Afro-Brazilian Cults in the Novels of Jorge Amado
1967; American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese; Volume: 50; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/337573
ISSN2153-6414
Autores Tópico(s)Cultural, Media, and Literary Studies
ResumoANY critical appraisal of Jorge Amado's novels invariably means a discussion of social consciousness, historical documentation, and poetic prose. Critics will apologetically mention Amado's lack of psychological penetration and then hasten to point out his lyricism and prowess as a story-teller. They may also apologize for the early politically oriented works, but they will certainly praise Amado's dramatic forcefulness and his identification with the common man. Unfortunately, in its enthusiasm, this criticism often passes lightly over the significance of the Bahian author's interpretation of Brazilian reality. Most commentators on his works limit themselves to a few preliminary remarks on his popular or folkloric sources without seeing a definite pattern in his use of certain Brazilian institutions. In spite of the fact that many students of Brazilian literature will agree that Jorge Amado is a serious regionalist and not merely a reporter on local color, much of what appears in the pages of such novels as Jubiabd and Mar morto receives the label of picturesque. Amado's use of Afro-Brazilian religious cults is a case in point. Most will agree that Afro-Brazilian culture imparts an exotic effect to Amado's works, but many make the mistake, first, of considering this as so much folklore, and, second, of not realizing the extent of Amado's involvement in the religious cults-an involvement that becomes more and more apparent with each novel. My task here will be to trace the development of the Afro-Brazilian cults in most of Jorge Amado's novels and show how he finds cultural and spiritual values as well as aesthetic expression in them. During that important period of his literary formation, in the late twenties and early thirties, Jorge Amado, along with other members of his generation, immersed himself in Bahian life. He mingled with the people in the dock area and narrow streets of colonial Salvador and
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