Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística

About the publication - Brazilian Sertões I - Volume 2

The collection Atlas of Literary Representations of the Brazilian Regions has the objective of identifying and representing, by means of maps at different scales, satellite photos and images, the Brazilian regions that have been a distinguishing element in the plot of some of the major works of national literature, in a type of mapping where identity is the key element for the individualization of the different territory segments that form the national scenario.

Atlas of Literary Representations of the Brazilian Regions – Volume 2 (2009) - Brazilian Wilderness I

Brazilian Sertões I  presents some regions formed during the occupation process of the National Territory, since 16^th century, especially at segments where, for some reason, were once described as “Sertões”. Confirming the work objective adopted since the first volume of this collection, the presented territory subdivisions – Sertões do Leste, Sertões do Ouro and Sertões dos Currais, Sertão de Cima and Sertões Nordestinos – are neither based on political and administrative subdivisions nor on the Brazilian geographic regionalization, but on characteristics and sizes defined by the economic, demographic, cultural and environmental dynamics they originated from.

The publication introduces, firstly, by means of texts and maps, each one of the selected segments in their geographic features, according to the regionalization defined by the IBGE itself and other Institutions, and highlighting, after that, the cultural dimension of these territory units according to the perception about the region from a Literary perspective. This approach is expressed in selected quotes from José de Alencar, Coelho Netto, Agripa Vasconcelos, João Guimarães Rosa, Herberto Sales, Afrânio Peixoto, Cláudio Aguiar, Ariano Suassuna, among others famous writers that give visibility to the Brazilian wilderness, which is the objective of this volume. In the Atlas, maps are also presented to locate the region that emerges from the novels, as well as photos or images. In all texts, some regional terms referring to the territory and its appropriation process were highlighted in bold, they form a glossary at the end of the publication.