Brazilian Cordel Literature Collection, 1924-1990
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8542t5c No online items Finding aid for the Brazilian cordel literature collection, 1924-1990 Ashley Larson Finding aid for the Brazilian 950072 1 cordel literature collection, 1924-1990 Descriptive Summary Title: Brazilian cordel literature collection Date (inclusive): 1924-1990 Number: 950072 Physical Description: 4.5 Linear Feet(10 boxes) Repository: The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles 90049-1688 [email protected] URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref (310) 440-7390 Abstract: The Brazilian cordel literature collection contains over 2000 pamphlets of popular literature known in Portuguese as literatura de cordel or "string literature." Traditionally, literatura de cordel is composed in verse and illustrated with woodcuts on the front cover, and it derives its name from the way it is sold suspended by a string in Brazilian open-air markets. The collection includes pamphlets published between 1924 and 1990 arranged into four series by region of publication: Center-West, Northeast, Southeast, and Undetermined. The collection inventory provides the title of each pamphlet in the collection. Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy . Language: Collection material is in Portuguese Biographical / Historical Note The Brazilian cordel literature collection contains over 2000 pamphlets of popular literature known in Portuguese as literatura de cordel ("string literature"). It derives its name from the fashion in which it was sold to passersby in Northeastern Brazil: suspended from a string in open-air markets. Migration trends to the Southeastern states after 1950 led to an influx of poets and printers who expanded the reach of the pamphlets beyond their traditional Northeastern audience. The cordel, as it is known, is an important part of Brazil's rich literary and folkloric history. Its form, typically composed in verse, originates from the ballad tradition of the Middle Ages and, much like this tradition, its original purpose was to entertain, spread news, and impart moral instruction to the populace through mass distribution. The cordel is similar to other literary forms found throughout Europe, such as the English chapbook, the French littérature de colportage, and the romanceiro from the Iberian peninsula. The cordel continues to be a source of artistic and literary expression in Brazil. Although this literary form declined at the end of the twentieth century as other modes of entertainment ascended, authors from the Southeast such as Franklin Maxado Nordestino revitalized the cordel by introducing new topics and accommodating urban audiences. The cordel also exerts a significant amount of influence on Brazilian art, theater, music, and literature. Brazilian authors such as Jorge Amado, Ariano Saussuna, and João Cabral de Melo Neto have incorporated the celebrated literary form into their own work, and cordel stories have even been adapted for television, as in Globo's Cordel encantado and for the big screen, like Tânia Quaresma's 1975 film Nordeste: cordel, repente, canção. Access Open for use by qualified researchers. Publication Rights Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions . Preferred Citation Brazilian cordel literature collection, 1924-1990, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 950072 http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa950072 Acquisition Information Acquired in 1990. Processing History Rehoused upon receipt by the registrars. Processing and description by Ashley Larson in 2016 under the supervision of Kit Messick. Finding aid for the Brazilian 950072 2 cordel literature collection, 1924-1990 Related Materials Cordel: xilogravura e ilustrações / Franklin Maxado, LC Call number: Z521.4 .M33 1982. Xilogravura popular na literatura de cordel / Jeová Franklin, Call number: 2768-094. Scope and Content of Collection The collection consists of over 2000 cordels covering an array of subject matter, including tales of love and adventure, religious prophecies and prayers, fables and legends, and pelejas (poetic duels of verbal and musical acumen), in addition to daily news, horoscopes, and local "fofocas de futebol" (soccer gossip). Poet-reporters capture and describe major events in the history of Brazil and the world, such as the death of Tancredo Neves, popular revolt in Vicencia, Papal visits, and even the death of Elvis Presley. Contents also include political themes highlighting specific candidates, debates, popular demands, such as Afro-Brazilian rights and agrarian reform. Within the collection, there are multiple printings, editions, and variations of beloved stories. Researchers will find this collection particularly useful for the history of print literature in Brazil; its influence on other literary forms; its value as historical documentation; its value as a source of popular folklore and political attitudes; and the artistic value of its woodblock engraving and other illustrative forms. The cordel pamphlets are