Lima Barreto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lima Barreto
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| Born | Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto 13 May 1881 Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil |
| Died | 1 November 1922 (aged 41) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, journalist |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Literary movement | Pre-Modernism |
| Notable works | Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma, Os Bruzundangas, Clara dos Anjos, O Cemitério dos Vivos |
| Relatives | Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo |
Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto (born May 13, 1881 – died November 1, 1922) was a famous Brazilian writer and journalist. He was a key figure in a literary movement called Pre-Modernism. This movement came before Modernism and focused on new ways of writing and thinking.
Lima Barreto is best known for his novel Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma. This book is a clever and sometimes harsh story about the early years of the República Velha (Old Republic) in Brazil.
Contents
About Lima Barreto's Life
Lima Barreto was born on May 13, 1881, in Laranjeiras, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. He was born on a Friday the 13th, which some people think is unlucky. But Lima Barreto believed it brought him good luck! Seven years later, on his birthday, the Golden Law was signed. This law ended slavery in Brazil.
His father, João Henriques de Lima Barreto, worked with printing. He was a monarchist, meaning he supported having a king or queen. His father was friends with Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo, who was a very important person. This Viscount later became Lima Barreto's godfather.
Lima Barreto's mother, Amália Augusta, passed away when he was very young. After that, he went to a private school. Soon, the Viscount of Ouro Preto paid for him to study at the Liceu Popular Niteroiense. He finished there in 1894. The next year, he went to the famous Colégio Pedro II.
After graduating, he started studying at the Escola Politécnica do Rio de Janeiro. However, he had to leave in 1904. He needed to take care of his brothers because his father's mental health was getting worse.
His Writing Career
Lima Barreto started writing for newspapers in 1902. He became well-known in 1905. He wrote many articles for the Correio da Manhã newspaper.
In 1911, he and some friends started a magazine called Floreal. It only had two issues, but people liked it a lot. In 1909, he published his first novel, Recordações do Escrivão Isaías Caminha. This book was a sharp, partly true story that made fun of Brazilian society.
However, his most famous work is Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma. It was first published in parts in a newspaper in 1911. Later, in 1915, it came out as a full book.
Later Years and Challenges
In his last years, Lima Barreto faced serious health challenges. He needed medical care for his mind and spent time in hospitals. He passed away from a heart attack in 1922.
Lima Barreto's Writing Style
Lima Barreto was a writer who loved to use satire. Satire is a way of using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people's mistakes or foolishness. He often criticized what he saw as average or poor quality in Brazilian society. He especially focused on the government and people in power.
One of his books that shows this style well is Os Bruzundangas. This book is a collection of stories he wrote for newspapers over 20 years.
Simple Language for Everyone
Lima Barreto also strongly disliked the fancy and difficult writing style that was popular among Brazilian leaders. They used this style to show off their "intelligence" and "high social status."
Because of this, Barreto chose a simpler writing style for his books. This made his stories easier for most Brazilians to read and understand. However, this choice also led to more criticism against him. Some wealthy and powerful Brazilians did not like his non-traditional style.
Exploring Characters' Minds
Barreto also looked deeply into what his characters were thinking and feeling. For example, Policarpo Quaresma, his most famous character, was a very strong patriot. He had almost perfect, dream-like ideas for his country. These beliefs, however, led him to a sad end. Policarpo was also innocent enough to believe Brazil's "original nature" could be brought back.
In another story, Clara dos Anjos, the main character's extreme innocence led her to a life of sadness. For the bad characters in his books, Barreto showed their dishonesty, lack of knowledge, and how little they cared about others' suffering.
Major Works
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma
Triste Fim de Policarpo Quaresma means The Tragic Fate of Policarpo Quaresma in English. This is Lima Barreto's most important work, first published in 1911. It tells the story of Policarpo Quaresma, a very patriotic Brazilian.
Policarpo's biggest dream is for Brazil to become one of the world's most powerful countries. He sees many problems in his country's politics and society. He notices that Brazilians often prefer European culture over their own. He tries hard to change this.
The story has three main parts:
- In the first part, Policarpo tries to make the government use the Tupi language instead of Portuguese.
- In the second part, he tries to improve farming in Brazil.
- In the third part, he joins the army to fight for his country.
Os Bruzundangas
This book is a collection of stories that Lima Barreto published in newspapers for about 20 years. It describes the life and customs of the people of Bruzundanga, an imaginary country that represents Brazil. In each story, Barreto shows the corruption in every part of Bruzundanga's life, from politics to education.
Lima Barreto decided to create a new country to represent Brazil. This way, he could avoid being bothered by politicians and other powerful people. The Bruzundangas is actually a big allegory, meaning it uses symbols to represent famous Brazilian people and public groups.
For example, the first chapter, "Special Chapter," talks about Bruzundanga's literature. It's controlled by an elite group called the "Samoiedas." Barreto wrote that students in this group were happy "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." The "Samoiedas' school" is a symbol for the old-fashioned Brazilian writing style. This style was still heavily influenced by Parnassianism and Symbolism.
Clara dos Anjos
This novel was published after Lima Barreto's death. It introduces Clara dos Anjos, a girl from a poor family living in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. The story is about Clara's feelings for Cassi Jones. He is a dishonest boy from a richer family.
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, published after his death)
- Coisas do Reino de Jambom (1953, published after his death)
- Sátiras e outras subversões: textos inéditos (2016, published after his death, edited by Felipe Botelho Corrêa)
See also
In Spanish: Lima Barreto para niños
