The Second International Colloquium on Luso-Brazilian Studies

Abstract

The year 1954 has been a memorable one for the city of Sao Paulo. This southern Brazilian state capital has been celebrating the fourth centenary of its founding. As part of the festivities, the central administration (what the Brazilians call the Reitoria) of the University of Sao Paulo, acting under the auspices of the Comissao do IV Centenario da Cidade de Sao Paulo, organized the II Colloquium Internacional de Estudos Luso-Brasileiros. Following the pattern set by the hitherto unnumbered International Colloquium on Luso-Brazilian Studies held in Washington, D. C., October 18-21, 1950,1 the second was held in Sao Paulo September 13-18, 1954. Most of the sessions took place in the Palacio das Industrias at the Parque Ibirapuera, the site of the world's fair marking the city's birthday. The II Colloquium was quite literally Luso-Brazilian, for the strongest delegations represented Portugal and Brazil. Four norteamericanos were most grateful recipients of all-expense invitations to attend: Professor Lewis Hanke, University of Texas, who in his former capacity as Director of the Library of Congress Hispanic Foundation had conceived, organized, and executed the Washington Colloquium; Professor Robert C. Smith, University of Pennsylvania; Professor Ronald Hilton, Stanford University; and myself. In addition Dr. Carleton Sprague Smith, of the New York Public Library and New York University, and Dr. Howard F. Cline, Professor Hanke's successor in the Hispanic Foundation, were able to be present. In general conformity with the Washington model the II Colloquium was divided into seven sections, Cultural Anthropology, Language, Fine Arts, Literature, Instruments of Scholarship, Luso-Brazilian History, and History of Luso-Brazilian Juridical Institutions. The official Portuguese delegation was headed by Dr. Reynaldo dos Santos (Fine Arts). Its language-literature members were: Hernani Cidade, Camoes Professor in Lisbon; Vitorino Nem6sio, author and Professor of Modern Literature in Lis-