If newspapers provided the ideal setting for Rio's literature to begin its trajectory, the same held true for the literature that addressed the theme of slavery and abolitionism. The debate in favor of freeing the enslaved in Rio and in Brazil had the decisive participation of writers, who emerged in the city alongside the development of the press.
It is no accident that the first newspaper directly dedicated to the theme of the enslavement of the Black population was created by Francisco de Paula Brito, a key figure in the organization of a literary field in Rio de Janeiro. Editor, printer, bookseller, journalist, and writer, it was his initiative to create, back in 1833, the newspaper O Mulato, later called O Mulato ou O Homem de Cor. That same year, Paula Brito would also launch O Meia Cara, likewise devoted to racial debate and the political problems of the Regency Period. Despite its few issues (five copies), its publication marked out a path that was less rare than we might think in various cities across the country.
Image description: The image is a black-and-white historical document. It is arranged vertically, with text aligned both left and right. At the top, there is a prominent title: "O HOMEM DE CÓR." Below it, there is a date and an archival stamp. The text contains several legal and historical references, including citations of articles and laws. There are also mentions of names such as Manuel Zeferino dos Santos and the date June 13, 1853.Cover of the newspaper O Homem de Cor. Wikimedia Commons
Along with other almost clandestine initiatives (the newspapers were bought only directly from their authors) and often ephemeral, we see publications such as Brasileiro Pardo, made by Typographia Paraguassu de Davi da Fonseca Pinto, and O Cabrito, by Typographia de Miranda e Carneiro, both from 1833.
Beyond these pioneering newspapers, the theme of slavery in the Second Reign and of abolitionism ran through several short stories, chronicles, novels, and plays – though not always conveying the true colors of the violence of the slaveholding regime. One need only recall the book As vítimas-algozes: quadros da escravidão, published by Joaquim Manuel de Macedo in 1869, the tragic short story “Mariana,” published by Machado de Assis in 1871 in the Jornal das Famílias, and the success of A escrava Isaura, a book by Bernardo Guimarães published by B.L. Garnier in Rio de Janeiro in 1875.
Image description: The image shows a painting depicting a woman with dark, wavy hair. She is holding a white handkerchief with red flowers near her face. The background is gray, highlighting the central figure. In the upper left corner, there is a blue triangle with the text "Adapted Version." In the center, in large white letters, it reads "A Escrava Isaura." Above, in yellow letters, is the author's name, Bernardo Guimarães. In the lower right corner, there is the "NEWTEC" logo, and below it, "Coleção É só o Começo."Escrava Isaura and As vítimas algozes -- two books that claimed to be abolitionist, but reinforced stereotypes about the enslaved Black population.
The abolitionist movements that grew within civil society starting in the 1860s worked across different segments and included the participation of brilliant poets such as Castro Alves, famous for his public readings of verses dedicated to the illegal trafficking of Africans and to the suffering of these populations in captivity. Newspapers such as the Jornal do Comércio used enslaved labor in their typography workshops and became spaces where the abolitionist struggle went beyond the printed page.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. The central figure is a man wearing a classic suit with a high collar and tie. He is posing with his hands resting on a decorative object, possibly a book or an ornamental item, in front of him. The background is neutral, with no distinct elements.The poet Castro Alves in his youth. Wikimedia Commons
Within these ties between the press and abolitionism, without a doubt the leading name in Rio de Janeiro was José do Patrocínio, a Black man, owner of the Gazeta da Tarde and an active founder of abolitionist societies and confederations, alongside heavyweight names in the imperial elite of the time, such as Joaquim Nabuco and André Rebouças.
Another central name -- despite working in São Paulo -- was Luís Gama, one of the Black writers and lawyers who worked forcefully at this bridge between literature and the fight against slavery in Brazil. A close friend of the Rio-born writer Raul Pompéia, author of the classic O Ateneu, published in 1888 of all years, Gama's abolitionist texts and poems had a direct impact on daily life in Rio.
