BRAZILIAN LITERATURE IN THE LATIN AMERICAN LITERARY STUDIES

Transcription

1 BRAZILIAN LITERATURE IN THE LATIN AMERICAN LITERARY STUDIES (LASA 2000, Miami, March 16-18, 2000) Ligia Vassallo Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Brazil Soon after Christopher Columbus discovery, the maritime rival nations -- Portugal and Spain -- sealed our destiny as Americans. They shared among themselves the real and virtual lands of the New World, through a definition of boundaries that became known as the Treaty of Tordesilhas, signed on June 14th, This imaginary line, located 370 leagues to the west of the Cape Verde islands, on the high Atlantic Ocean, established the sovereignty of each of those world powers, thus translating the mutual exclusion that was in effect then in the Iberian peninsula and that nowadays is still prevalent in Latin America. To overcome this barrier and to undo that curse have become, within the realm of cultural studies, a recurrent desire which can be well illustrated by the fortunate expression uttered by Jorge Schwartz in regards to his point of view about the consequences of the Treaty today: "Down with Tordesilhas!", he writes. That desire is also the object of this exposition. Thus, in order to promote such an integration, we intend to vitalize a bridge that wil make literally Latinamerican the studies involving Brazil and the Hispanic countries. Aiming at stimulating the dialogue between the cultures and the literatures of both goups, we will examine some actions and strategies which appear to be relevant. Before doing so, however, it is necessary to specify some terms and concepts. It is said that the expression Latin America was used by the first time by the Colombian José Maria Torres Calcedo, in 1875, in contrast to the Saxon America. He states that "Hay America anglosajona, dinamarquesa, holandesa etc... La hay española, francesa, portuguesa, y a este grupo,?que denominación científica aplicarle sino el de latina? (in: Pizarro, 1985, p. 15). This acceptation characterizes a generic and yet differentiated whole which is, nevertheless, unified by its cultural and linguistic aspect. In addition, it also sends us to a physical space; that is, the continental territory located to the south of the Rio Grande or Rio Bravo, which separates the United States (of North America) from Mexico, thus establishing a complex and swindled border. This has led a Mexican president to lament the fact that his country was so far from God and yet so close to the United States. To the north of that river is located the Saxon America and to the south, by opposition, the America which expresses itself in Latin languages, a territory which comprises two blocks -- Brazil and the Hispanic countries usually known as Latin America. The expression Hispanic America is reserved exclusively for those areas 1

2 where Spanish is spoken. On the other hand, the term Iberoamerica is used to include Brazil along with the Spanish speaking countries. The first denomination is seen as erroneous, since there are Latin people in North America, more precisely in Quebec. Furhtermore, the political concept of Latin America is broader than the geographical borders and the idiomatic affiliation, since it encompasses the Caribbean region. This, we all know too well, is Latin on its French side, but it is also English, Dutch, Danish and African, people who, evidently, have nothing to do with the concept of Latinity. Latin America makes up a unity in its diversity composed of elements which are, at the same time, heterogeneous and disparate. It presents likenesses and unlikenesses that are to be respected, and it also encompasses, in a general way, a given cultural, political, social and linguistic homogeneity. The point we want to make, however, rests solely on the analysis of the literary relations between Brazil and the Spanish America, a topic we will be dealing with from now on. These two blocks have maintained themselves apart since Brazil is not thought of as part of this whole and neither does it see itself as such. It is true, though, that this country has shown itself to be more permeable, since Portuguese speakers are able to read and understand spoken Spanish. According to that, they have been able to familiarize themselves with the work of several publishing companies in the Spanish language, which have supplied our market with universitylevel books of good quality and at good prices. This has certainly allowed Brazilians to absorb the Spanish America. Unfortunately, there is no reciprocity, due to the fact that Spanish speakers do not understand or read Portuguese nor do they have the availability of Brazilian books translated into Spanish. Inversely, the Brazilian market offers a great variety of hispanoamerican novels soon after their international launching. Moreover, since the communication flux originated in Latin America is mostly directed towards the hegemonic metropolis - that is, Europe and the United States of America -, it is quite frequent that Brazilians and Hispanics only come to know one another when established in great cosmopolitan centers, such as Paris and New York, rather than in their own place of origin. This can perhaps be explained as a legacy of the colonial period, during which the "islands" of territorial occupation by the europeans did not communicate among themselves. However, despite the adversity, throughout the 20th century especially, some isolated actions were being carried out, both individually as well as institutionally, which have, ultimately resulted in the modification of the status quo, thus lessening the hiatus between the two cultures. 1 - Individual actions They result from personal relations or from other purposes. They arise, many times, from encounters propitiated by trips and colloquies, and they often end up in different kinds of publications. It is important to mention here some exemplary cases. The great friendship that brought together Antonio Candido and Ángel Rama led them to work together, the Brazilian writing "Literature and underdevelopment", the Uruguayan critic teaching at the University of Campinas and publishing in a magazine directed by the first. It is also worth mentioning the closeness of Brazilian Haroldo de Campos, poet, critic and translator, with Hispanic authors like Octavio Paz, Emir Rodríguez Monegal, Lezama Lima, Severo Sarduy and Manuel Puig, a closeness which, certainly, provided input for Campos essay entitled Ruptura dos Gêneros na Literatura Latinoamericana. (1977). 2

