OVERVIEW

‘The raw word that says it all’: poetry and song in Brazil: a historical, cultural and textual journey. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to explore the relationship between poetry and song in 20th-century and contemporary Brazilian culture, highlighting how Música Popular Brasileira has represented one of the highest forms of Latin American literary modernity. Starting with the experience of Brazilian Modernism in the 1920s — from Mário de Andrade to Oswald de Andrade — the song is analysed as a privileged space where orality, poetic writing and social reflection converge. Modernism, in fact, sought an authentically Brazilian language, capable of uniting high and popular culture, the city and Afro-descendant traditions; this tension would find one of its most fertile expressions in urban music and singer-songwriter songs. The lecture will explore how songwriters such as Vinicius de Moraes, Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso transform song lyrics into a complex poetic form, interweaving lyricism, political critique and cultural memory. Particular attention will be paid to the era of bossa nova and Tropicalismo, and to Vinicius de Moraes (including his collaboration with Ungaretti).

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific requirements

The course is addressed to 2nd and 3rd year (three-year) students for a total of 54 hours (9 cfu).

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons are held in Italian and some texts will be read in Portuguese. The lectures will be in presential mode. The course also includes a number of seminar lectures and conferences held by lecturers from other universities and the presentation of books by writers and translators.

Attendance is not monitored, but is nevertheless strongly recommended, especially for those who have never had any background in Lusophone literature.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department's disability liaison.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will examine the figure of Chico Buarque and his narrative and theatrical writing, which captures the authoritarian modernisation of urban Brazil, whilst Caetano Veloso will be analysed in terms of how he takes the modernist legacy to its logical conclusion through Tropicalismo, a movement that blends the avant-garde, pop culture, Afro-Brazilian tradition and a critique of cultural colonialism. Dorival Caymmi and the Bahian universe will be examined alongside the work of Jorge Amado: both construct a mythical and popular Bahia, shaped by the sea, religious syncretism and Afro-descendant culture, transforming Salvador and the Recôncavo into poetic symbols of Brazilianness. The final part of the course will address the transformations of musical poetry in contemporary urban peripheries, from favela samba to rap and Rio funk. Through song lyrics, novels and short stories (from Paulo Lins to Geovani Martins) and audiovisual testimonies, we will analyse how the favela becomes a space for cultural and political production, in continuity but also in tension with the modernist dream of an inclusive national culture. In this context, the Brazilian song emerges as a literary form capable of giving voice to social conflicts, Afro-Brazilian memory and new urban identities. The works of Chico Buarque, often dedicated to the excluded and the invisible in the modern city, thus engage in dialogue with the most recent expressions of subcultural life, highlighting the continuity between poetry, music and social criticism in modern Brazil

key words: poetry, song, brazilian literature

The course is intended for 2nd and 3rd year students 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Luciana Stegagno Picchio, Storia della letteratura brasiliana, Torino, Einaudi, 1997

Caetano Veloso, Verità tropicale, Feltrinelli, Milano.

Gildo di Stefano, Il popolo del samba, Rai-Eri, Roma.

Gildo di Stefano , Saudade Bossa Nova. Musiche, contaminazioni e ritmi del Brasile, Logisma, Firenze.

Giancarlo Mei, Canto Latino. Origine, evoluzione e protagonisti della musica popolare del Brasile, Stampa Alternativa

Roberto Francavilla, “Melopoetiche brasiliane” in AA.VV., Latinoamerica. Variazioni per Antonio Melis, Roma, Artemide, 2012 (a cura di R. Francavilla)

Roberto Francavilla “Tropicalisme brésilien: entre innovation et résistance culturelle”, In AA.VV, Chanson pour… Chanson contre, Aix-en-Provence, Chants sons – Presses Universitaires de Provence, 2024

At least two brazilian novels of your choice from a series of titles to be discussed in the first lectures of the course for students who are required to have 6 credits and at least three novels for students who are required to have 9 credits.

Further critical materials will be provided by the lecturer during the course of the lectures

The bibliography is indicative and should be discussed with the lecturer during the module. Non-attending students are requested to contact the lecturer to agree on possible changes to the bibliography..

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is annual and will begin in the first semester. 

Classes will begin in October

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of an interview lasting approximately half an hour, aimed at assessing the candidate's knowledge of the course content and reasoning skills. Consequently:

1) Questions will focus on the culture and literary history of Portuguese-speaking countries, the periods, authors and topics covered in class (or included in the list for non-attending students) and on the novels of your choice (see bibliography), some of which – at the lecturer's discretion – will be commented on.

2) The textbooks listed in the bibliography are an integral part of the programme: in addition to verifying that they have been read, the teacher will ask candidates for personal analysis and reflections, and any comparisons and judgements based on the literary knowledge acquired during the course.

3) Students are also required to independently study (from a literary, historical, social, cultural, comparative or interdisciplinary perspective) a topic of their choice that is relevant to the course programme.

Please note that the mark obtained, which will be communicated at the end of the interview, may be rejected. In the event of rejection of the mark or failure of the exam, the candidate may always repeat the test at the next exam session. There is no limit to the number of attempts.

In addition to the annual examination sessions (two in the winter and autumn sessions, three in the summer session), there are special sessions for graduating students, students who have exceeded the standard duration of their studies and Erasmus students. The dates of these sessions will be communicated directly to the students.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Great importance will be given to the ability to navigate the different periods of Portuguese and Brazilian literary history, to contextualise the works and themes studied, and to develop a personal critical judgement on the phenomena considered.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with a certified DSA, disability  

or other special educational needs to contact the lecturer 

at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination methods that 

while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual 

individual learning methods and provide suitable compensatory tools