Iracema (in Portuguese: Iracema - A Lenda do Ceará) is one of the three indigenous novels by José de Alencar. It was first published in 1865. The novel has been adapted into several films.

Plot introduction

The story revolves around the relationship between the Tabajara indigenous woman Iracema and the Portuguese colonist Martim, who was allied with the Tabajara nation's enemies, the Pitiguaras. Through the novel, Alencar tries to remake the history of the Brazilian colonial state of Ceará, with Moacir, the son of Iracema and Martim, as the first true Brazilian in Ceará. This pure Brazilian is born from the love of the natural, innocence (Iracema), culture and knowledge (Martim), and also represents the mixture (miscegenation) of the native race with the European race to produce a new caboclo race.

Explanation of the novel's title

Iracema is Guarani language for honey-lips, from ira - honey, and tembe - lips. Tembe changed to ceme, as in the word ceme iba, according to the author. "Iracema" is also an anagram of "America", noted by critics as befitting the allegorization of colonization of America, the novel's main theme.

Characters in Iracema

Iracema and the Indianist novels

Iracema, along with the novels O Guarani and Ubirajara, portrays one of the stages of the formation of the Brazilian ethnic and cultural heritage. Iracema symbolizes the initial meeting between the white man (Europeans) and the natives. "Moacir" means "Son of Pain", which is related to his birth, alone with his mother, who was abandoned by Martim for some time when he had to go and help the Potiguaras in a tribal war against the Tabajaras.

Awards and nominations

Adaptations

The novel was adapted in 1917 as a Brazilian silent film directed by Vittorio Capellaro and starring Iracema de Alencar, and in 1949 as a Brazilian film directed by Vittorio Cardineli and Gino Talamo, starring Ilka Soares. In 1956, Adoniran Barbosa composed the popular samba song "Iracema". The 1975 film Iracema: Uma Transa Amazônica directed by Jorge Bodansky and Orlando Senna, which was screened at the International Critics' Week of the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.

Statues

There are two statues representing Iracema at the Avenida Beira Mar (Fortaleza) in Fortaleza. One is at Coordinates 3°43'22.99"S, 38°29'3.60"W and the other is at Iracema Beach at Coordinates 3°43'14.04"S, 38°30'34.43"W. This second statue was made by Zenon Barreto and was idealized in 1960. It was constructed on 1996 for the 100th anniversary of the publication, but fell down on 3 May 2022 for unknown reasons.