The place of the contemporary individual in the Backlands: the traditional and the modern in Galileia, by Ronaldo Correia de Brito

Abstract

Regionalism is often associated by literary criticism with archaic and outdated terms, and this practice has influenced the opinion of Brazilian writers themselves. Over time, criticism has nurtured negative views on regionalism, frequently linking it to literatures of environmental description, restricted movements, and a taste for the picturesque and exotic. Because of this perspective that disassociates regionalism from well-crafted fiction, contemporary writers often deny any relationship between their work and this literary movement. In this paper, we discuss the formulations of contemporary regionalism present in the work of Ronaldo Correia de Brito, as well as the perceptions about this literary current publicly conveyed by the author. For that purpose, the novel entitled Galileia and interviews by Correia de Brito are analyzed. From the analysis, it is possible to understand that the author appropriates the regional matter, such as the space known as sertão, and of much knowledge coming from the popular culture and characteristics of this region. The work develops from three main characters – Adonias, Ismael and Davi –, through which the author sets in motion transits between peripheral spaces of the interior of Brazil and spaces commonly associated with centrality, causing questions regarding the regional identity to arise. Nevertheless, the author denies any relation of his work with the regionalist literary current.