Read a book goes beyond the obligation of preparing for school or university entrance exams, becoming a opportunity to acquire knowledge, expand vocabulary, exercise imagination and be more creative (a). How about giving a space for literary works as a form of leisure in the vacation?
THE literature is rich in textual genres, has authors for all tastes and books for all budgets. There are also the public domain works, which can be accessed for free.
O Brazil has big names in its hall of writers. Many are present in the students' routine, such as Machado de Assis, Graciliano Ramos, Rachel de Queiroz, Clarice Lispector, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Manuel Bandeira and others.
Read more:Vacations – resting or studying for the entrance exam?
Educational institutions seek to encourage reading through the lists of literary works from their entrance exams. In addition to the well-known Brazilian writers, there is room for foreign literature (from classics to contemporary ones). Fiction and reality are present in the books that accompany the student throughout his life. Some plots yield so much that they are adapted for film and TV.
What to read on vacation?
If you still don't know what to read on vacation, there's no shortage of options! It is possible to bring different sensations to the reading, such as putting background music that correspond to the scenes in the books (some more current ones bring suggestions), write down your favorite phrases, research fun facts about the environment in which the story goes on. There is also the possibility of reconciling the traditional physical book with the e-books.
Thinking about moments of rest to catch up on reading, Brasil Escola offers suggestions for books to read on vacation. Check out!
1. Machado de Assis
Founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Machado de Assis is present in schools' literature and Portuguese language classes from all over the country, as well as being a recurrent figure in entrance exams and in some questions of the National High School Exam (And either).
Machado started his career with works by Romanticism and then turned his writing style around, kicking off the Realism in Brazil. Get to know some of his works:
-Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas (1881): Have you ever imagined a work in which the dead man tells his life story? This is the plot of Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, a revolution for literature at the time (and still today). Brás Cubas tells different episodes of his life, without chronological order, and invites the reader to delve into his experiences.
- Quincas Borba (1891): Quincas Borba, a character who appears in Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, leaves his legacy to the naive Rubião at the end of the 19th century. Upon moving to Rio de Janeiro, Rubião will have to live with society's interests and will learn more about the power relationship between social layers.
- Dom Casmurro (1899): Teenagers Bentinho and Capitu are in love with each other, but Bentinho's trip to the seminary separates the two. In his preparation to become a priest, he meets Escobar, a young man who becomes his friend and companion on the run. Years later, already married to Capitu, Bentinho began to distrust his partner after Escobar's death, leaving the doubt as to whether or not there was adultery. The reader will have to look at the accounts and find out if there is betrayal or if the fact is just a result of the protagonist's jealousy.
2. Graciliano Ramos
Graciliano Ramos brought to Brazilian literature a real, critical and hard view of human life, especially in the Brazilian hinterland. Themes such as drought, hunger, the routine of the sertanejo, civil servants, the authoritarian figure of the father and politics are present in his works. Check out some of his books:
- Dry Lives (1938): The main book by Graciliano Ramos, Vidas Secas brings the story of the family of migrants led by the cowboy Fabiano and his wife. The characters head south, looking for a place where there is water, food and employment opportunities. The work explores the misery of the sertão and approaches the characters' psychological aspects.
- Saint Bernard (1934): brings the story of Paulo Honório, a man of humble origins who seeks to grow in life and gives up his humanity, becoming brutal and violent. The narrative has two forms of the protagonist: narrator and character. As a character, Paulo Honório appears in the past, but as a narrator the time of the text is the present.
- Memoirs of Prison (posthumous publication - 1953): Graciliano Ramos was arrested in 1936, being released in 1937 under pressure from Brazilian intellectuals. Ten years later, the author wrote his memoirs of the period in which he was imprisoned, talking about violence, political backwardness, persecution and other themes.
3. Rachel de Queiroz
First woman to join the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Rachel de Queiroz was a novelist, columnist and journalist who gained prominence with works of a social nature, in the form of a novel, to talk about the people's struggle against drought and the misery. In her first book, “O fifteen”, the author based herself on what she experienced with the scarcity of water and food that motivated her going with her family to Rio de Janeiro. Among his works are:
- The Fifteen (1930): The book addresses the great drought of 1915 and the dilemmas of northeastern migrants: go out in search of a better life or stay in your beloved land?
- The Maiden and the Moura Torta (1948): The book brings together chronicles by Rachel de Queiroz that were published in Rio de Janeiro newspapers.
- Memorial of Maria Moura (1992): It is the story of a farmer's daughter who is orphaned and leaves her land because of the greed of her stepfather and cousins. Accompanied by some employees, she faces difficulties in the sertão and begins to lead looting and robberies, becoming a legend as an outlaw.
4. Clarice Lispector
Of Ukrainian origin, Clarice Lispector came to Brazil as a child, fleeing the persecution of Jews. The writer, also a journalist, put in her works problems faced by women of different ages and taboos in the female universe. The author also had a phase focused on children's literature. Part of her works are:
- Near the Wild Heart (1944): Alternating between the present and the past, Perto do Coração Selvagem shows Joana's adolescence and youth, an orphan who is surrounded by characters that influence her personality formation (positive or negatively).
- The Chandelier (1946): Luster focuses on Virginia's feelings, the way she sees and lives love. Clarice Lispector is not about the environment in which the character is, but about the interior of the protagonist, who has the story told from childhood to adulthood.
- The Hour of the Star (1977): Clarice Lispector's latest novel, brings to readers the character Macabéa, whose story is told by the fictional narrator Rodrigo S.M. Alagoana who lives in Rio de Janeiro, the protagonist is unconventional, and the reader can follow her delusions, desires and feelings that result in an outcome different from what it was for her dreamed.
5. Lygia Fagundes Telles
The first Brazilian to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature, Lygia Fagundes Telles is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and Science in Lisbon. Her works focus on female psychology and the urban environment. Discover some of the author's books:
- Ciranda de Pedra (1954): This book brings the vision of the youngest daughter of a middle-class couple going through a breakup. The young woman exposes the rottenness of traditional families' facade life and the power play present in society at the time. Themes such as jealousy, betrayal and psychiatric disorders are treated in an innovative way in this work.
- The Girls (1973): Bold for dealing with repression in times of Military dictatorship, the book As Meninas talks about censorship and torture, recounting the conflicts experienced by three young university students who lived in a boarding school in São Paulo. Readers can follow the confidences of each of them and learn more about the time.
- Cloud Conspiracy (2007): The book brings together fiction and reality in a compilation of unpublished stories and childhood memories, travel stories, chronicles and profiles on Brazilian intellectuals with whom Lygia lived.
Foreign literature
Foreign literature is responsible for the growing number of teenage and young readers. Many works reach Brazilians through their adaptations for films, series and TV shows. With the repercussion in the media, fans often look for the books that gave rise to the scripts to learn more about the stories.
Among the most popular foreign language books are:
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Divergent
The Chronicles of ice and Fire (book series of Game of Thrones)
The Maze Runner
Pride and Prejudice, Reason and Sensitivity and Emma (Jane Austen)
The Chronicles of Narnia
An opportunity for those who enjoy another language is to look for their favorite book or what they want to read in the original language and practice instrumental reading and interpretation.
Have fun and learn: a great choice for the school holidays!
By Lorraine Vilela
Brazil School Team
