Speaking for themselves: observations on a “marginal” tradition in Brazilian Literature

Abstract

The article discusses “marginal literature” produced in the outskirts of São Paulo by authors who do not “fit” into the symbolic hierarchies of the dominant literary canon. This analysis will be based on a broad overview of the tradition in Brazilian literature that has tried to represent both poverty and marginalisation. Special attention will be paid to the debate on the shift from a “dialectic of malandroism”, proposed by Antonio Candido, towards a “dialectic of marginality”. According to João Cezar de Castro Rocha, the latter involves a variety of art practices that seek to expose social conflict instead of disguising it. Then, an analytical framework on the aesthetics of marginality will be presented, while identifying to what extent literary experiences of the past have influenced the marginal literature movement. Finally, the article concludes with reflections on some strategies authors have been using to overcome prejudices towards their cultural expression, which include attempts to create new narrative forms based on the valorisation of the place of enunciation and the right to speak for themselves.