American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Hispania.http://www.jstor.orgBeing Brazilian in the States: Between Fiction and Reality Author(s): Rodolfo A. Franconi Source:Hispania, Vol. 88, No. 4 (Dec., 2005), pp. 726-732Published by:American Association of Teachers of Spanish and PortugueseStable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/20063176Accessed: 10-08-2015 19:34 UTCYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jspJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBeing BrazilianintheStates:BetweenFictionand Reality1 RodolfoA.Franconi Dartmouth College Iracemavoou ParaaAm?rica Leva roupa del? Eanda l?pida V?umfilmede quando emvez N?odominaoidioma ingl?s Lavach?onumacasadecha Temsa?doaoluar Comumm?mico Ambicionaestudar Cantol?rico N?od?mole prapolic?a Se puder, vaif?cando por l? TemsaudadedoCear? Masn?omuita Uns dias, afoita Me liga acobrar: ??IracemadaAm?rica2 Chico Buarque Muitasmulheresest?o dying dec?ncer.3 Gis?leB?ndchen Abstract: Through anovelandan anthropologicalstudy onBrazilian immigrants in New York, this essay aims toexaminehowtheir experiences are conveyedby fictionandscientificdata. Key Words:Braziliansinthe U.S., Brazilian inmigrants,fiction,reality On my firstvisittothe Federal University ofParan?in Curitiba, I hadthe opportunity to meet briefly withCristovao Tezza, authorofvariousnovelsand professor attheuni versity ' s Literature Department. I already knewTezzawellfromhisbooks and,naturally (as oftenisthecase withthoseofus whoworkwith contemporaryliterature), felt trapped some wherebetweenadmirationanduneasinesswhen standing faceto face withtheauthorhimself.At that point I hadn't fully made up my mindabouthisworkand wasatafranklossfor wordsto express that whichI imagine a writer expects to hearfromsomeonewho supposedly readhis novels.SothereI stood,thankfully not stuttering, butstillunableto sayvery much.Iwas quite impressedby Tezza's warmth, lack of airs, andoverallattentiveness.Heeven graciouslygranted myshyrequest andleft newspaper interview clippings and autographedcopies ofsomeofhis booksat my hotel lobby the very next day. Thiswasin August, 1992. Tezzahaslivedin Curitibafor years andconsidershimselfCuritibaneven though hewas bornin Florian?polis,capitalcity ofthestateofSantaCatarina.Heis probably thebest-known and most representative ofParan?state among the new generation ofnovelistswho appeared on the literary scenearoundthe1970sand 1980s,despitehaving beenbornoutsidethestatelike Franconi, RodolfoA. "Being BrazilianintheStates:BetweenFictionand Reality" Hispania 88.4 (2005): 726-732 This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBeing BrazilianintheStates727 many ofhisfriends.Ourbriefconversation was generatedby anencounteroftwoindividuals sharing the mutualstatusof "outsider," andlater whenI readthe booksandarticleshehadleft me, I decidedIlikedthemall. However, Tezzaismentionedhere quiteoff-handedly sincethis articleis notaboutthat particular SantaCatarina native, whoconsidershimself Curitiban, but instead, his good friendwhodaredto try hisluckatlifein another "promised land":onethat hasn'tbeen ecologically andsomewhat suspiciouslytouting herselfasthe best place to live, the BrazilianMeccasincethe1980s.TheadventurerI'm going totalkaboutis LuizAlberto Scotto, Tezza'schildhood friend, whoteaches journalism atthe Federal University ofSantaCatarinaand alsowrotethe novel46th Street:ocaminhoamericano (1993). I cameacrossthisbook quiteunexpectedlyright afteritwas published. It arrivedin the mail one day withacourteousnotefromtheauthor saying thathehadsentit atthe request ofhis friend Tezza, whoknewthatthematerialwould undoubtedly beofinteresttome.Allofasudden I hadthebookin hand along witha disturbingopportunity toreadand critique it. Furthermore, from whatI could glean fromthe synopsis onthe backcoverandside flaps, I