São Paulo – The work of Brazilian writers around the world will be discussed at the 2nd Global Summit of Expatriate Brazilian Writers and 1st Seminar on Literary Expressions of the Brazilian Diaspora, which will take place simultaneously from May 19th to 21st at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), in the state of Minas Gerais. Roberto Khatlab, a Brazilian writer and intellectual who lives in Lebanon, will be the sole representative from the Middle East at the event.
According to Else Vieira, a professor in Compared Brazilian and Latin American Studies at the Queen Mary College of the London University and the event’s organizer, the goal is to “discuss the phenomenon of Brazilian literary production out of the national territory.”
According to the professor, literary productions by Brazilians abroad first gained momentum in the 1990s. “This output became more visible from 2000 to 2010, and reached a rather significant level in our decade,” she says. She believes the meeting will allow writers living abroad to share their experiences, and encourage critical reviews on the matter.
Vieira explains that mapping out all national authors working overseas is a difficult task. Thus far, she has counted 73 active writers. “We are inaugurating a collection here in Brazil comprising roughly 250 works [by these writers],” she says. The collection will be located at the UFJF campus.
In addition to Khatlab, the event will feature Brazilians living in the United States, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland. The writers will also pay visits to four primary schools and high schools, three of them in Juiz de Fora and one in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Arabic and Brazilian literature
Roberto Khatlab is the director of the Centre for Latin American Studies and Cultures at Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (Cecal-Usek) and has 19 books published in Lebanon and Brazil, in Portuguese, Arabic, French, English and Spanish. The subjects he discusses include the relations between Brazil and Lebanon and the Middle East, and between Lebanon and Latin America; the history of emigration and immigration between Brazil and Lebanon and the Middle East, the history of religion and tourism in Lebanon, highlighting history, archaeology and culture.
Khatlab will address two topics at the event in Minas Gerais: the trajectory of Lebanese writers in Brazil and of Brazilians in Lebanon; and how well literature from each country is received in the other.
“I will discuss the Lebanese who have established literary associations [in Brazil] since 1930, and also the main newspapers and magazines that feature poems and literature in Arabic and Portuguese,” says the writer. The main writers Khatlab will discuss include Miltom Hatoum and Salim Miguel, who are of Arab ascent.
The professor is also speaking on how foreign literature is received abroad. “Lebanon [as a subject matter] has always enjoyed good acceptance in Latin America,” he says. According to him, Brazilian literature is well accepted in the Arab country. According to Khatlab, this is so because the translations are good and there a strong cultural affinity between Brazilians and Lebanese, partly due to immigration.
Service
2nd Global Meeting of Expatriate Brazilian Writers and 1st Seminar on Literary Expressions of the Brazilian Diaspora
May 19th to 21st
Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais
The event is free of charge and open to the public. The full program is available at www.ufjf.br/faclet/ (in Portuguese)
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
