The colonial reverberations of livraria do Globo translations in 1930s Brazil

Abstract

This paper investigates early postcolonial Brazil through the lens of one of its most prominent publishers, Livraria do Globo, seeking to define the links between literary translation and supposedly receding colonial power. In an analysis of nine English-language translations by this publisher in the 1930s, what at first made little sense in terms of coherent translation policy actually evinced a still powerful colonial influence. France, Portugal and England seemed to struggle within the pages of these books, while Brazilian nationalism and the systematization of Brazilian Portuguese simultaneously unfolded.

Keywords

• Brazilian portuguese
• Nationalism
• Postcolonialism
• Translated mass literature