''Chiquinho'' is a Capeverdean novel written by

Baltasar Lopes da Silva Baltasar Lopes da Silva ( Caleijão, São Nicolau, 23 April 1907 - Lisbon, Portugal, 28 May 1989) was a writer, poet and linguist from Cape Verde, who wrote in both Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. With Manuel Lopes and Jorge Barbosa, he w ...

in 1936 and published in 1947. The story is named after the nickname of the island of São Nicolau in which the characters originated. The probability of the literary work is the most common in Cape Verde, it marked the beginning of the typical literature in Cape Verde along with local themes in Creole culture. Along with ''

Claridade ''Claridade'' (Portuguese for "light") was a literary review inaugurated in 1936 in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde. It was part of a movement of cultural, social, and political emancipations of the Cape Verdean soc ...

'', Baltazar Lopes participated with Manuel Lopes and Jorge Barbosa with founded members of the review and the name was the movement in the main activists of the same. The development of the novel began in the 1930, cultural material were developed up to 1936 and featured other Cape Verdean writers including (Nhô Chi’Ana, Nhô João Joana, Nhô Loca, Sr. Euclides Varanda, Chico Zepa, Manuel de Brito “Parafuso”, José Lima, etc. The remainder were done from 1938 and was finished in 1941 in Lisbon, six years later, it was published in Portugal.Carvalho, Alberto, p. 245-252 It was later published in Cape Verde and it was popular mainly after independence. The book was dedicated in memory of the greatest philologist

Leite de Vasconcelos Leite ( or ) is a Portuguese and Galician surname (literally ''Milk'') that may refer to: * Adriano Leite Ribeiro, better known as Adriano (born 1982), Brazilian footballer * Cláudia Cristina Leite Inácio Pedreira (born 1980), Brazilian singer ...

, the author's professorColóquio, Letter 53, Três romances das ilhas (Three Novels from the Islands), January 1980, p. 35

Parts

The novel is organized into three parts: * 1. "Childhood" (Infância), in which the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

Chiquinho lives with his family and community in the village of Caleijão on the island of São Nicolau and learns his first letters. * 2. "São Vicente," in which ''Chiquinho'' continues his education in high school on the island of São Vicente, where he meets new friends and his first love Nuninha. ''Chiquinho'' and his classmates found the Grémio, an association and a journal that is very similar to ''Claridade'', in the sense that it attempts to change the social environment of the archipelago. * 3. "The Waters" (As Águas), the third and final part of the novel, in which ''Chiquinho'' returns to his island and becomes a teacher. This part is focused on the calamity of drought, a major problem in Cape Verde of his time, which results in famine (see

Famine in Cape Verde The archipelago of Cape Verde has been struck by a series of drought-related famines between the 1580s and the 1950s. During these periods of drought and famine, tens of thousands of inhabitants died from starvation and diseases. Background The C ...

) and many deaths. At the end of the novel, ''Chiquinho'' emigrates on a steamboat to the United States with the hope of a better life.

Characters

* Chiquinho - narrator * Mané Quim (Chuva Braba) - has the dilemma of leaving or not leaving the lands of the island of Santo Antão.

Inspirations

*Scientist Orlando Ribeiro inspired a large number of the novel's pages for writing a chapter in his book ''A Ilha do Fogo e as suas erupções'' (''Fogo Island and its Eruptions'') * René Pélissier, historian of Iberian African of the 19th century wrote: "In this book, there are pages that are to be included in an anthology of suffering".

Parts

Characters

Inspirations

References

Further reading