Essays on Hilda Hilst: Between Brazil and World Literature (Literatures of the Americas)

This book is the first collection of critical essays on Hilda Hilst (1930-2004) published in English. It brings together a variety of perspectives on one of Latin America’s most inventive and innovative authors. Nine essays by scholars and translators reflect about various aspects of her work, placing it in the context of Brazil and world literature. During her lifetime, Hilst won several major national literary awards and attracted legions of devoted readers. Her writing spanned styles and genres, encompassing poetry, theatre, and experimental fiction. She was also considered to be “a writer’s writer,” and her literary achievements eluded both mainstream acclaim and international recognition. In recent years, Hilst’s books have enjoyed increased visibility in Brazil and beyond. A host of translators (including three contributors to this volume) have finally made some of her masterpieces available in English. This pioneering collection of essays should excite longtime readers and introduce her to a new audience. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Introduction: Who’s Afraid of Hilda Hilst? An Author Between Brazil and “World Literature.” (Adam Morris, Bruno Carvalho)....Pages 1-16 Front Matter ....Pages 17-17 A Brazilian Teorema: Queering the Family in Hilda Hilst’s O Visitante (The Visitor) (David William Foster)....Pages 19-32 Is the Word Alive? An Inquiry into Poetics and Theater in As Aves da Noite (Nightbirds) by Hilda Hilst (Tatiana Franca Rodrigues Zanirato)....Pages 33-55 Front Matter ....Pages 57-57 Figurations of Eros in Hilda Hilst (Eliane Robert Moraes)....Pages 59-74 Hilda Hilst, Metaphysician (Adam Morris)....Pages 75-91 Front Matter ....Pages 93-93 A Nation on the Ground Floor: The Face of Brazil, Drawn with Hilda Hilst’s Political Pen (Deneval Siqueira de Azevedo Filho)....Pages 95-114 When “the Life of Sentiments Is Extremely Bourgeois”: Ideal Love and Nonconformism in the Love Poems of Hilda Hilst (Alva Martínez Teixeiro)....Pages 115-131 Front Matter ....Pages 133-133 Translating Brazil’s Marquise de Sade (John Keene)....Pages 135-150 Derelict of Duty ( Nathanaël)....Pages 151-157 Hilst on Hilst: Excerpts from Interviews with the Author, 1952–2003 (Hilda Hilst)....Pages 159-173 Back Matter ....Pages 175-177 "This book is the first collection of critical essays on Hilda Hilst (1930-2004) published in English, bringing together a variety of perspectives on one of Latin America's most inventive and innovative authors. Nine essays by scholars and translators reflect on various aspects of her work, placing it in the context of Brazil and world literature. During her lifetime, Hilst won several major national literary awards and attracted legions of devoted readers. Her writing spanned several styles and genres, encompassing poetry, theatre, and experimental fiction. She was also considered to be "a writer's writer", and her literary achievements eluded both mainstream acclaim and international recognition. In recent years, Hilst's books have enjoyed increased visibility in Brazil and beyond. A host of translators (including three contributors to this volume) have finally made some of her masterpieces available in English. This pioneering collection of essays should excited longtime readers and introduce her to a new audience"--Back cover The first collection of critical essays on Hilda Hilst (1930-2004) published in English, this book brings together a variety of perspectives on one of Latin America's most inventive and innovative authors. Nine essays by scholars and translators reflect about various aspects of her work, placing it in the context of Brazil and world literature. During her lifetime, Hilst won several major national literary awards and attracted legions of devoted readers. Her writing spanned styles and genres, encompassing poetry, theatre, and experimental fiction. She was also considered to be "a writer's writer, " and her literary achievements eluded both mainstream acclaim and international recognition. In recent years, Hilst's books have enjoyed increased visibility in Brazil and beyond. A host of translators (including three contributors to this volume) have finally made some of her masterpieces available in English. This pioneering collection of essays should excite longtime readers and introduce her to a new audience