Brazilian literature emerged from the literary activity encouraged by the Jesuits after the discovery of Brazil in the 16th century. Initially closely linked to metropolitan literature, it gradually gained independence over time, beginning the process during the 19th century with the Romantic and Realist movements and reaching its peak with the Modern Art Week in 1922, characterized by a definitive break with the literature of other countries, thus forming, from Modernism and its generations, the first schools of truly independent writers. Great names from this period include Manuel Bandeira, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Guimarães Rosa, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Clarice Lispector and Cecília Meireles.The literature produced in Brazil plays a prominent role in the country's cultural sphere: all of the country's main newspapers dedicate a large part of their cultural sections to literary analysis and criticism, and teaching the subject is mandatory in high school.
Discover the classics of Brazilian literature