O Cortiço (titled in English: The Slum) is an influential Brazilian novel written in 1890 by Aluísio Azevedo.[1][2] The novel depicts a part of Brazil's culture in the late 19th century, represented by a variety of colorful characters living in a single Rio de Janeiro tenement.[3] It is written with the intention of belonging to the Realism movement leaning towards Naturalism, much like Flaubert's Madame Bovary.

O Cortiço
AuthorAluísio Azevedo
CountryBrazil
LanguagePortuguese
GenreNaturalism
ISBN0-19-512187-2

Azevedo's The Slum tells the stories of Portuguese and other European immigrants, mulattos, and former African slaves living and working together in a single community. It explores the author's intensely naturalistic beliefs, having various characters being defined and changed by their environment, race and social position.

Examples are: the division between the lackadaisical, yet passionate, mulattos and the hard-working, driven Portuguese immigrants, how the climate and culture of Brazil can slowly transform these immigrants' behavior in atavistic ways. In addition, the role of women is a key theme, with all female characters in one way or another revealing their purpose in the slum.

In 2013 the book became a musical on Brazilian Broadway starring Gabriel Boni Rodrigues and Rafael Morelli. Today the play is with Daniel Tupauan and Christian Coronel.

References edit

  1. ^ "Race and modernity in O Cortiço by Aluísio de Azevedo – LL Journal". Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  2. ^ "'O Cortiço' – Resumo da obra de Aluísio Azevedo". Guia do Estudante (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  3. ^ Baltazar, Ana (2019). "Inequality in Aluísio Azevedo's O cortiço". In Charley, Jonathan (ed.). Inequality in Aluísio Azevedo's O Cortiço. Routledge. pp. 82–95. doi:10.4324/9781315613154-6. ISBN 978-1-315-61315-4. S2CID 159138282.

External links edit

  • Azevedo, Aluísio (1973). O cortiço (in Portuguese). Google, Inc.