Reflections on the literary marginalization of Afro-Brazilian writer Bruno de Menezes

Abstract

The aim of this article is to reflect on possible reasons for the erasure and literary marginalization of Afro-Brazilian writer Bruno de Menezes (1893-1963). To this end, a brief biography and bibliography of Bruno de Menezes is presented, listing some of his literary and intellectual writings and highlighting his work Batuque (1931). This study also discusses aspects related to the Brazilian literary canon and historiography, seeking to highlight the interference of these institutions in a process of denied visibility for Menezes. Despite his vast literary and intellectual output, his pioneering role in modernist aesthetics in Pará, and the fact that he is an important voice in Afro-Brazilian literature, Bruno de Menezes is marginalized in the context of Brazilian literature. Thinking about the aspects that cause this exclusion can be complex, but there are some plausible reasons, such as the fact that Bruno was a northern-Amazonian, black writer from the periphery. Thus, ethnic-racial, geographical and class issues could be understood as factors that interfere with the denial of visibility in the national literary field. With regard to the theoretical-critical framework used in the preparation of the work, we highlight the contributions of Zahidé Muzart (1995), Eduardo Coutinho (1996), Aníbal Quijano (2005), Regina Dalcastagnè (2007), Edimilson Pereira (2010), José Fernandes (2010), Rodrigo Wanzeler (2018), among others.