Mutismo ancestral: a sorte dos índios

Authors

  • Luis Adriano de Souza Cezar Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Milton Hatoum is one of the most important authors of contemporary Brazilian literature. He made his debut in the literary world in 1989 with the acclaimed novel Relato de um Certo Oriente. This work, the result of high aesthetic refinement and an intricate narrative arrangement, is distinguished not only by the strength of its plot, but above all because it incorporates, as a constituent element of the characters and their conflicts, the historic discourse of Manaus during an economic and cultural crisis subsequent to the decline in the Rubber Boom. This paper therefore presents an analysis of the novel, whose frame of reference is Amazon (and Brazilian) society throughout the twentieth century.

Keywords:

Milton Hatoum, Manaus, Rubber Boom, decadence