Introductory literature work by Marisa Lajolo is 30 years old and is reinvigorated
This text, for its tasteful literary tone, is by itself among the territories explored throughout the pages
This book is addressed to all who are interested in literature and have always wondered what it is and how many senses and worlds can fit into this word. These questions, truly important to readers all around the world, motivated the distinguished professor Marisa Lajolo to elucidate some questions in Literature: yesterday, today, tomorrow [Literatura: ontem, hoje, amanhã], published by Editora Unesp.
This book, written 30 years ago, has been updated and embraces the modern times, the age of digital technologies, which seem to subtract readers and, for some, even kills literature itself. “You, your friend, my colleagues, I and all the other members of the very selected Anonymous Readers Club know this is a lie, literature goes well, thank you very much, she’s alive and is sending her best regards …”, Marisa Lajolo comments. “But it’s changed. It changed a lot. Her face, address and even her family have changed. Some people won’t recognize her by the new address and some may disrespect the old family she’s coming from(…) These are grumpy voices. We need to be patient because, in our book, from time to time, we’ll need to dialogue with these and other similar grunts.”
A fine gateway to the knowledge of literature, along the 16 chapters we dive deep into the study of antiquity and, from there, go on a carefree journey throughout the history of the literary genres. Marisa Lajolo can explore the different aspects either through a contrasting, or a complementary view of the multiple – and perhaps countless – aspects of literature.
The most important point of this light and fluid, but grounded and profound text is the conception that there are many literatures, even if some voices cannot coexist well with difference. “Such voices, however divergent and conflicting regarding their views of literature, circulate throughout the same universe. But different does not mean worse. It only means different. ”
About the author – Marisa Lajolo is a professor at Unicamp and Mackenzie University. She has several published works about reading in Brazil and she coordinated the thematic project that worked with the Lobatian documentation deposited at Unicamp. In 2009, in partnership with João Luís Ceccantini, she organized the book Monteiro Lobato, book by book: children’s work, awarded with Jabuti Prize as best book of 2009 in the Non-Fiction Category, which was followed by Monteiro Lobato, book by book: adult work (2014), both published by Editora Unesp.
Title: Literature: yesterday, today, tomorrow [Literatura: ontem, hoje, amanhã]
Author: Marisa Lajolo
Number of pages: 170
Format: 14 x 21 cm
ISBN: 978-85-393-0722-7
Rights: worldwide free