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Aluisio Azevedo - Blog Posts
Racial Inequality and love
"On a sultry and oppressive day, the decadent city of Sao Luis Maranhao lay sprawled in the tropical heat."
About the Book
Title: Mulatto Author: Aluísio Azevedo Published: 1881 Original Title: O Mulato
Summary
The book addresses racial inequality in 19th-century Brazil. It was one of the first novels to discuss miscegenation and its cultural and social effects.
Mulatto follows the story of Raimundo, a young mulatto man who seeks to rise in society. Things get complicated when he falls in love with Rosa, a white aristocratic woman. Their forbidden love faces intense social opposition, leading to a tragic conflict where race, class, and desire collide.
Key Themes
Racial inequality
Social class
Colonial Brazil
Slum
"And on the muddy ground covered with puddles, in the sultry humidity, a living world, a human community, began to wriggle, to seethe, to grow spontaneously in that quagmire, multiplying like larvae in a dung heap."
About the Book
Title: The Slum Author: Aluísio Azevedo Published: 1890 Original Title: O Cortiço
Summary
The Slum tells the story of a tenement in Rio de Janeiro and the lives of its inhabitants. There are many characters in this story, but the slum itself is considered the main protagonist. Aluísio Azevedo paints a portrait of Brazilian society in the late 19th century.
Key Themes
Social commentary
Urbanization
Prejudice
Class struggle
Environment influence on human behavior