generally four by six and a half inches, however deviation in sizing occurs throughout the collection. Cordels are made of lightweight paper and can be 8, 16, 32, or 64 pages, with an occasional two- or four-page anomaly. Many of the troubadours conclude their poems with a signature in verse, or an acrostic, starting each final line with a letter from their first initial and last name. Most pamphlets feature an illustration on the front cover, typically a woodcut engraving, although it is not uncommon to see a reproduced photograph or a drawing. Often, the cover artwork is signed with the initials or family name of the highlighted artist. The back cover typically features the author's contact information, with or without a photograph, as well as advertisements from local vendors, publishers or other companies, and legal notes pertaining to the purchase and sale of the item.The collection is arranged into four series which provide the researcher access based on geographical region of publication. Series I. Center-West is the smallest of the four series, consisting of a handful of publications from 1978 to 1988. Series II. Northeast is the largest of the series, with a date range of 1924 to 1990. Series III. Southeast offers examples of the urban cordel movement, alongside traditional works, between the years 1975 and 1989. Series IV. Undetermined includes those pamphlets which could not be assigned to a region. Titles are transcribed from the cover page. Multiple copies are noted when present. Arrangement Arranged in four series: Series I. Center-West, 1978-1988;Series II. Northeast, 1924-1990;Series III. Southeast, 1975-1989;Series IV. Undetermined, 1924-1990. Subjects - Topics Chapbooks, Brazilian Popular literature -- Brazil. Wood-engraving, Brazilian Folk literature, Brazilian Brazilian poetry -- 20th century. Folk poetry, Brazilian. Genres and Forms of Material Chapbooks Poems Woodcuts Contributors Santa Helena, Raimundo Machado, Franklin de C. Leite, José Costa Cavalcante, Rodolfo Coelho, 1919-1986 Borges, J. (José), 1935- Batista, Abraão Athayde, João Martins de Soares, José, 1914-1981 Finding aid for the Brazilian 950072 3 cordel literature collection, 1924-1990 Series I.Center-West, 1978-1988 Series I. Center-West, 1978-1988 Physical Description: 0.5 Linear Feet(1 box) Scope and Content Note The series consists of one folder of cordels published in the Center-West region of Brazil between 1978 to 1988. It is the smallest series in the collection. Cordels are four by six and a half inches. Arrangement Arranged alphabetically. Titles transcribed from the cover page. box 1, folder 1 Fabiano Teimosia box 1, folder 1 Alfredo Nasser - foi uma das glórias do cenário cultural do nosso país box 1, folder 1 Cordel de Brasília, patrimônio cultural da humanidade Series II. Northeast, 1924-1990 Physical Description: 2.9 Linear Feet(7 boxes) Scope and Content Note The series consists of seven boxes of cordels published in the Northeast region of Brazil between 1924 and 1990. It is the largest series in the collection. The cordels typically measure four by six and a half inches. Multiple copies are noted when present. Arrangement Arranged in chronological order. Undated items are arranged alphabetically. Titles transcribed from the cover page. 1924-1925 box 1, folder 2 Branca de Neve e o soldado guerreiro Scope and Content Note Front and back pages are unattached. box 1, folder 2 O cachorro dos mortos box 1, folder 2 Os sofrimentos de Alzira 1940s box 1, folder 3 A béla adormecida no bosque box 1, folder 3 A Duquêsa de Sodoma box 1, folder 3 As grandes aventuras de Armando e Rosa conhecidos por "Côco Verde" e "Melancia" box 1, folder 3 História completa do herói João de Calais box 1, folder 3 O misterio dos treis aneis box 1, folder 3 A morte de Alonso e a vingança de Marina box 1, folder 3 Peleja de Antonio Machado com Manoel Gavião box 1, folder 3 O perdão de Dulcinéa box 1, folder 3 O premio do sacrificio ou os sofrimentos de Lindoia box 1, folder 3 Uma noite de amôr (volumes 1-2) Scope and Content Note Volumes 1 and 2 bound together. 1950s box 1, folder 5 O amôr de uma estudante: ou, o poder da inteligencia box 1, folder 5 A batalha de Oliveiros box 1, folder 5 O cachorro dos mortos box 1, folder 5 A candidatura de Getúlio Vargas Scope and Content Note One additional copy. box 1, folder 4 Combate de Zé Colatino com o Carranca do Piauí box 1, folder 4 Conselhos paternais box 1, folder 4 Discussão de João Amancio com um sertanejo de Pombal, Estado da Paraìba Finding aid for the Brazilian 950072 4 cordel literature collection, 1924-1990 Series II.Northeast, 1924-1990 box 1, folder 4 Historia da Donzela Teodoria box 1, folder 4 Historia de João da Cruz box 1, folder 4 História de um homem que teve uma questão com Santo Antonio: discussão de um creoulo com um padre box 1, folder 5 Historia de um pescador completa box 1, folder 5 Historia de um pescador completa (2º volume) box 1, folder 4 História do boi mandigueiro e o cavalo misterioso (2º volume) box 1, folder 5 A historia do marco brasileiro Scope and Content Note One additional copy.