografia e Obras Selecionadas
by Sérgio Augusto (biografia) and Paulo Jobim (coordenação musical)
Jobim Music 2007
R$ 215.00

The image at the top of this post is from this page at Fundação Gregório de Mattos.

* Articles from A Tarde print edition are only available online to subscribers of the print edition, so unfortunately I was unable to link directly to the original articles here.

Final Harry Potter in Portuguese: publication date announced.

Brazilian publisher Rocco announced today that Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows ) is now available for pre-order. The book will be launched on the 10th of November and has a print run of 400,000. Check out this interview with Brazilian Harry Potter translator Lia Wyler from earlier this year. And here’s Rocco’s minisite for the new book.

Exhibition about Monteiro Lobato on now in Rio.

There’s nothing like the anniversary of a writer’s birth as an excuse to put on a show about his life and work.

If Monteiro Lobato were still alive, he would be 125 this year, and to celebrate, there’s a new exhibition in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

The event, 125 Anos do Nascimento de Monteiro Lobato – A origem de seu mundo mágico (125th anniversary of the birth of Monteiro Lobato – The Origin of his Magical World), is currently showing at Sescrio in Niteroi town centre, until the 11th of October. The exhibition celebrates the work of the man responsible for creating the genre of literature for children in Brazil.

Monteiro Lobato wrote for both children and adults, but he is best known for his children’s stories, particularly the series of books set on the Sitio do Picapau Amarelo (The Yellow Woodpecker Farm). Lobato’s characters have adventures linked to world literature and history, mixed with tales from Brazililan rural folklore and mythology.

One of the coolest things Lobato did was to ‘adapt’ classic world literature for Brazilian children. But he didn’t just re-tell the stories in Portuguese, he gives his characters the experience of reading itself, and has them question stories in relation to their own reality in rural Brazil. In his version of Peter Pan, Dona Benta buys the JM Barrie book from São Paulo via mail order and re-tells the whole thing to Pedrinho, Emília and Narizinho, who frequently interrupt with questions and their own opinions about the English story. Lobato gives similar treatment to the narrative in his Os Doze Trabalhos de Hércules (The Twelve Labours of Hercules) and Dom Quixote das Crianças (Don Quixote for Children).

This exhibition aims to show Lobato’s life, work and the characters he created. The event also includes a literary fair with publishers’ stands, films, discussions and photos. Speakers include Laura Sandroni, one of the founders of the National Foundation of Books for Children and Young People (FNLIJ), a specialist in the work of Monteiro Lobato.

I say any year is a good one to remember Monteiro Lobato and read his stories before bedtime, and his words are just as relevant today as they were when they were written. In fact, a visit to any cartório (registry office) in Brazil is enough to brings to mind Monteiro Lobato’s ironic treatment of his disdain for bureacracy – apparently the same when he was alive as it is today.

No, I don’t need a 125 year marker to appreciate a good teller of tales. If it’s good it’s good. And Monteiro Lobato is the bees knees! (as I once heard a Brazilian proclaim on a windy bookstall in Camden market, just before his hat blew off).

Monteiro Lobato’s stories are political satire, fairytale, drama, history, soap opera, philosophy and maths lessons all rolled into one. There aren’t any official translations as far as I know, but you can find a large selection of his books published in Brazil at online shop Livraria Cultura, here.

125 Anos do Nascimento de Monteiro Lobato – A origem de seu mundo mágico
21/8/2007 a 11/10/2007

SESC RIO – Niteroi, Rua Padre Anchieta, 56. Centro – Niterói – RJ
Centro, Niteroi
Rio de Janeiro

Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm

For more info:
Biblioteca do Sesc Niterói – Tel: (21) 2704-2509
www.sescrio.org.br

The image at the top of this post from a Monteiro Lobato story, was found on the site Letrina, a lovely online magazine from Portugal about literature for children.

Free Seminars for English Teachers in Brazil

Throughout September, Oxford University Press Brasil are running their annual seminar for English teachers in Brazil. The one day event will be held on various dates in eight different Brazilian cities, each with a slightly different schedule and speakers. Oxford will provide a certificate at the end of the day and there will also be a special sale of Oxford Books. The seminar is free of charge, but places are limited, so if you want to attend, register online asap to secure your place. Here’s where the action’s at:

BAHIA: Salvador (14th of September) and Feira de Santana (15th of September).

MINAS GERAIS: Belo Horizonte (14th of September).

SÃO PAULO: Campinas (14th of September), São José dos Campos (21st of September), Bauru (21st of September).

SANTA CATARINA: Florianópolis (14th of September).

RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio de Janeiro (28th of September).

Get all the details and reserve your place via this link.