Letters from Brazilian poets (selected bibliography)

Abstract

This is a bibliographic survey, with an introduction by the author. Contribution to the Epistolary Poets Dossier. No abstract required. Initial excerpt from the introduction: "For epistolographic criticism to fulfill its objective with certainty and accuracy, it depends on access to documentation preserved in public and private archives, or on consultation of published letters and correspondence that are based on rigorous philological procedures and interdisciplinary approaches. In Brazil, the editorial practice of epistolary material (and, it is worth mentioning, of other documents produced in the private sphere) has a rather chequered history, subject to chance, amateurism, personal sensibilities, and commercial interests. Antonio Candido, in 1944, asserted that, in our literary field, there were still "practically no personal documents." Diaries, letters, and memoirs are rare, scarce, and imperfect." This reality, regarding the publication of correspondence, (still) proves to be unfavorable, due to the (common) lack of prestige of the task. According to historian Angela de Castro Gomes, the endeavor is "long and arduous work, and sometimes not highly regarded in academic circles." Currently, in the face of consistent editorial projects committed to the dissemination of reliable and annotated texts, the critical fortune of epistolography is witnessing more fruitful horizons. [...]"