O Sertão de Coelho Neto revisitado e reeditado

Abstract

In the last years which come before the twentieth century, emerged, among the uncertainties and concerns facing the novelty of the Republic, what would be the watershed in the literary trajectory of an author who until then, had focused his intense production in the urban scenarios. The issues arising from the recently obliterated slave regime still seethed in the spheres of social life, especially in literature, where they found shelter to raise discussions and observations on the scenario that was been drawn. It was in this context that Sertão (1897), by Coelho Neto, opened his regionalist phase and exposes a facet of the author more focused to the social concerns of his day. Severely attacked by modernists for his language style full of preciosity, the writer left an indelible mark with a work that reflects possibly his most manifest qualities: creative imagination and ability to translate his unusual plots in meticulous descriptions. However, the notable ability of Coelho Neto to handle the words does not seem to have been enough to ensure due recognition for his work. Coelho Neto‘s production is recently restricted to some literary circles and it has not received the deserved attention in the course of time. The popularity enjoyed in the early days did not last, largely, if not mainly, because of issues related to the canon. Consequently, the later editions of various of his productions, such as Sertão, did not exceed the first half of the twentieth century. In this perspective, this paper seeks to promote the revitalization of the collection of short stories, through reissue of the book, according to the current rules of the New Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language, becoming the educational product applied. The critical study on Coelho Neto, presented here, has the intent to disseminate the vast artistic production of the writer.