hadbeen given an opportunity toconfirm my own impressions withtheonesofScotto.Atthis point I began to deliberatemore seriouslyupon the possibility of writing abouta subject I had contemplated since the very first day I arrivedhere:theideaof being Brazilianinthe UnitedStates.Yet still, my interest merelypiquedby thetitle's appeal and summary offeredonthecoverand flaps, Iin no way envisionedthe pathsthrough whichthenovelwouldlater guide me. LuizAlbertoScotto'snoveldetailstheinnumerable tactics, the unquestionably Brazilian jeitinhos both legal andundocumented immigrantsemploy in anefforttosurvivein aNewYork thatrecentarrivals inevitably findhostiletoeventheir most guardedexpectations. In aneffort notto disappearentirely while simmering insidethe proverbialmeltingpot of nationalities, aromas, and colors, the wily Brazuca battling oneobstacleafteranothersometimes gets hopelesslytrapped inhisown dream, unabletoconfrontthe reality ofhis surroundings. According tothe author, the very ideaofthe novelwasbornfromthisall-too-common despair: Na esquina da42thStreetcoma Avenidadas Americas, emNova York, existeurna pracinha comaestatua dobrasileiroJos?Bonifacio.Eurn lugar cheiode pobres e vagabundos eaid?iadeescreverestelivro surgiu ali,enquanto observavaurn sujeito chorando.Euestava procurandoemprego e aquele caramedeuurndes? nimodosdiabos.Cincominutos depois desist?do livro, maslevei quase tresanos para desistirdeNovaYork. (163) [There's a tinypark onthecornerof42thStreetandtheAvenueoftheAmericasin NewYork City with astatueoftheBrazilian [patriarch of independence] Jos?Bonifacio.The place isoverrunwiththe poor, homeless,destitute, andIfirst got theideatowritethisbook sitting there watching oneofthese"bums" cry. AtthattimeI was looking fora job and seeing this guygave meadamnablesenseof hopelessness. Five minuteslaterI gaveup on writingmybook, butittookthree years formeto giveup onNewYork. (163, alltranslations by the presentauthor)] This phenomenon is by noaccounts experiencedsolelyby thosewholeavetheirnative countries.WeseeitinsideBrazilwiththethousandsof people wholeavetheir villages and hometownstoend upsleeping insome bigcitypark likethe Pra?a daS?in SaoPauloor Pra?a Tiradentesin Curitiba. Nevertheless,being a "stranger"living in a different region ofone'sown country is notthesameas being an "illegal alien"in some foreign land. 46th Street:TheAmerican Way showsthatthereare leg?is and illegals,yet bothare irreparably alien. Nomatterhowdistinct hisorher background and experiencemay befromthatofthecharactersinthe novel, notone Brazilian living in the UnitedStatescanbedeclareduntouched by hisor hercircumstances.The story ofthecountless "marcinhos, zezinhosecarlinhos que assolamasterrasdetioSam" ["Marcinhos, ZezinhosandCarlinhos roaming UncleSam's land"](Scotto, back cover) presentedby thenovelwillmost likelyyield atleasttwo apparent extremesinits readership's response: Asilentand conciliatory identificationwiththecharactersora resonantly vocaland vehement rejection ofthe former. Startled by hisownface seeminglycaptured onPolaroid by the uncannycharacterizations, This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions728 Hispania 88 December2005 areaderofthe firstclassification implicitly denieshimself by not openlyaffirming hisabsolute identificationwiththecharacters. Why wouldn'tonehideatallcostsfromhisanxiouscom patriots from prolific Governador Valadares, thetrueconditionsunderwhichheisforcedto survive?Thereaderontheotherextremedoesnotevenseeherself represented inthisnovel. Having cometotheStatesfordifferentreasonsand withdifferent experiences, s/he entirely rejects the Brazilianswho"embarrass"herand veryfrequentlyhighlights hersocial background, Europeanancestry, intellectual level, orsomeotherresourceor characteristic, whichdistin guishes herfromtherabble. Nevertheless, such figures,despiteany