3 There are also some editorial endeavors aimed at overcoming barriers such as the pioneering of the Fondo de Cultura Económica, which kept for a long time the Tierra Firme collection, which disseminated books from Brazil since Venezuela has also contributed a great deal; there, back in the 1970's, the Monte Avila Publishing House translated Clarice Lispector. In the 80's, the Editorial Fundarte, another publishing house, made known the work of many Brazilian poets (João Cabral de Melo Neto, Mário de Andrade, Manuel Bandeira, Ferreira Gullar, Affonso Romano de Sant' Anna). And there is more: the valuable Ayacucho collection has been listing Brazilian writers in its catalogue since Similarly, there is also the magnificent Archivos collection, sponsored by UNESCO, which includes Brazilian works in its critical and carefully planned editions. The magazines connected with the academic milieu are also of great importance due to their quality. Lucia Helena Costigan, from Ohio University, has recently coordinated two excellent volumes, in which she also signs some excellent prologues. Both are dedicated to the dialogue between Brazil and the Hispanic America and have been made under the egis of comparativeness: the Revista de Critica Literaria Iberoamericana (Berkeley University and the Univerity of Lima, Peru, number 45, 1997) and the Revista Iberoamericana (University of Pittsburg, number , 1998). In another direction, the magazine Actual (number 39, 1999), a cultural periodical from the University of Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela, under the coordination of Yhana Riobueno, focus on "Other Visions of Paradise: Revisiting Brazilian Literature ". The concern toward an integrated vision of the subcontinent is evinced early in the literary histories, although Brazil is not included. The first author to associate Brazil to the Hispanic world is the Dominican Pedro Henríquez Ureña in the book Las Corrientes Literárias en América Hispánica, 1949, in which he transcribes lectures he gave in the United States in It becomes evident there that, because of the circumstances, the two differentiated blocks are treated as a whole so as to point out the contrast with the Saxon world. On the Brazilian side, we find the same integrating interest. Consequently, in the same year as Ureña's book, 1949, poet Manuel Bandeira publishes, in Rio de Janeiro, A Literatura Hispanoamericana, subject of his lectures at the university. Before him, however, other scholars had been attempting to construct a bridge over the two sides of America. Among these, we can mention Sergio Buarque de Hollanda with his classical Raízes do Brasil, 1936, and some other writers from previous times whose books are now being rescued. One of these works is A América Latina (1905), by Manuel Bonfim, book of great interest, which analyzes our delay in terms of the colonial statute. Two other works attributed to the controversial Manuel de Oliveira Lima are O Panamericanismo, 1905, and América Latina e América Inglesa: a evolução brasileira comparada com a hispanoamericana e com a angloamericana (191?). The most original and best accomplished experience is Vargas Llosa s highly interesting novel La Guerra del Fin del Mundo (1981), in which he dialogues with Brazilian history and with the essay Os Sertões (1902), a classic by Euclides da Cunha about the massacre of the rebel peasants of Canudos. It is also important to remember that there is a pleiad of critics who have dedicated themselves to thinking about America as a whole. In the past, the Brazilians José Veríssimo, Brito Broca and Mário de Andrade. Presently, Darcy Ribeiro, Antonio Candido, Ligia Chiappini. Friends from all over Latin America have joined them: Ana Pizarro, Jorge Schwartz, Margara Rusotto, Lucia Costigan, Yhana 3

