An introduction to the fiction of public works -- Conquering the dark: literature, lighting, and public space in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1900s -- The spectacle of light: a public works company in southeastern Brazil (1906-71) -- Brasilia: the real and promised city in 1960s Brazilian literature -- Fiction and massive public works during the Brazilian military regime (1964-85) -- Sao Paulo's failed public works in Ferrez's Capuo pecado and Luiz Ruffatois eles eram muitos cavalos
"Brazil under Construction: Fiction and Public Works" explores how Brazil invested in ambitious construction projects throughout the twentieth century, such as the creation of a new capital city, extensive networks of highways, and hydroelectric power plants. Beyond their practical purposes, these public works became significant symbols of Brazil's modernity. While actual public works literally connected the nation, it was the government's representations of these projects that sought to inspire in Brazil's citizenry a notion of connectedness and progress. However, Brazilian fiction exposes the tensions between infrastructure built for the common good and the underbelly of public works: displacement, environmental devastation, uneven access, exploitation, and blight. This book examines how writers successfully use fiction - with its mystery, contradiction, wordplay, and fantasy - to engage the unprecedented role of public works in shaping perceptions of Brazil's modernization
