João do Rio was the pseudonym of the Brazilian journalist, short-story writer and playwright João Paulo Emílio Cristóvão dos Santos Coelho Barreto, a Brazilian author and journalist of
African descent
Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...
(August 5, 1881,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
– June 23, 1921, Rio de Janeiro). He was elected on May 7, 1910 for the chair # 26 of
Brazilian Academy of Letters
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...
.
Life
Son of Alfredo Coelho Barreto (a Mathematics teacher and positivist), and Florência dos Santos Barreto (
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...
), Paulo Barreto was born in Hospício St., 284 (current Buenos Aires St., in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
's downtown). He took
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
classes in the traditional
Colégio de São Bento
Colégio de São Bento is a Benedictine school for boys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a history that dates back more than 150 years. It was founded in 1858 on the hills overlooking Rio de Janeiro's harbor and the Guanabara Bay, by the adjacent B ...
(São Bento School), where he started to exert his natural endowment for literature. At the age of 15, he was admitted in the ''National Gymnasium''; today,
Colégio Pedro II
Colégio Pedro II is a traditional federal public school, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the third oldest active college in the country, after Ginásio Pernambucano and Atheneu Norte-Riograndense. The school was created ...
(D. Pedro II school).
On June 1, 1899, with less than 18 years, he had a text published for the first time in a newspaper, ''A Tribuna''. Signed with his own name, it was a review entitled '' Lucília Simões'' about
Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
's play ''
A Doll's House
''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...
'', performed in ''Santana Theater'' (currently ''Carlos Gomes Theater'').
Prolific writer, between 1900 and 1903 he collaborated under various pen names with some prominent publications of the time as ''O Paiz'', ''O Dia'' (not the same newspaper of today), ''Correio Mercantil'', ''O Tagarela'' and ''O Coió''. In 1903, he was appointed by
Nilo Peçanha
Nilo Procópio Peçanha (; 2 October 1867 – 31 March 1924) was a Brazilian politician who served as seventh president of Brazil. He was governor of Rio de Janeiro (1903–1906), then elected the fifth vice president of Brazil in 1906. He assu ...
for the newspaper ''Gazeta de Notícias'', where he would stay until 1913. It was in this periodical that his most famous pseudonym was born, João do Rio, when on November 26, 1903 he signed an article called ''O Brasil Lê'' (''Brazil Reads''), an inquiry about the literary preferences of the
Carioca
Carioca ( or ) is a demonym used to refer to anything related to the City of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The original meaning of the term is controversial, maybe from Tupi language "''kari' oka''", meaning "white house" as the whitewashed stone ...
reader. And, as indicated by Gomes (1996, p. 44), "from this time forth, the name that fixes the literary identity swallows Paulo Barreto. Under this mask he will publish all his books and cultivates his fame. Next to the name, the name of the city".
Paulo Barreto, journalist
According to his biographers, Barreto represented the outgrowth of a new type of journalist in the Brazilian press of the beginning of the 20th century. Until then, the literary and journalistic practice by intellectuals was regarded as of little account, a lesser activity for people with many vacant hours (e.g., public servants). Paulo Barreto moved the literary creation frontwards and started to live from this, using his pen names (more than ten) to attract various audiences.
The religions of Rio
Between February and March 1904, he carried through a series of news articles entitled ''As religiões no Rio'' (''The religions in Rio''). Beyond its character of "
investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
", it constitutes an important anthropological and sociological analysis, early recognized as such, particularly by the four pioneering texts about African cults, which precedes in more than a quarter of century the publications by Nina Rodrigues on the subject (beyond that, the works of Rodrigues were in large measure restricted to the academic circles of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
).
Scholars had pointed out similarities between "As religiões no Rio" and the book "Les petites réligions de Paris" (1898), by French writer Jules Bois. However, the similarity seems to be much more in the general idea (an inquiry on the manifestations of religious minorities in a big city) than in the plan of the formal accomplishment.
