Monteiro Lobato and translation: "Um país se faz com homens e livros"

John Milton

doi:10.1590/s0102-44502003000300008

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the Brazilian writer Monteiro Lobato in the growth of the book industry in Brazil, concentrating on his translations of children's literature. Lobato revolutionized the book industry in Brazil by introducing more commercial techniques and by marketing his books to social classes that were not used to buying books. Lobato also uses his translations to introduce critiques of Brazil in the 1930s, particularly the political and economic closure of the Estado Novo of Getúlio Vargas. Indeed, the criticisms voiced in Peter Pan resulted in Lobato's spending three months in jail in 1941.

Highlights

This paper examines the role of the Brazilian writer Monteiro Lobato in the growth of the book industry in Brazil, concentrating on his translations of children’s literature
In “An Item Called Books: Translations and Publishers’ Collections” (Pagano 2000), Adriana Pagano discusses the reasons why the 1930s and 1940s were a period of immense growth in the book industry and Brazil and Argentina
The government’s ensuing policies had considerable effects on the book industry: a reform of basic teaching resulted in greater demand for school textbooks; and the devaluation of the Brazilian currency, the mil-réis (193031) resulted in imported books becoming, for the first time, more expensive than those published in Brazil

Summary

Introduction

This paper examines the role of the Brazilian writer Monteiro Lobato in the growth of the book industry in Brazil, concentrating on his translations of children’s literature. A number of important publishing houses in both countries were established at this time: Editora Globo, Companhia Editora Nacional, Martins and José Olympio in Brazil, and Sudamericana, Losada, Emecé and Claridad in Argentina.

Results

Conclusion