Dread in the night

13/08/2024

Culture • Literature • Books

By DANIEL BRAZIL*

Commentary on the recently republished book by João do Rio

João do Rio will be the 2024 FLIP honoree. For many, an unknown. Some have heard of the author of The Charming Soul of the Streets, innovative and precursor of a generation of chroniclers who put their magnifying glass on the people of Rio and ended up creating the most Brazilian of literary genres. But very few know the fictional work of Paulo Barreto (1881/1921), which has been out of print for decades.

Paulo Barreto? Yes, this is the given name of the writer, chronicler, journalist, translator, theater critic and essayist João do Rio, elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1910, aged 29. He wrote in the early XNUMXth century press hidden under other pseudonyms, such as Claude, Caran d'Ache, Joe, José Antônio José, Máscara Negra, Godofredo de Aguiar and Jacques Pedreira. He was black, the son of poor teachers, obese and homosexual. He behaved like a tropical dandy, frequenting the high circles of society at the time.

This information is in the precious Preface of the recently released volume Dread in the night, by Hedjan CS – an expert in gothic and horror literature. From there we delve into the work of this character who seems to subtly reveal himself in several pages of his fiction.

There are ten short stories in which the kinks, quirks and perversions of Rio society at the time are scrutinized in a frightening way. João do Rio does not describe the horrors of the working class, of poverty, but of the extravagant salons that he knew firsthand. The petite bourgeoisie is also portrayed mercilessly, when they still took trams and dreamed of riding in a coach.

Written more than a hundred years ago, at the same time that they echo a Victorian spirit and carry the heritage of 19th century literature, the stories point to a strange literary modernity, which was still a pink tarlatana baby (name of the most famous tale of the volume).

From the sadist with a propensity to stick needles in his loved one to the Proustian Baron Belfort, a character who appears in three short stories, the parade of burlesque and creepy characters is impressive. Now they echo The player by Dostoevsky, sometimes they anticipate an atmosphere worthy of Jorge Luís Borges, like the fantastic narrative The End of Arsenio Godard.

In several lurid stories João do Rio adds a touch of humor, as in the short story Hotel Adventure:

“Always big names, important people, an armorial complex of celebrity employees and stuffed incumbents. And, at night, in the entrance hall, a marble hall that the manager had covered with old tapestry and furnished with indescribable furniture, hesitating between Ottoman style, berth style and comfortable English style, one could see representatives of all social classes from diplomacy to trolling, a fun theater”.

Celebrity employees and cardholders continue to be present in the 21st century, much to our chagrin. Without the density of Machado de Assis, and still faithful to the French model that so influenced his generation, the daring João do Rio knew how to sow the seeds of a new form of literature, which would germinate and flourish in Modernism.

The exquisite edition of Bandeirola, in addition to the hardcover and delicate graphics adorning the reading, also has an enlightening afterword by professor Júlio França, from UERJ, who masterfully concludes: “You can now close the book, readers, but the creatures of João do Rio will continue, lurking, in some forgotten corner of their memories”.

* Daniel Brazil is a writer, author of the novel suit of kings (Penalux), screenwriter and TV director, music and literary critic.

Reference

João do Rio. Dread in the night. Paraty, Bandeirola, 2024, 144 pages. [https://amzn.to/4dlJrYX]