The news articles series aroused such great curiosity that Barreto published them in book form, and sold more than 8,000 copies in six years. This achievement is still more impressive in view of the restricted reading public of the time, in a country with high
illiteracy
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
rates.
Some biographers criticize Barreto for the fact that, when he realised the bonanza he could obtain by the publication of collections (something that would become common in Brazil in the second half of 20th century), he developed a "formula" to inflate his own bibliography.
Paulo Barreto, immortal
Elected for the
Brazilian Academy of Letters
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...
in his third attempt (1910), Paulo Barreto was the first person to be admitted there wearing the now famous "fardão dos imortais" (the "robe of the immortals"). Years later, with the election of his adversary, the poet Humberto de Campos, Barreto moved away from the institution. According to some biographers, when informed of his death, his mother ordered that the
funeral service
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
should not be held at the Academy hall, as usual for members, because her son would not have approved the idea.
Paulo Barreto, homosexual
Since early, the sexual preferences of Barreto brought forth suspicion (and, later, gibe) among his contemporaries. Bachelor, without girlfriend or known mistress, many of his texts transpire a sufficiently explicit homoerotic inclination. The suspicion was eventually confirmed when he presented himself as promoter in Brazil of the "cursed"
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
, whose works he translated into Portuguese. Historians have labeled him as a "notable black homosexual writer".
An odd person, dressed like a "fashion plate" (Rodrigues, 1996, p. 239), Barreto never dared to defy the stereotypes of that era. However, for aspiring to defend new ideas in social and political fields, his "voluminous, thick-lipped and dark figure with a very smooth coat" (as registered by Gilberto Amado) became a perfect target for all sorts of reactionaries, homophobics and racists like Humberto de Campos.
His presumed "flirt" with
Isadora Duncan
Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in ...
in 1916 (when she was performing in the
Theatro Municipal Teatro Municipal, Theatro Municipal, Théâtre Municipal or Teatro Municipale (= Municipal theatre) may refer to:
* Théâtre municipal d'Albi
* Teatro Municipal de Caracas
* Teatro Municipal de Chacao
* Théâtre municipal de Grenoble
* Théâtre ...
of Rio de Janeiro), expresses this sexual ambiguity. Duncan and Barreto had met previously in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, but it was only during her performance in Rio that they became close. The exact level of this intimacy is a mystery. Rodrigues (1996) talks about a factoid or hype, an expedient to attract the attention of the press, whilst other sources cite a supposed dialogue where the dancer would have questioned Barreto about his pederasty, and he would have answered in French: '' Je suis très corrompu '' (''I am very corrupted'').
Paulo Barreto, paladin
In 1920, Barreto established the periodical ''A Pátria'' (''The Fatherland'', ironically called ''A Mátria''–or ''The Motherland''– by his detractors), in which he sought to defend the interests of the ''Poveiros'', Portuguese fishermen from Póvoa do Varzim that supplied with fishes the city of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. Threatened by a fishing nationalization law decreed by the Brazilian government, the ''Poveiros'' went on strike.
The activity of Barreto in favor of the Portuguese colony brought to him a lot of enemies, numberless moral offences (''leaf lard with two eyes'' was one of the lightest) and even a despicable episode of physical aggression: entrapped alone when he took a meal in a restaurant, he was beaten by a group of nationalists.
The death of João do Rio
Overweight, Barreto was feeling ill during all June 23, 1921. He took a taxi and, with the increase of the malaise, he asked the driver to stop the car and bring him a glass of water. However, before help could arrive, he died of a sudden
myocardial infarct
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tra ...
.
The news about João do Rio's death quickly spread all over the city. A guessed number of 100,000 people went to the burial of the writer that years before, under the pen name of Godofredo de Alencar, had registered his preferential option for the diversity:
:''In organized societies only the elites and the scoundrel are of interest. Because they are unpredictable and alike in the courage of their resources and their absence of scruples. '' (Gomes, 1996, p.69).