realor imagined fortuneand privilege, arestillunableto escapebeing Latin American, or rather, cannot deny that they have cometo Americafroma country "belowthe Grand Canyon,"i.e., that they are simply "cock roaches." Quandocome?ou a trabalhar, n?oconhecianemtodasasmoedasdod?laramericano.Helenase julgava com sorte por s?atenderclientesbrancos protestantes, moradoresdeumdos lugares maiscarosdomundo.E devialevantarasm?osaoc?u por n?o pegar os latinos, esseserambandidos.No quarto diade trabalho, come?ou a repetir: "esses latinos, essescucarachas."Inventouat?urnadescendencia europ?iaque a transformounumafrancesanascidaacidentalmentenoBrasil. (34) [When she began to workHelenacouldn'teven recognize allthecoinsin American currency.However, she felt lucky to work only forwhiteProtestant clients, wholivedinoneoftheworld'smost expensiveplaces. Sheshouldevenliftherhandsand givepraise fornotonce having todealwiththosecriminalLatinos.On herfourth day atworkshe began to say toherself"those Latinos, thosecockroaches."Sheevenreinvented herselfas being of European descent, aFrenchwomanborn accidentally in Brazil.] Scotto'snovelhadnot yet been published in1989 whenMaxineL. Margolisbegan her study onthis phenomenon ofan"invisible minority"(242)composed of Brazilians living inNewYork City. In herfirst book, LittleBrazil:An Ethnographyof Brazilian Immigrants inNewYork City (1993),Margolis refersto novels published in Portugueseby BrazilianswholivedinNewYork during thetimeof herresearch.She referenced, for example, Morenocomovoces [Dark Like You], by SoniaNolascoFerreira (1984), and Stella Manhattan by Silviano Santiago(1985). Bothare ? clef 'novelslike46th Street.Another Brazilian, Norma Guimar?es, published her memoirsasan immigrant inNewYorkentitled FebreBrasil emNovalor que[Brazil FeverinNew York]( 1990). In 1989Jos? V?torBicalho published a study on Braziliansin Framingham, Massachusetts, entitled Yes, eusou brazuca, ouavidado imigrante brasileironos EstadosUnidosdaAm?rica [Yes, I ama Brazuca, or Lifeofthe Brazilian Immigrant in theUnitedStatesof America](Margolis,277). Scotto'snovel waseven published inthesame year asLittle Brazil, perhaps too early for Margolis tomentionitin hernotes.Inthis essay Iwill attempt toexaminethethemeofrealand fictionalizedmemoirsin the general contextofthelimitsbetweenreal experiences ofeachauthor inAmericanexileandtheir respectivetransposition tothe privilegedspace of written text, beit in fictionalor documentary form. Silviano Santiago's novelhasreceivedalotofattentionfrom quite afew"Brazilianists." Among those whotookaninterestin thisbook are FranciscoCaetano Lopes, Jr., George Yudice (author ofits English translation published in1994 by the Duke UniversityPress), Susan Quinlan, and myself, among others. Santiago's noveldiffers greatly fromothers sharing thesametheme duetothe uniqueway it portrays the experiences ofexiledBrazilians living in the UnitedStatesin thelate 1960s, its discussionoftheroleof author/narrator/character/reader, its polyglot lexicon, its narrative multiplicity and code-switching tendencies.Thenovelalsoflirtswiththeideaof almost being a detective story with myriadquirks and digressions. It evenestablishesitself firmly asa literary force, described by somecriticsasthe most authentically Brazilian post-modern novelofthe1980s. Notwithstanding thedistinctdifferencesin proposal andelaboration seenin theaforementionedstudiesandour novel, wecan safely combineallthesetextsto weaveasocio anthropologicaltapestry thatseeksto definewhatitmeansto be Brazilianin theStateswitheach section interacting with another,complementing and highlighting eachotherliketheinnumerable interviewscollected by Margolis totellthe story ofthis"invisible minority." Fiction hereby This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBeing BrazilianintheStates729 demonstratesits tendency to