For a history of the Cape Verdean short story in Portuguese language

• Grant number: 12/11045-2
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Other Vernacular Literatures
• Principal researcher: Simone Caputo Gomes
• Grantee: Simone Caputo Gomes
• Host: Antonio Manuel dos Santos Ferreira
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Universidade de Aveiro (UA), Portugal

Abstract

This project "For a History of the Cape Verdean Short Story in Portuguese Language" is part of a larger project this researcher submitted in detail to the Government of the Republic of Cape Verde, and proposed to be developed in five years. The macroproject is dedicated to trace a (possible) history of the Literature of Cape Verde, within the most current theoretical reflection about Literature and its relation to culture. Of its universe, we intend to review and deepen within a period of three months abroad (with a BPE) a line of research concerning the birth of the Cape Verdean literature and its main characteristics and genres, especially the genre of "short prose" having the "short story" as an exponent of the form under two main point of views: in respect to the formation of the literary system and that which refers to the plural identity or the Cape Verdeanness expressed in the texts. The birth of the "morna" in the short story of Manuel Lopes "Um galo que cantou na baía" (first version in 1936 in the journal "Claridade" (number 2)) can be considered metaphorical as to the birth of the Cape Verdean Literature. The short prose (travel or setting, character, short story, chronicle, poetic prose, among other typifications), however, manifests itself well before that literary landmark of the thirties in the twentieth century, since the cinquecentist reports that combine historical, geoclimatic and literary aspects, or the short texts of the "Almanaques". Therefore, we aim to develop our research overseas (as a required expansion of data collection already done in Brazil and in Cape Verde) in the specific context of the Portuguese libraries, and immediately proceed from the observation of constant incidence and vitality of the literary tale in the Cape Verdean literary series, to the proposal of the systematization of a history of literature through this short form, that meets the demands of regular publication in a country with notorious shortage of publishers, at the same time that it provides more egalitarian production opportunities for female writers compared to a canon markedly masculine in relation to other genres or literary forms. (AU)