The name ''Paulo Barreto'' christens an ordinary street in the quarter of Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. As
Graciliano Ramos
Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira () (October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian ''sert ...
pointed out, ''the homage made is modest: they had offered a short street to him'' (Gomes, 1996, p. 11). His name is also the name of a square in Lisbon, Portugal, where there is a small monument in his honour (containing the following citation "The Portuguese owe me nothing for loving and defending Portuguese people, for that way I love, worship, and long for my motherland twice."/"Nada me devem os portugueses por amar e defender portugueses, porque assim amo, venero e e quero duas vezes a minha pátria.").
Chronology
* 1881: Paulo Barreto is born on August 5.
* 1896: admitted to the National Gymnasium (now, ''Colégio Pedro II'').
* 1898: Bernardo Gutemberg, youngest brother of Paulo Barreto, dies.
* 1899: first text published on June 1.
* 1900: starts to write for some newspapers in Rio.
* 1902: tries to enter to the
diplomatic service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to ...
, but is ''diplomatically'' refused by the
Baron of Rio Branco
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
, supposedly for being ''fat,
mulatto
(, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
and homosexual'' (Gomes, 1996, p. 114).
* 1903: by means of Nilo Peçanha, starts work at the ''Gazeta de Notícias'', where he would remain up to 1913.
* 1904: between February and March, he carries through the series of news articles ''As religiões in Rio'' (The religions in Rio) for the '' Gazeta '', later turned into book.
* 1905: in November, becomes lecturer.
* 1906: debut his first play, the
review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...
''Chic-Chic'' (written in partnership with journalist J. Brito).
* 1907: his drama ''Clotilde'' is staged in the theater Recreio Dramático. In the same year, he was candidate for the second time to the
Brazilian Academy of Letters
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...
.
* 1908: in December, makes his first voyage to Europe, having visited
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, London and Paris.
* 1909: in March, Barreto's father dies and he and his mother moved to the old quarter of Lapa (in separate houses, however). In November, he launches a book for children, ''Era uma vez...'' (''Once upon a time...''), in partnership with Viriato Correia.
* 1910: is elected to the
Brazilian Academy of Letters
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...
. In December, makes a second voyage to Europe and visits
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
,
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, Madrid,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, Paris, the
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
and Italy.
* 1911: with a loan supplied by Barreto, Irineu Marinho leaves the ''Gazeta'' and launches in June the periodical ''A Noite'' (The Night). One year later, he quits integrally the loan.
* 1912: is launched
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
's book ''Intentions'', in a translation by Barreto.
* 1913: becomes foreigner correspondent of the
Sciences Academy of Lisbon
The Lisbon Academy of Sciences ( pt, Academia das Ciências de Lisboa) is Portugal's national academy dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal. It is one of Po ...
. In November, makes his third voyage to Europe, having visited Lisbon (where his play ''A Bela Madame Vargas'' –'' The Beautiful Madame Vargas ''– is staged with great success), Paris, Germany,
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Russia,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
.
* 1915: travels to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and falls in love with the country. He declares that ''
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
is the
gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
London'' (Gomes, 1996, p. 120).
* 1916: becomes friends with Isadora Duncan, during her performance at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro. Side by side with Gilberto Amado, he would have witnessed Duncan dancing naked under the moonlight, near the Cascatinha, a little waterfall in the National Park of
Tijuca
Tijuca () (meaning marsh or swamp in the Tupi language, from ''ty'' ("water") and ''îuk'' ("rotten")) is a neighbourhood of the Northern Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It comprises the region of Saens Peña and Afonso Pena squar ...
.
* 1917: on May 22, writes for ''O Paiz'' a chronicle named ''Praia Maravilhosa'' (''Wonderful Beach'') where he exalts the wonders of the beach of
Ipanema
Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipane ...
. He is gifted with two lots in the future quarter, where he starts to dwell in this same year. He establishes and starts to direct the SBAT (Brazilian Society of Theater Actors).