exaggeratetruth,expose woundsandalienatedreams. Thus, thelivesofthetwo maincharactersinStella Manhattan, EduardoCostae Silva/Stella, and46th Street,Antonio, end tragically.Santiago'snovel, as weestablished earlier, lendsitselfto analyses basedon morethan mere plot andaction. Consequently, wecan question Eduardo/ Stella's untimely demiseasdid literary criticFranciscoCaetano Lopes, Jr. LuizAlbertoScotto's novel,however, offersnoother reading or analyticpossibility that wouldviewAntonio'sdeath in any other way buttheexactmannerinwhichit took place. His story ends right thereonaNew York sidewalk, wherehis body lies split in half, surrounded bygarbage cansthatserveas sole witnessestohissuicide jump. Noneofthecharacterswithwhomareader mightpossibly sympathize in eitherofthesenovels hang aroundtotellstoriesabout NewYork. Theyinevitably disappear,leaving behind nothing to ponderexceptperhaps the darksideoftheir destiny, which likensthemto allotherswho go tothe bigcitydreaming about brightlights andsuccess.While these apparent innocentsfall by the wayside, the bad guys, the reallydespicablecharacters, not onlyremain, butalso gounpunished. Thelawsofthe universe prove the same, in no matterwhich country?Brazil orthe U.S.In boththenorthernandsouthern hemispheres,only the strongest survive.Bethatasit may, this essay seekstoconcernitself exclusively withtheactual characterizationand experiences ofthevariousBrazilian archetypes describedinthenovels. Destiniesanddemisesmustbeleftforanotheroccasion. So, whatfactoridentifiesthesecharactersas definitively Brazilian? Margolis's book presents a counterpoint to myquestion: (...) doesthefactthatBraziliansin NewYorkare strangers ina strange landoverridewhateversocialand economicdifferencesthatexist among them?Inother words, I wantedtoknowwhether ethnicity actedas a countervailing forcetothedivisivenessofsocialclasswithinthe expatriatecommunity. WithinaweekI thought Ihadthe answer, whichwas repeatedly confirmedoverfourteenmonthsof research: no, itdidnot. Ethnicity meantlittleinthefaceofthesocialandeconomicdivisionsthat split the Brazilian community. Forthemost part, thesedivisionswerenotbasedoncontrastsinthesocialandedu cational background ofBraziliansin NewYork.Rather they wererelatedtothe disparities in lifestyle and status resulting fromthemenialcharacterofthe jobs held by new immigrants tothe city. TheBrazilian community wascrosscut by a pervasive differentiationinto occasionally hostile?orat least,mutually indifferent?camps whose membership wasbasedonthetimeandthemannerofarrivalin NewYork.In fact, I began todoubtwhetheraBrazilian community existedatallinthe qualitative senseoftheterm:a group of peopleworkingtogether foracommonend. (19) Margolis identifiesthecircumstanceswhich separate Braziliansfromoneanotherandiron ically unitethemaswell.I volunteeranothercritical factor, acommon soul, if youwill, asentiment withwhichall Brazilians identify.Invariablythey feela considerableand overwhelming senseof melancholic longing: saudade. Theylong for Brazilian food,climate,friends, andconversation. Despite alleffortstothe contrary, Braziliansnever fullyadapt tothe"American way oflife." When theytry, manyinevitablybetray theirtrue originsthroughexaggeration andanobvious lackof authenticity. The"educated" develop atic:the"amnesia syndrome:" ?Urna agencia...que interessante!Mas housekeeperagora n?od?.Tenho urna, urna...comosedizem por tugu?s?... urna, urnafaxineira portorriquenha. E prefiroassim,algu?mquev?,limpe tudoecaiafora.Tenho mais privacidade,you know? ?Iknow! ?respondeuPercy.?Quanto est? pagandopor faxina? ?Bern,agora, neste mes, n?osei.Acho que vou pagar uns...seil?...acho que centoe cinq?enta d?lares. ?T? superbarato ?mentiu Percy. Este panaca n?otinhafaxineira porra nenhuma.?Masse precisar de algu?m d?um toque. ?Dou, sim.Foibomconversarcomvoceeficarsabendo que