Nelson Rodrigues he was born on August 23, 1912, in Recife, but as a child he moved with his family to Rio Janeiro. His father owned a newspaper, and this allowed his 14-year-old son to start his journalistic career as a police reporter. Later, published chronicles, short stories and novels, Pbut the writer's fame is mainly due to his plays.
His texts, both prose and drama, are characterized by a simple language, criticism of customs and the presence of controversial themes, like incest and adultery. Dramatic texts are divided into:
psychological pieces
mythical pieces
carioca tragedies
The author, who died on December 21, 1980, in Rio de Janeiro, composed famous theatrical works, such as Wedding dress and the kiss on the asphalt.
Read too: Dramatic genre - texts written with the aim of being staged
Nelson Rodrigues Biography
Nelson Rodrigues was born on August 23, 1912, in Recife. However, in 1916, the family moved to Rio de Janeiro, where Mário Rodrigues (1885-1930), the writer's father, created the newspaper
Tomorrow, in 1925. Before, however, in 1919, the son entered the Prudente de Morais school. During his period of studies at this institution, he won an essay contest. The theme of his essay was adultery.So, when he was 14 years old, the author started working with his father and became a police reporter. However, in 1929, Mário could not keep the newspaper and founded another one, called review. That year, tragedy befell the family. The journalist's brother — Roberto Rodrigues (1906-1929) — was murdered by the writer Sylvia Seraphim (1902-1936), because of a report about his alleged adultery.
This event ended up leading Mário Rodrigues to surrender to the alcoholism and soon to die in 1930. In addition, months later, the newspaper was closed by the government of Getulio Vargas. In the next years, the family would face great financial difficulty, in addition to Nelson Rodrigues being affected by tuberculosis and losing a brother to disease in 1936.
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That same year, the writer started writing about football for the Sports Newspaper. In 1940, he married Elza Brittany, with whom he lived until 1963, when he separated to live with Lúcia Cruz Lima for the next eight years. As early as 1941, his first play — the sinless woman — was staged. However, recognition came only two years later, when his play premiered Wedding dress.
In 1944, Nelson Rodrigues, who was also a novelist, signed the book my destiny is to sin with her pseudonym Suzana Flag, which would be used in two other works. Thus, always dealing with controversial themes, the author, in 1946, had his play Family album censored, due to the theme of incest.
Alongside his career as a playwright, he also wrote for periodicals such as Last hour, Morning mail, Jornal do Brasil and The globe. Later, worked on television, in addition to making a guest appearance as an actor., in 1957, in his play forgive me for betraying me.
The author, who died on December 21, 1980, in Rio de Janeiro, despite supporting the military regime, had his novel The wedding censored in 1966. In 1972, his son, Nelson Rodrigues Filho, was arrested and tortured for his involvement in the armed struggle against the dictatorship.
Read too: Ariano Suassuna – playwright from Paraíba, founder of mmovement Thememorial
Characteristics of the work of Nelson Rodrigues
Your pieces, Tales, novels and chronicles generally have the following characteristics:
colloquial language
presence of slang
ironic tone
Dynamic dialogues
interior monologue
customs criticism
everyday vision
grotesque elements
Themes:
- Adultery
- Hypocrisy
- human corruption
- Immoral conduct
- Love and sex
- Crime and death
His plays are divided into three categories:
psychological pieces: present a psychological analysis of the characters, as in the play Wedding dress.
mythical pieces: they deconstruct the traditional model of the bourgeois family, as shown in the work Family album.
carioca tragedies: of a more popular character, highlight the suburb of Rio de Janeiro, as can be seen in the deceased.
Works by Nelson Rodrigues
![Cover of the book The kiss on the asphalt, by Nelson Rodrigues, published under the seal Nova Fronteira. [1]](/f/4b47aec35cc9c238d876b57e0c2b6630.png)
→ theater
the sinless woman (1941)
Wedding dress (1943)
Family album (1946)
black angel (1947)
lady of the drowned (1947)
Dorothea (1949)
Waltz nO 6 (1951)
the deceased (1953)
forgive me for betraying me (1957)
widow but honest (1957)
the seven kittens (1958)
mouth of gold (1959)
the kiss on the asphalt (1960)
cute but ordinary (1962)
All nudity will be punished (1965)
Anti-Nelson Rodrigues (1974)
the snake (1978)
→ Romance
my destiny is to sin (1944)
slaves of love (1944)
My life (1944)
Fire nuptials (1948)
the woman who loved too much (1949)
The lie (1953)
the forbidden man (1959)
Wild asphalt: Funny girl, her sins and her loves (1959)
The wedding (1966)
Memories: the starless girl (1992)
→ Tale
A hundred chosen tales: life as it is... (1972)
they like to be beaten (1974)
Life as it is...: the faithful man and other tales (1992)
The stocking lady and other tales and chronicles (1992)
the wreath of orchids (1992)
little love is not love (2002)
→ Chronicle
The Howling Obvious: First Confessions (1968)
the bitch goat (1970)
The reactionary: memories and confessions (1977)
Fla-flu... and the crowds awoke (1987)
Ben-Hur's Oarsman (1992)
The bitch goat: new confessions (1992)
In the shadow of immortal boots: football chronicles (1992)
next's wife (1992)
the tricolor prophet (2002)
You can't love and be happy at the same time (2002)
The printed scream of headlines (2007)
the homeland of cleats (2012
Brazil in the field (2018)
See too:Dias Gomes – playwright who contributed from theater to television soap operas
the kiss on the asphalt
the kiss on the asphalt é one of the most famous pieces by Nelson Rodrigues. The text features characters such as Amado, a sensationalist and unscrupulous journalist, and Cunha, a violent delegate. The two decide to pursue the character Arandir, who kissed a man who had been run over on the mouth.
Both the journalist and the delegate intend to take advantage of the case and do everything to Arandir confess that he had an affair with the dead. However, Arandir is married to Selminha, who is the daughter of Aprígio and sister of Dália, a teenager who harbors desires for her brother-in-law.
During the course of the plot, the audience is led to believe that Aprígio is jealous of his daughter Selminha, that is, he feels some kind of desire for her. However, in the end, it is revealed that Aprígio is in love with his son-in-law Arandir. Before, however, the article about the “kiss on the asphalt” comes out, and Arandir's life becomes hell, as everyone begins to suspect that he is a homosexual.
Also, throughout the play, the doubt hangs in the air whether Arandir knew the ran over. Furthermore, the homophobia of the characters, consistent with the 1960s, is quite evident. However, it is not possible to know whether the play criticizes homophobia or is favorable to it. This doubt makes the text much more complex and interesting.
Phrases by Nelson Rodrigues
Next, we are going to read some sentences by Nelson Rodrigues, taken from the book Only prophets see the obvious:
"I owe a lot to enemies and very little, if anything, to admirers."
"A loving person is sincere even when he lies."
"Each one of us will die clinging to his anguish."
"The real possession is the kiss on the mouth."
"There is only one admissible cough: ours."
"There are doctors who charge until 'good morning'."
"As long as man does not love forever, we will remain prehistoric."
"Things said once and only once die unpublished."
"An idiot is always accompanied by other idiots."
Image credit
[1] Ediouro Publications (reproduction)
by Warley Souza
Literature teacher
