Baudelaire’s reception in Brazil: works and critical fortune

Abstract

This paper revisits the issue of Charles Baudelaire’s reception in Brazil. Not losing sight of the centrality of translation in the reception of the author’s poetry, from the 1970s onwards, as pointed out by Amaral, Meirelles or Candido, I try to indicate a previous reception, with direct reading in French. When researching printed newspapers (in French and Portuguese) in Brazil and French magazines sold in the country, such as the Revue des Deux Mondes, the poet’s presence is noted well before the 70s. Therefore, the event of Baudelaire’s reception is not limited to the first translations, but certainly has its roots in 1855, a crucial year for his reception, according to André Guyaux. In the specific Brazilian context, the transnational circulation of cultural goods and the influence of French culture play a fundamental role in the presence of Baudelaire’s name, whose traces appear not only with references to his works, but also to his critical fortune.