Space, memory and culture in the novels Desde que o samba é samba, by Paulo Lins, and A lua triste descamba, by Nei Lopes

Abstract

This article aims to study comparatively the relations between center and periphery in Rio de Janeiro in the first half of the 20th century in the novels Desde que o samba é samba, by Paulo Lins, and A lua triste descamba, by Nei Lopes, both published in 2012. The work studies the time-space of the two narratives to discuss the emergence of a peripheral culture originating from the distant suburbs and the areas surrounding the center of Rio, today known as “Little Africa”. Based on the studies of geographer Nélson da Nóbrega Fernandes (2011); Eni P. Orlandi (2020b; 2004); and on the critical reading of the two novels, we observe that a historical review is carried out in order to include the subordinate population in the historical series, hence the idea of literary repopulation defended here as a productive entry into the poetics of these writers.