abriram...comosediz?... urna, urna... ?Agencia de empregos! ViuCarlosseafastarcomseucabelinho penteadinho, todo limpinho,esquecendo o portugu?s. S?esta semanaencontrouseisbrasileiroscomamnesia. Quem estescaras queriamenga?ar? J?tinhavistotodasas especies de marcinhos,carlinhos, zezinhos que oBrasil poderiaproduzir. Todosse apresentavam como filhosde fazendeiros, industri?is?ricos.Etrabalhavamem qualquer coisa porque estavam"dandoumtem po." Cambadade pobretees metidaabesta.Este Carlos, mamando?astetasdo governo,aparec?a na46 para observaramiseriaalheiae comprar sabonetesPhebo.Umbundinha! (Scotto14-15) This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions730 Hispania 88 December2005 ["Anagency? How interesting! But having a housekeeper these daysjust won'tdo.I have a, a...howdo you say in Portuguese? Ihavea faxineira, that'sit.She'sPuertoRican.Ilikeherdealbetterthanafull-time housekeeper, becauseshe just comes, cleans upeverything, and gets lost.That way I maintain myprivacy, you know." "Iknow!" repliedPercy. "Howmuchdo youpay her per session?" "Well, this month, I'mnotsure.IthinkI'm gonna end uppayingmaybe, who knows, ahundredand fifty bucks." "Wow, that'sso cheap!"Percy lied.Thisidiotdoesn'thave anyfucking maidatall. "Well, if youhappen toneed someone, justgive meacall." "Willdo. Well, it was greattalking with you and finding outabout yournew, whatdo you callit again?... a, a..." "Employmentagency!" HewatchedCarloswalk away withhis stylishly combed hair, allneatand clean, and pretending notto knowhowto speakPortuguese. JustthisweekaloneheranintoatleastsixBrazilians suffering fromthe sameamnesia.Whoaretheseclowns trying tofool? Percy knewthe game alltoowell.Hehadmet every imaginable variantof Marcinhos,Carlinhos, andZezinhos imported fromBrazil. They allcamehere pretending tobesonsof wealthy ranchersand manufacturers, and theyonly workedallkindsofodd jobs supposedlyjust to "pass thetime." Nothing morethanabunchofdumb-ass poorpeoplepretending tobe what they so obviously weren't.This jerkCarlos,sucking hardontheteatof governmentbenefits, hadthe nervetoshow up on46th just towatchother people'smisery and disgrace while buying Phebo soap.] Carloswasaresearch professor fromRockefeller University funded by a grant fromthe Brazilian government;just anotherBrazilian among the many whoended upsticking aroundas long as they could. Percy wasaseasonedveteransurvivoroflifein NewYork."Estavanos EstadosUnidosdesde1973. Maiode1973 para serexato" (13)["He hadbeenin the Statessince 1973. May of1973to be exact"] and wasmasterofallconceivableticsandtricks:"Nofimeraele quern resolviatudono improviso, na malandragem"(13)["He wastheonewhoresolved everything withan unbeatablesenseof scheming and improvisation"]. Little by little he manages to thoroughly hardenhis soul, which during earlier years hadcausedhim much pain.Eventually heends updisengaging himself completely fromhisor any national identity, andhislovetrans formsintoindifferenceandhate: Percy era incapaz desentirsaudadedoBrasil porque n?o conseguiaguardarlembran?as, n?otinhamemoria. Havia chegado num pontoque n?onotavaa diferen?a entresambae m?sica japonesa.Quando era menino, vendia past?is emestadiode futebol, adorava qualquerpelada.Agora, dormiavendoa sele?ao brasileira jogar. Odiava praias, verdurase parentes.(36) [Percy was incapable of missing or longing for Brazil, becausehedidn'tbotherto keep orcherish any memories.Hehadevenarrivedata stage wherehecouldn'ttellthedifferencebetweensambaand Japanese music.Whenhewasa child, hesoldmeat pies atasoccerstadiumandwould dropeverything inasecondto play a quickpick-upgame.Nowadays, hefalls asleep while watching theBraziliannationalteam.Healso hates beaches,greens, andallhis relatives.] Thenthere's Marques, occasional journalist and Percy's friendas wellas partner-in-crime. Thischaracterservesastheauthor'salter ego, whoshowsusanothersideofthecoinandes capes from NewYorkbefore transforming into amirror image ofhisfriend. Depois dedezanosde jornalismo,Marques desistiudoBrasil. Chegouaqui determinadoacontinuarna pro fiss?o, masconvencidoaabandon?