O Cromo.: (Estudo de Temperamentos).

Rio de Janeiro: Carlos Gaspar da Silva,, 1888. A rare model of early Brazilian naturalism First and only edition, very scarce. The author's first and only novel, this is an early model of the naturalist movement in Brazilian literature. WorldCat records no copies in institutional libraries and no copies can be traced at auction. Emerging during the first decades of the Republican era - from the late 1880s - Brazilian naturalism developed from Zola's French model as a new aesthetic opposed to the old Romanticism, which was associated with the monarchy and thus seen as outdated and ideologically embarrassing. Embracing for the first time the contradictions and conflicts of a stratified and culturally varied society, this movement searched for national identity. More than any other contemporary genre, in fact, naturalist novels succeeded in visualizing the regional, racial, and sexual differences of Brazil, for example outlining the difficult reality of Black people, women, and homosexuals. O Cromo stands out for its characterization of women's psychology and temperaments. The story revolves around the character of Ester and her relationship with Dr Lins Texeira, the local doctor. By representing Ester, a cultured and intelligent individual, as a stereotype victim of "female hysteria", Carvalho raised a protest against women's position in society, which was still "secondary and subaltern, subject not only to the power of man as well as prevailing prejudices" (translated from Sodré, p. 187). The novel also explores crucial social issues concerning immigration, the separatist movements in São Paulo, and abolitionism (slavery was officially abolished in the country in May 1888, a few months before the publication of this work). Horácio Fortunato de Sousa Carvalho (1857-1933) was also a poet, a polyglot, and a successful journalist. He was involved in politics, particularly in São Paulo where he resided, as a Republican and abolitionist. Octavo (191 x 135 mm). Uncut and mostly unopened in recent half calf, marbled boards. Binding bright and firm, contents lightly foxed, neat paper repairs to margins of three initial leaves, couple of minor nicks to title page, a very good copy. Nelson Werneck Sodré, Naturalismo no Brasil, 1965.