Poetry
Romanceiro da Inconfidência
Not translated into English
Cecília Meireles · 1953
Synopsis
A cycle of eighty-five romances, interspersed with “scenarios” that describe the places and “speeches” in which the characters speak for themselves, devoted to the Minas Gerais conspiracy of 1789, born in Vila Rica, in the time of gold, against the Portuguese tax. We meet the conspiring poets, Cláudio Manuel da Costa, Tomás Antônio Gonzaga and Alvarenga Peixoto, the ensign Tiradentes, the informer Joaquim Silvério, and women figures, Chica da Silva, Bárbara Heliodora, Marília de Dirceu.
Context
The book appeared in 1953; its author drew on long historical research and on a journey to Ouro Preto, according to Toda Matéria. It takes its form from the Iberian romancero, mainly in redondilhas of five and seven syllables, with perfect and imperfect rhymes, and mixes the epic and lyric tones. Nova Brasil divides it into five parts, from the historical context to the fates of the conspirators and the women who survive them. It carries the themes of freedom and oppression, betrayal and martyrdom, and is still read in schools and universities in Brazil.
Who it is for
Narrative poems in rhymed verse and short metres, which can be read in order or separately.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as its author's major work; Joaquim Pedro de Andrade adapted texts from it in his film about the conspirators.
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