4 Riobueno, as well as the unforgetable Ángel Rama and Emir Rodríguez Monegal. And many others who have not been mentioned here but I hope they are a legion. 2 - Institutional actions The individual actions diligently committed in order to add up to this union and convergence have been rather frequent throughout the 20th century. On the other hand, it seems that the institutional actions in favor of a bridge between Brazil and Hispanoamerica did not start until the 60's. The first reference stems from the effort of Cuban Casa de las Américas, which publishes Brazilian books since 1963 at the Literatura Latinoamericana collection and, besides that, awards an annual literary prize for works written in Portuguese. Another important institution which collaborates is UNESCO. In its resolution number 3325 from 1966, drawn up at the 15th General Conference, it authorizes the study of Latin American cultures through their literary and artistic manifestations. A certain number of actions originate from this resolution, with UNESCO backing them up financially. An example of it was a meeting in Paris, in 1970, which was followed by the publication of a series entitled "America Latina en su Cultura" that later on was expanded into literature, art and architecture. The first edition of the volume America Latina en su Literatura was published in México, in 1972, and translated in Brazil in A second sponsorship by UNESCO, along with the International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA), encompasses a project which aims at a collective elaboration of a history of the Latinoamerican literature, including Brazil. In order to accomplish this, two international encounters were carried out, in 1982 and 1983, and from there ensued two collectaneas both organized by Ana Pizarro: "Hacia una Historia de la Literatura Latinoamericana" (1987) and "La Literatura Latinoamericana como Processo" (1985). The initial proposal, however, ended up transforming itself in an anthology of critical texts in 3 volumes coordinated by the same researcher: America Latina: Palavra, Literatura, Cultura (1993, 1994, 1995). A new version of the original proposal, now regarding to cultural studies, is being organized by Mario Valdéz and Djelal Kadir. It will be published in 3 volumes under the general title of Culturas Literárias Latinoamericanas: uma História Comparada. In addition to Casa de las Americas, UNESCO and ICLA, another association focus this communion between Brazil and Hispanic America. It is the Brazilian Comparative Literature Association (ABRALIC), established in 1988, in whose conferences - both domestic and international - comparativeness between Brazilian and Hispanoamerican literature has a privilegiated condition. Within the academic milieu three important projects appeared, two of them geared toward the dissemination of Brazilian literature in the Hispanic countries and the third one in the reverse sense. The first, from the 80's, consisted of the creation of the Guimarães Rosa Chair at the prestigious Universidad Nacional Autônoma de México (UNAM). The second one, organized in 1995, is the Research Group on Brazilian Literature (GILBRA), located at the University of Los Andes, in Merida, Venezuela, where an academic and cultural project is being developed under the supervision of professor Yhana Riobueno. The third important academic project comes from the Ángel Rama Center of Latinamerican Studies, of the University of São Paulo. Established in 1988 and having an interdiscplinary character, this active group has already carried out two significant seminars, is engaged in teaching and publishing projects and has 4

5 published some collective works. One of these, the volume Literatura e História na América Latina (1993), coordinated by Ligia Chiappini and Flavio de Aguiar, is the proceedings from an international seminar held in Important accomplishments are also found within the realm of politics. In the eighties decade, during the post-dictatorship years, an important inauguration took place in São Paulo: the Memorial of Latin America, an institution which is situated in a confluence between the cultural and the political aspects, and whose objectives are to value the causes and the projects that involve Latin America as a whole. Political is also the attitude of the Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, elected in 1998, who considers unpostponable deepening the bonds with Brazil. Political have also been the recent bi-lateral decisions made by Brazil and Argentina as regards the language; as a result, Spanish has become a mandatory subject at all Brazilian elementary schools and, reciprocally, Portuguese in Argentina. Also, teachers graduating in one of the two countries will be able to teach in the other. This may be a small step for men, but it surely represents an enormous stride toward the elimination of hindrance among the inheritors of the Tordesilhas Treaty. Fortunately, since the removal of obstacles still existing inside Latin America can no longer be admited. Most probably, these actions, at least partially, are due to the positive role represented by MERCOSUL, actively engaged in putting an end to the unwholesome economic restrictions between Brazil, on one side, and Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, on the other. The attractiveness of MERCOSUL has reached even the sensitive tourism area, which in an inaugural motion has created a cultural circuit which consists in visiting the 18th century ruins of the Jesuitic Missions, built up by the Guarani indians directed by the fathers, spread throughout Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Nonetheless, it is in the non-formal area of entertainment that Brazil has its best key to open all doors. They are the famous soap operas which, along with popular music and sport athletes, have gone beyond all boundaries. 3 - Strategies An interesting strategy to bring together the two Americas would be to stimulate the prosecution and multiplication of all the actions which have been successful so far, thus propitiating the emergence of a larger quantity of comparative studies, institutional projects, colloquies, seminars and publications. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary to add actions directed toward specific areas, in order to awaken poles which are still dormant. In our view, four goals still have to be implemented: the book market, the academic area, teaching methods and dynamics for conferences. As to the book market, it is convenient to create mechanisms so as to increase the circulation of translations of Brazilian literature in the Hispanoamerican countries. On the other hand, if we take into consideration the fact that access to books is relatively restricted in the Latin American countries, we should accept Ligia Chiappini s suggestion. She reminds us that it would be worthwhile to use the technology in our favor creating virtual libraries and electronic data bank. This would be of great help for the disseminaton of information and at a low cost. Within the realm of academic administration, we would like to overcome a situation quite frequent in Europe and in the United States. It means that Portuguese and Hispanic studies are both concentrated in one common department, although the two groups remain absolutely apart, sharing only the administrative places. The 5

