Entre mágoas e sonhos do povo: Lima Barreto e o folclore urbano

Abstract

A stage of the great transformations that served as a vector of the modernization of Brazil in the passage from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century, Rio de Janeiro comprehended such a great diversity of people from all regions of the country, as well as foreigners, who took Lima Barreto to see it not only as Federal Capital, but also as the country's “spiritual capital”. The sorrows and dreams of the people represent a plunge of the chronicler of the suburb of Todos os Santos in the universe of customs and popular beliefs found in the city he loved so much. The present study tries to demonstrate that, like all the work in chronicle of the author, this series of texts about the Brazilian urban folklore represents a criticism to the modernization of the country done, particularly, from flagrant ones that reveal the incorporation of modern values in the popular culture. In it one can observe the comprehensive manner in which Lima Barreto portrays the people and it’s “spiritual transformation” reflecting on the future of the country and defending the ideal of a society of solidarity.