In the centennial of Carolina de Jesus, absence of black women in literature reveals a distorted way of representing society | Black Women of Brazil:
Note from BW of Brazil: The world of literature is yet another area in which Afro-Brazilians, particularly Afro-Brazilian women are nearly invisible. If anyone were to visit any of Brazil’s top bookstores such as Saraiva, FNAC or Livraria Cultura, they would be hard pressed to find anything books written by or about Brazilians of African descent. Of course, the writings of the great Machado de Assis are easily found and there will always be something about soccer legend Pelé, but books about the everyday lives of black Brazilians are few and far between. This is not to say there are absolutely none. If one were to search computer catalogs by specific titles, surely a few would pop up. But for the casual or avid bookstore browser, if someone didn’t point out this absence, it would be just another area of life in which no one notices.
This blog has previously featured a post on the near absence and stereotypical portrayals of black female characters in Brazilian literature. The dearth of published black female authors undoubtedly contributes to this. This year marks 100 years of the birth of one Brazil’s most celebrated black writers, Carolina de Jesus. A poor, semi-illiterate woman from a slum in São Paulo, Carolina was the first black woman to portray the struggles of everyday life in Brazil’s poor communities; communities that continue to be completely disregarded and disrespected still today as a recent tragedy once again reminded us. Below, three black writers discuss and homage the importance of the life and works of Carolina de Jesus in the year of her centennial.
Literature: absence of black women reveals distorted way of representing society
by Camila Maciel
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