-la pelopolon?sVaclav, donodohotel que moravaemBrooklin.Tres mesesdeatrasoeasmateriasn?o pagavam nemotaxi.Descobriu que amaioriados "correspondentes" eramturistasdeurnasemanadeNovaYork.Faziammateriade gra?a, ficavamencantadosaoveremseus nomesaoladodo "especial deNY".Essavaidaden?otem pre?opara acanalha. (22) [After ten years of working asa journalist,Marquesgaveup onBrazil.Hearrivedheredeterminedto continueinhis field, butwas eventuallydiscouraged from doing so byVaclav, thePolishhotelownerwho usedtoliveinBrooklin.Threemonthsof delayedpay and infrequent article assignments aren't enough to pay forevenacabride. Marques laterdiscoveredthat"NewYork correspondents" were just touristson weeklong vacationstothe city, and they wrotearticlesforfree just toseetheirnames printed nexttothe words "Reporting fromNewYork."Youcan'teven put a fuckingprice onthatkindof vanity.] This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsBeing BrazilianintheStates731 When Marques tells Percy ofhisdecisionto quitjournalism andalso go back home, his friendseesthisas just anotheroneofthose typical momentsof despairconstantly suffered by Brazilians living inNewYork. Marques'sjustification for his departure touchesonobservations made by someof Margolis's interviewees:inherentBrazilian inadaptability toaforcedexile broughtby economic crisis, hopelessness, andthefactofBraziliansnot beingimmigrants. ?VouemboradeNovaYork porque fechoumeu tempo nestacidade.Adoro ela,gosto de verdade, mas pra mimdeu. ?Praondevoce pretende ir? ?N?o sei,Percy. Masvouadiantarumadasraz?es para voc?:est?vindomuitobrasileiro pra c?.Isto aqu? est?virandoum trocopavoroso. N?o? pelos brasileiros.? pela faltade experiencia nossaemvivernoexte rior.A gentequer viverforacomoseestivessenoBrasil.Aivamosnos comer, nosdevorar: sacanagempra todo lado, durantetodo tempo.Daqui unsvinteanosvaiserbommorar junto dacoloniabrasileiraemNova Yook.Atualmente? imposs?vel. ?Masmeu chapa, NovaYork? grande demais.Voc? pode viver aqui semverumbrasileiro pelo restoda vida. ?Masai? que est?a quest?o,Percy. Por que nosestamosna46? Porque nos gostamos dosbrasileiros.Eu vim pra c? porque sent?amedodo Brasil, n?odas pessoas. N?o suporto osamericanos.Maso que est?acon tecendoemNovaYork? que as pessoasquerem transferiroBrasil para c?.Entendeu?O que temde piorpor l?acaba pintandoporaqui.(68-69) ["I'mleaving NewYork.I've spentenough timeinthis city. I mean, Ilovethis place, I reallydo, but enough is enough." "Sowherewill yougo?" "Ihaveno clue,Percy, butbefore youask, I'll goright aheadandtell you oneofthereasons why I'vehad enough ofallthis: many Braziliansare coming here.This place is getting real scary realfast.Andit'snot really becauseoftheBraziliansthemselves.It'sbecauseofourlackof experience with living abroad.We allwanttoliveoutsideBrazilintheexactsame way weliveathome.That's whyeventually we're gonna justgobble eachother rightup withallkindsofcrookedness every which wayyou turn. Who knows,maybe twentyyears fromnow living insidetheBrazilian community hereinNewYorkwillbeawonderful experience.Right now, it's justimpossible." "ButNewYorkis huge,buddy. Youcouldlivesomewhereherefortherestof your life without running into one single Brazilian." "Andthat'sthe problem,Percy.Why arewehereon46th?BecauseweloveBrazilians.IcametoNew YorkbecauseI wasafraidof Brazil, notBrazilians.Ican'tstandAmericans.Butwhat's happening herein NewYorkisthatthesefolkswanna bring Brazilover here,you see?I mean, theabsoluteworstshitwe've got overthereends upbeingreproducedrighthere."] Attheendofthe novel, muchtothe surprise ofhisfriend Percy,Marques doesindeedleave the