* 1918: travels to Europe to cover the conference on
armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
, after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
* 1919: publishes the story book ''A mulher e os espelhos'' (''The woman and the mirrors'').
* 1920: establishes the newspaper ''A Pátria'' (''The Fatherland ''), where he defends the cause of the Portuguese colony in Rio. Due to this, he is subjected to moral offences and physical aggression.
* 1921: on June 23, he dies of
myocardial infarction
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...
. His burial is followed by more than 100,000 persons.
João Do Rio in the Mass Culture
João Do Rio has been portrayed in Brazilian cinema and television. He was played by
José Lewgoy
José Lewgoy (16 November 1920 – 10 February 2003) was a Brazilian actor. He is recognizable to many art-house cinema fans for his role as Don Aquilino in Werner Herzog's 1982 film ''Fitzcarraldo''.
Biography
He was born in Veranópolis, R ...
in the movie ''Taboo'' (1982) and by
Otávio Augusto
Otávio Augusto de Azevedo Sousa (born January 30, 1945) is a Brazilian actor.Lello & Irmão, 1909.
* ''Fados, canções e danças de Portugal''. Paris: Garnier, 1910.
* ''Dentro da noite''. Paris: Garnier, 1910.
* ''A profissão de Jacques Pedreira''. Paris: Garnier, 1911.
* ''Psicologia urbana'': O amor carioca; O figurino; O flirt; A delícia de mentir; Discurso de recepção. Paris: Garnier, 1911.
* ''Vida vertiginosa''. Paris: Garnier, 1911.
* ''Portugal d'agora''. Paris: Garnier, 1911.
* ''Os dias passam...''. Porto: Lello & Irmão, 1912.
* ''A bela madame Vargas''. Rio de Janeiro: Briguiet, 1912?
* ''Eva''. Rio de Janeiro: Villas Boas, 1915.
* ''Crônicas e frases de Godofredo de Alencar''. Lisboa: Bertrand, 1916?
* ''Pall-Mall Rio: o inverno carioca de 1916''. Rio de Janeiro: Villas Boas, 1917.
* ''Nos tempos de Venceslau''. Rio de Janeiro: Villas Boas, 1917.
* ''Sésamo''. Rio de Janeiro: Francisco Alves, 1917.
* ''A correspondência de um estação de cura''. Rio de Janeiro: Leite Ribeiro & Maurílio, 1918.
* ''A mulher e os espelhos''. Lisboa: Portugal-Brasil, 1919?
* ''Na conferência da Paz''. 3 v. Rio de Janeiro: Villas Boas, 1919–20.
* ''Adiante!''. Paris: Aillaud; Lisboa: Bertrand, 1919.
* ''Ramo de loiro'': notícias em louvor. Paris: Aillaud; Lisboa: Bertrand, 1921.
* ''Rosário da ilusão...''. Lisboa: Portugal-Brasil; Rio de Janeiro: Americana, 1921?
* ''Celebridades, desejo''. Ed. póstuma. Rio de Janeiro: Centro Luso-Brasileiro Paulo Barreto, 1932.
References
* GOMES, Renato Cordeiro. "João do Rio: vielas do vício, ruas da graça". Rio de Janeiro: Relume-Dumará: Prefeitura, 1996. . Série Perfis do Rio, n. 13.
* RODRIGUES, João Carlos. "João do Rio: uma biografia". Rio de Janeiro: Topbooks, 1996.
* “Sexualidades extra-vagantes: João do Rio, emulador de Oscar Wilde.” ''Revista da Abralic – Associação Brasileira de Literatura Comparada,'' no. 35, Dec. 2018,” pp. 88–100.
Translations
* ''Religions in Rio – Bilingual Edition'' (''As Religiões no Rio''), translated by Ana Lessa-Schmidt. Hanover, Conn.:New London Librarium, 2015.
* ''Vertiginous Life – Bilingual Edition'' (''Vida Vertiginosa''), translated by Ana Lessa-Schmidt. Hanover, Conn.:New London Librarium, 2017.