''O Cortiço'' (The Slum'') is an influential Brazilian novel written in 1890 by

Aluísio Azevedo Aluísio Tancredo Gonçalves de Azevedo (; 14 April 1857 – 21 January 1913) was a Brazilian novelist, caricaturist, diplomat, playwright and short story writer. Initially a Romantic writer, he would later adhere to the Naturalist movement. He ...

. 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 Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...

. It is written with the intention of belonging to the Realism movement leaning towards Naturalism, much like Flaubert's ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' (; ), commonly known as simply ''Madame Bovary'', is the début novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, originally published in 1856 and 1857. The eponymous character, Emma Bovary, lives beyond he ...

''. Azevedo's ''The Slum'' tells the stories of Portuguese and other European immigrants,

mulatto ( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...

s, 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 unenthusiastic, 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

External links

* 1890 Brazilian novels Naturalist novels Works set in slums {{1890s-novel-stub