6 emergence of academic projects interconnecting the two blocks academicwould be of great academic interest, thus enriching the traditional studies through the introduction of new points of view and transversal cutouts in the rigid university programs. The methodology of teaching provides us with a large number of profitable and concrete resources to settle the union between Brazil and Hispanic studies. Here some mechanisms of action can be advised. A) First of all, we suggest the adoption of a compared perspective in analyzing literature, especially under the point-of-view that Ángel Rama calls contrastive comparativeness, the only one that can make clear the similarities and differences between the two cultures under consideration and, at the same time, process the necessary interaction. B) We also propose, as a starting point for the study of literature, that a common reference for the two cultures be found. C) Finally, it is recommended to explore what French call the Civilisation, that means the historical-cultural aspect of a literary text. So students will be able to enrich their knowledge regarding the foreign context where the action of the text unfolds. As to the policy regarding seminars, we support a proposal made by Lucia Costigan. She is in favor of having more space for the cultural-literary discourse in Latin America, especially the Brazil-Hispanoamerican comparativeness, in regional, national and international encounters promoted by institutions such as LASA (Latin American Studies Association), MLA (Modern Language Associaton) and similar. Hoping to have contributed toward deepening the Hispanolusitanian bonds of union, we conclude our thoughts by emphasizing that in literature we can only topple Tordesilhas through cultural actions and through research with comparative methods, acknowledging and respecting the dfferences. 6

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1) CANDIDO, Antonio. Uma visão latinoamericana. In: CHIAPPINI, L. & AGUIAR, F. (orgs). Literatura e História na América Latina. São Paulo, São Paulo University Press, ) CHIAPPINI, Ligia & AGUIAR, Flávio (orgs). O Centro Ángel Rama. In:. Literatura e História na América Latina. São Paulo, São Paulo University Press, ). Para além da literatura com a literatura. Unpublished manuscript, read at the German Lusitanists Congress, Berlim, oct ) COSTIGAN, Lucia Helena. O comparatismo na América Latina; abordagem cultural. In: REVISTA DE CRÍTICA LITERÁRIA LATINOAMERICANA. Lima/Berkeley University, no. 45, year XXIII, 1 st semester 1997, p ). O diálogo Brasil/América Hispânica: balanço/questões teóricas. In: REVISTA DE CRÍTICA LITERÁRIA LATINOAMERICANA. Lima/Berkeley University, no. 45, year XXIII, 1 st semester 1997, p ). O Brasil, a América Hispânica e o Caribe: abordagens comparativas. In: REVISTA IBEROAMERICANA, Pittsburg University, no , jan-jun ) HENRÍQUEZ UREÑA, Pedro. Las corrientes literárias en la América Hispánica. La Habana, Instituto Cubano del Libro [1971]. 8) PIZARRO, Ana (org). Introducción. In:. La literatura latinoamericana como proceso. Buenos Aires, Centro Editor de América Latina, p ) (org). Hacia una história de la literatura latinoamericana. México, Colégio de México Press, ). Introdução. Palabra, literatura y cultura en las formaciones discursivas coloniales. In: (org). América Latina. Palavra, literatura, cultura. São Paulo, Memorial de América Latina; Campinas, University of Campinas Press. Vol. 1: A situação colonial, 1993; Vol 2: Emancipação e discursos, 1994; Vol 3: Vanguarda e modernidade, ) RIOBUENO, Yhana. Introducción. In: ACTUAL. Otras visiones del paraíso: la literatura brasileña revisitada. Merida, University of Los Andes, no. 39, jan-mar 1999, p ) SCHWARTZ, Jorge. Abaixo Tordesilhas!. In: ESTUDOS AVANÇADOS University of São Paulo, nº 17, vol 7, 1993, p