Return to the backlands

identity and modernity in the fiction of Ronaldo Correia de Brito and João Almino

Abstract

The present work aims to comparatively analyze the works Galiléia (2008), by Ronaldo Correia de Brito, and Between knives, cotton (2017), by João Almino, investigating the presence of the regionalist literary tradition in both narratives. In the examination, the role of the narrators stands out especially, who are migrant subjects who, upon returning to the backlands, were confronted with the transformations that occurred in that space and in the practices that were previously part of their stories. Thus, the works of João Almino and Ronaldo Correia de Brito offer a deep analysis of identity, memory and the changes that influence the characters' personal relationships with their place of origin. Each author addresses, in a different way, the complexities of migrants' return to this space, providing a deep reflection on the social and cultural changes that permeate the backlands. In this context, the strong presence of the regionalist tradition can be observed in the texts of Brito and Almino, which highlights the continuity of this expression in contemporary literature.