UnitedStates.Hemovesinsteadto Japan, thenew port of entry for Braziliansinsearchof possibilities and opportunities unavailabletothemat home. Crist?vao Tezza, towhomI referredatthe beginning ofthis essay, wasnot merely mentioned asarhetoricaltoolusedtoillustrateour inabilityfully to adjust toalienterritoriesora greater tendency to self-exilethanwe mightimagine. Ifitweren'tfor my occasional trips backto Brazilto "rechargemy batteries"andthecoincidenceof running into Tezzain Curitiba, given ourcharac teristicBrazilian way of informing ourselves through thosewhoinformus generally with spontaneous and generalgoodwill,maybe our rudimentaryway of maintaining alink withthis Brazilweallleaveso suddenly withoutdefined plans, muchofthis essay couldnothave happened?inshort, ifitweren'tforour beingpart ofthe fascinatingstory ofthe firstwaveof navigators in a very recent exodus, LuizAlbertoScottoandhis46th Street:ocaminhoamericano wouldnotexist.EvenTezza himself, whowasinvitedtotheStatesasaresidentwriter by the Ledig HouseFoundationinthe winterof 1994, managed to write, somewherein betweenthe excitementof seeing snowforthe firsttimeandthe polyphonicexchanges heshared withother visitingfellows, the final chapters ofa novelhehad begun in Brazil, Umanoiteem Curitiba [One Night in Curitiba]. This novel, quitecuriously, remaineduntouched by the impressions he gleamed fromthe experience. Thecrossroadsofthe"American Way" withoutdoubt impose themselvesin bothTezzaandScotto'snovels:Twostoriesandtwo experiences,traversing the fictionand reality of being Brazilianin the States. This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions732 Hispania 88December2005 NOTES lAfirstversionofthistextwas presented attheSecondConferenceoftheBrazilianStudiesAssociation - BRASA. Minneapolis,May11-13, 1995.The present versionwastranslatedfromthe PortuguesebyObianuju Anya. 2"Iracemavoou (Iracemaflew)," Chico Buarque deHollanda song onCDentitledAsCidades (TheCities). MarolaMusic Publishing, 1998.In clearlyyet anothertributetoTom Jobim,Buarquesings aboutacertain Iracema, whoflewtoher anagram America."She hardlyspeaksEnglish,""Lately she'sbeen strolling inthe moonlight witha mime," and"Dreamsof studying classical song." It'sa (sad)joke abouttheconstant flight of Braziliansfromtheirhomeland-Jobimhimselfwasoneofthese-andrevealsChico'sintentioninAsCidades: TheCD highlights theissueoflossof identityamonguprootedBrazilians,awkwardlynavigating a globalized world.It attempts to"re-Brazilianize"Brazil.SeePedroAlexandreSantosandFabio Schivartche, FolhadeS?o Paulo, Oct. 31, 1998. 3Supermodel Gis?le B?ndchen,speaking ataBreastCancerAwareness Campaign functionattheBrazilian presidentialpalace, declared "Many womenare dying ofcancer"inbothamixtureand phonetic trocadilloof English and Portuguese,clearlydemonstrating thatshe's alreadyforgetting howto speakPortuguese. Notein the "Veja Essa"sectionofVEJA magazine, Dec. 6, 2000. WORKS CITED Bicalho, Jos?V?tor. Yes, eusou brazuca, ouavidadeum imigrante brasileironosEstadosUnidosdaAm?rica. GovernadorValadares: FUNSEC, 1989. Ferreira, SoniaNolasco.Morenocomovoces.RiodeJaneiro:Editora Record, 1984. Guimar?es, Norma.FebreBrasilemNova Iorque. BeloHorizonte:O Lutador, 1990. LopesJr., FranciscoCaetano."StellaManhattan:urna subjetividade outra."Brasil/Brazil5.4 (1991): 54-78. Margolis, MaxineL.LittleBrazil:An Ethographyof Brazilian Immigrants in NewYork City.Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1993. Santiago, Silviano.StellaManhattan.RiodeJaneiro:Nova Fronteira, 1985. ?. Trans. George Yudice.StellaManhattan. Durham, NC:Dulce UP, 1994. Scotto, LuizAlberto.46th Street, ocaminhoamericano.S?oPaulo: Brasiliense, 1993. Tezza, Crist?vaoTezza.UmaNoiteemCuritiba.RiodeJaneiro: Rocco, 1995. This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:34:13 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions