Literature is the zeitgeist and the controversy surrounding the publishing of literary classics

A movement that has caused controversy in the literary world is that of publishing classics or new authors, in which the original text is modified or recommended to be changed in an attempt to adapt it to contemporary sensibilities, thus preventing readers from feeling offended or disturbed. Through bigoted passages, forced stereotypes, or problematic language toward historically oppressed groups or sensitive topics.

However, if this initiative may seem, at first, noble and full of good intentions, the truth is that this practice has been pointed out by many critics, both readers and writers, as disrespectful to the work and the author, as well as a falsification of history.

One of the voices opposing this movement is that of Paloma Jorge Amado, daughter of the famous Bahrain writer Jorge Amado, author of works such as “Gabriela Cravo e Canela”, “Dona Flor e Seu Dois Maridos” and “O Gato Malhado ea Andorinha”. Sinha. “I think this is terrible, it is terrible. This is the face of a type of person who wants to transform reality as they please, ignoring any contexts. In short, it is terrible. the time During the first Parakatu International Literary Festival, Pliparakatu, held in August. “My father, for example, never re-read a book he wrote, because he was afraid of wanting to change something there. This is contrary to what he thought. For my father, books are dated, because they speak and reflect a certain era, even though they are universal and seem timeless.” “.

An example of how this philosophy of Jorge Amado is applied in practice is the book “O Gato Malhado ea Andorinha Sinhá”, which he wrote in 1948, while he was in exile in Paris, France, as a gift for his son João Jorge. , which was his first birthday that year. The book tells the story of an impossible love between a cat and a swallow, who face opposition from other animals in the forest. According to Paloma, the post is an allegory that reflects a series of her father’s prejudices. “It was very prejudiced at the time, and it was believed that only men and women were married, animals were of the same species, etc.,” he recalls. He adds: “But he overcame this thought, and therefore never wanted to publish the book, because he felt that it no longer represented his beliefs.”

Only in 1976 did Jorge Amado agree to publish the book – which today is considered a masterpiece of Brazilian children’s literature. “This, after the insistence of João Jorge, who presented my father with an irresistible editorial project with illustrations by (visual artist and journalist) Caribe,” recalls Paloma, adding that the title continues with the tragic ending in which the Cat and the Swallow cannot marry – “because in 1948 it was “It is so.” “Now can you imagine someone coming along and changing the book? I think that’s disrespectful. That’s stupid, and I think it’s stupid. It’s a complete falsification of history.”

The psychologist and writer believes that these “corrections” are meaningless, especially because of the multi-meaning nature of artistic creations, which by nature have more than one meaning and are open to multiple interpretations. In light of this characteristic, she believes that the book itself can be read from different points of view, so that the interpretation of the text, in itself, updates it for a new era without the need for amendments.

Paloma, for example, proposes a feminist reading of the 1966 novel Doña Flor and Her Husbands, which narrates the romantic adventures of Doña Flor, a cooking teacher in Bahia who becomes the widow of her husband Vadinho, a stubborn bohemian. . She remarries Teodoro, a peaceful and loyal pharmacist, but misses the passion of her first husband. One day, Vadinho returns from beyond the grave as a ghost and begins sharing Doña Flor’s bed with Teodoro. At first, Doña Flor feels guilty and torn between her two husbands, but later she accepts her choice: she wants to be with both of them.

“This is very revolutionary for a woman of that time,” reflects Paloma, defining her heroine as a strong, independent and sensual character who fights for her rights and desires. In her opinion, in fact, these female characters in Jorge Amado’s novels broke away from the prevailing masculinity of the time, even though he himself was a man who demonstrated the masculinity deeply rooted in the society of the time – “although, yes, a lot developed on Over the years, “living and learning from the women in his life and from his characters.”

In support of the argument that polysemy in works of art can, in itself, be modernized, Paloma cites the vote of Minister Rosa Weber, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), who used the novel “Gabriela Cravo e Canela”, published in 1958, to support his vote. The unconstitutionality of the thesis known as “legitimate defense of honor,” which recognized the killing of women due to infidelity in a romantic relationship. This novel begins with the trial of the colonel who kills his wife and her lover, and he resorts to this justification. At the trial, the minister said that in 1959, Jorge Amado had already written about the subject explaining how ridiculous this argument was. “In any case, I believe that literature has the ability to show problems and changes in society, depending on the historical and cultural context in which it was produced,” Paloma concludes.

“A vision aimed at purifying the world”

There is another voice that must be raised against the movement to revise literary texts to adapt them to the new era, and that is that of the writer Mia Koto, one of the most important names in African literature, the author of works such as “Terra Sonâmbula” and “O Último Voo”. Do Flamingo” and “The Other Foot of the Mermaid”. During the launch tour of his latest book, “As Are the Eternal Maladies of Bikenas”, the Mozambican spoke to the correspondent, on this occasion saying that the publication of literary classics reduces the critical capacity of the reader.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to change one of my texts myself, because I think revision is necessary. But whoever does this for me in the name of defending the reader’s morals is unacceptable,” points out the occupant of Chair No. 5 of the Council of Corresponding Members of the Academy. Brazilian Literature (ABL), which continues: “Indeed, this amounts to belittling the reader, as if he were unable to critically perceive what he reads. In fact, the reader does not ask for someone to protect him, this is not the case. If a term is incorrect, politically incorrect by today’s standards, but it is embedded in a context, why change it? “I find it unacceptable that this review took place, especially when talking about authors who are no longer living.”

For Mia Couto, when potentially problematic passages are identified, the work can be enriched with counterpoints placed in footnotes, for example. “I suggest that instead of subtracting, we should add. The solution is to add. In other words, leaving this term as it is and introducing a note, in which the two worldviews are placed, enriches the reading, rather than impoverishing it,” he said, adding that this so-called moral correction movement is not limited to the field. “It is something that was born in the Puritan world, and I think it was born in this English-speaking world dominated by a religious vision aimed at purifying the world. In this aspect, we are mainly talking about the United States. In South America, which is a very Catholic country, there is a certain tolerance about what is allowed. I think this is the best [a tolerância católica] To Puritanism,” he reflects.

The dangers of reading the past through the lens of the present

There is a word that reflects well the act of judging, with today’s values, events, actions and historical figures from the past: anachronism. In general, the term is defined as a chronological error consisting of attributing thoughts and feelings to one time or character from another time.

Based on reflections on this phenomenon, author, literary critic and journalist Sergio Rodriguez wrote “Future Life”, his latest title. In the post, he imagines a scenario in which two of the greatest names in 19th-century Brazilian literature, José de Alencar and Machado de Assis, return to life as ghosts in 21st-century Rio de Janeiro after learning that their books will, in theory, be rewritten. Reach more readers through more relatable writing. Descending from Olympus to Earth, they need to deal with contemporary figures, such as militiamen and academic youth engaged in identity debates.

“In the case of Future Life, the research was more about the style, the intense interaction with Machado’s writing, while the creativity was completely free. “What interested me in this case was precisely the anachronism, the amazement that today’s world can arouse in the minds Brazilian in the nineteenth century,” Rodriguez explained in an email interview, in which he also commented on the sensitive reading service, which consists of analyzing a literary text from the perspective of historically and socially oppressed groups or sensitive topics, such as sexual assault and mental disorders, with the aim of discovering and correcting errors. Potential cultural biases, forced stereotypes, or problematic language that may offend or disrespect this population.

“I have nothing against it, on the contrary: the more critical reading an original text receives, the better it becomes. It’s like a typical race car in a wind tunnel. The danger I see is self-censorship. Friction and conflict are part of literature and can It is legitimately in the author’s intentions. Not everything that bothers you has to be cleaned up. “All readings are welcome, but the last word must go to the writer,” mused the author of “O Dribble” and “Elsa, Garotta.”

Rodriguez also took a stand against the book-editing movement to suppress excerpts deemed sensitive, both in classics and in publications by new authors. “As I said, the final word is the author. I don’t see myself revising my already published books, except to correct any factual errors. Anyway, whoever writes has that right. Now, it’s a matter of rewriting books from other eras to steam them up and adapt them to contemporary sensibilities.” It is a crime against culture, a depressing narcissistic trait of our time.

“Only an extremely ignorant age can claim to be above history. If the author is alive and authorizes it, that is his problem. But if he dies, and the heirs decide to license it for commercial or other reasons, or even if it is in the public domain, then this is called intellectual deviation.” “Sorry, I can’t find another term.”

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