Cartas Chilenas
Encyclopedia
Cartas Chilenas is an unfinished
series of satirical poems whose authorship is attributed to Luso-Brazilian Neoclassic
poet Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
. The poems circled through the city of Vila Rica
(nowadays called Ouro Preto) in the form of pamphlets some years before the 1789 Minas Conspiracy
, but were discontinued after the Conspiracy was dismantled, as Gonzaga was sent to exile in the Island of Mozambique
. It is loosely based in Montesquieu
's Persian Letters
.
From its initial publication in 1863, it would suffer many re-edits, getting to its current form in 1957.
, indirectly written "in honor" of Luís da Cunha Meneses, then-governor of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais
, and the Portuguese Crown. It begins with a fictional foreword, in which an anonymous Brazilian man explains about the book's existence: the aforementioned Brazilian man obtained a copy of a series of letters from a man coming to Brazil from an unnamed Hispanic America
country, and decided to translate these letters from Spanish
to Portuguese
in order to make the Brazilian governors not to follow the example of Fanfarrão Minésio, the corrupt and despotic governor of Chile.
The thirteen letters were written in the shape of blank verse
poems by "Critilo" (who is actually Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
under a false name), who lives in Santiago
, Chile
(actually Vila Rica
, Minas Gerais
), and are addressed to a friend of his, "Doroteu" (possibly Cláudio Manuel da Costa
), who lives in Madrid
. In each one of the letters, "Critilo" describes life in Santiago under the despotic and corruption-filled régime of the Chilean governor, "Fanfarrão Minésio" (who is actually Luís da Cunha Meneses).
Unfinished work
An unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
series of satirical poems whose authorship is attributed to Luso-Brazilian Neoclassic
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
poet Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga was a Portuguese poet. One of the most famous Neoclassic Brazilian writers, he was also the ouvidor and the ombudsman of the city of Ouro Preto , as well as the desembargador of the appeal court in Bahia...
. The poems circled through the city of Vila Rica
Ouro Preto
-History:Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village," the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule....
(nowadays called Ouro Preto) in the form of pamphlets some years before the 1789 Minas Conspiracy
Inconfidência Mineira
The Inconfidência Mineira of 1789 was an unsuccessful Brazilian independence movement.It was a result of the confluence of external and internal causes...
, but were discontinued after the Conspiracy was dismantled, as Gonzaga was sent to exile in the Island of Mozambique
Island of Mozambique
The Island of Mozambique lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay. It has a population of around 14,000 people and is part of Nampula Province.-History:...
. It is loosely based in Montesquieu
Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu , generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment...
's Persian Letters
Persian Letters
Persian Letters is a literary work by Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, recounting the experiences of two Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica, who are traveling through France.-Plot summary:...
.
From its initial publication in 1863, it would suffer many re-edits, getting to its current form in 1957.
Plot and setting
Cartas Chilenas is a satirical poem in the shape of an epistolary novelEpistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
, indirectly written "in honor" of Luís da Cunha Meneses, then-governor of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, and the Portuguese Crown. It begins with a fictional foreword, in which an anonymous Brazilian man explains about the book's existence: the aforementioned Brazilian man obtained a copy of a series of letters from a man coming to Brazil from an unnamed Hispanic America
Hispanic America
Hispanic America or Spanish America is the region comprising the American countries inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations.These countries have significant commonalities with each other and with Spain, whose colonies they formerly were...
country, and decided to translate these letters from Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
to Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
in order to make the Brazilian governors not to follow the example of Fanfarrão Minésio, the corrupt and despotic governor of Chile.
The thirteen letters were written in the shape of blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
poems by "Critilo" (who is actually Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga was a Portuguese poet. One of the most famous Neoclassic Brazilian writers, he was also the ouvidor and the ombudsman of the city of Ouro Preto , as well as the desembargador of the appeal court in Bahia...
under a false name), who lives in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(actually Vila Rica
Ouro Preto
-History:Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village," the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule....
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
), and are addressed to a friend of his, "Doroteu" (possibly Cláudio Manuel da Costa
Cláudio Manuel da Costa
Cláudio Manuel da Costa was a Brazilian poet and musician, considered to be the introducer of the Neoclassicism in Brazil...
), who lives in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. In each one of the letters, "Critilo" describes life in Santiago under the despotic and corruption-filled régime of the Chilean governor, "Fanfarrão Minésio" (who is actually Luís da Cunha Meneses).