Macunaíma is a 1928 novel by Brazilian writer Mário de Andrade. It is one of the founding texts of Brazilian modernism. Macunaíma was published six years after the "Semana de Arte Moderna", which marked the beginning of the Brazilian modernism movement. The novel follows a young man, Macunaíma, "a hero without any character," born in the Brazilian jungle and possessing strange and remarkable abilities—mostly shapeshifting—, as he travels to São Paulo and back again. The protagonist is often considered a representation of the Brazilian personality. The novel employs a composite structure using elements of what would later be called magic realism and a number of dialects of both interior Brazil and São Paulo. It is based on Andrade's research in language, culture, folklore, and music of the indigenous peoples in Brazil. Macunaíma was first published in English by Random House in 1984 in a translation by E. A. Goodland. In 2023, two new English translations were published: one by Carl Engel, published by King Tide Press; and another by Katrina Dodson, published by New Directions, with an introduction by John Keene.

Style

Macunaíma was an attempt on the part of Andrade to write a novel that represented pan-Brazilian culture and language.. The author desired to write the novel in the spoken language of Brazil. Macunaíma's catch phrase "Ai, que preguiça!" is a pun in both Tupi language and Portuguese, as "Ai" is a Tupi word for sloth and "preguiça" is Portuguese for sloth. This is an example of Andrade using a fused language to write this text, which begins with a simple description: "In the depths of the virgin jungle was born Macunaíma, hero of our people. He was jet black and son of the fear of the night." Considered a "rhapsody" by Andrade himself, Macunaíma is a melding of the cultures of Brazil. Most of the folklore contained within the text is taken directly from native stories; Lucia Sá has shown that Andrade's novel draws heavily on the narratives of the Pemon people that were collected and recorded by Theodor Koch-Grünberg.

Plot

This novel follows an unconventional hero, Macunaíma, who was born in the Amazon Rainforest and is called "the hero with no character" in the novel's subtitle. He is of indigenous origin and possesses magical powers which help guide him on his journey from the Amazon to the city of São Paulo and back. He encounter various different creatures from Brazilian mythology along the way, taking him on a quest to retrieve his stolen amulet, a muiraquitã, who was given to him from his love interest, Ci. When arriving in São Paulo our hero is confronted with industrialization and begins to try and understand this new innovation by making connections between nature. His adventures in the city highlights social critique, exploring class differences, racial issues, and the cultural clash between urban and rural, using satire and folklore. The author uses a blend of mixed languages to represent the cultural mix that is happening throughout the story mirroring Brazil's diverse cultural makeup. After the city adventures our hero, Macunaíma, returns back home to the jungle where he eventually ends up turning into a constellation.

Cinematic adaptation

In 1969, the Brazilian production company Filmes do Serro made a film based on the novel, but with a substantially different storyline. The 1969 film was directed by Brazilian film director, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade. While the storyline differs from the 1928 version, the film retains the original narrative structure. Pedro de Andrade simplified the magical elements of the book in order to relate to Brazil's social, economic, and political state. Additionally, the story takes place in Rio de Janeiro rather than São Paulo, and is set at more or less the time the film was made.

Characters

Themes

Andrade wrote the character Macunaíma to represent the idea that Brazil had no national character. Macunaíma became a symbol of Brazil's national identity. In order to make Macunaíma this symbol, Andrade strategically created the character as a conglomeration of various cultures. Additionally, within the story there is references to a variety of myths and cultures. The tale was heavily based on the Taulipang myth, Makunaima, which gave the tale its mythical structure. One of the story's central points is the incorporation of the three main races that make up Brazilian culture: Indigenous, Portuguese, and African. Macunaíma was born a black Indian man and then goes through a racial transformation where he becomes a white man. The confluence of Indian, Black, and White ethnicities is central to the conceptualization of Brazil. Macunaíma's character also represents a migrant experiencing the new changes and developments occurring in society. His character and the experiences he goes through represents the theme of modernization in Brazil.