A escrevivência literária de Cidinha da Silva e Jarid Arraes: herdeiras de Carolina Maria de Jesus

Abstract

This research aims to investigate, from a political and aesthetic perspective, the dialogues and tensions that cross the narrative constructions of Afro-Brazilian authors from different generations. It seeks to explore the aesthetic specificities and the ethical-political commitments of their literary productions. The discussion space is opened by the diary Quarto de despejo (1960) by Carolina Maria de Jesus, and takes as objects of study the juvenile novel Os nove pentes d’África (2009) by Cidinha da Silva and the novel Corpo desfeito (2022) by Jarid Arraes. Despite being distant in terms of writing time, the narratives are linked by their themes and the identity of their writers, Afro-Brazilian women who write from their lived experiences. To this end, the research objects are approached in light of the concepts of escrevivência (Conceição Evaristo, 1994) and amefricanidade (Lélia Gonzalez, 2020), seeking to explore different approaches to literary narratives that represent everyday themes from the subjectivity of the writer (bell hooks, 1981-1995, Sueli Carneiro, 2011, Mirian Cristina dos Santos, 2018, Grada Kilomba, 2019), the concept of dororidade (Vilma Piedade, 2017), among others. The analysis is guided by the following question: How do the works of Cidinha da Silva and Jarid Arraes, by using escrevivência, continue the legacy of Carolina Maria de Jesus in addressing the experiences of black women? The research concludes that escrevivência in the works of these authors not only preserves Carolina's spirit of denunciation but transforms it into a space of diegetic and aesthetic complexity, strengthening the tradition of an Afro-Brazilian literature committed to the construction of new narratives. By relying on collective subjectivity, they build a literary and political legacy that crosses generations.