Edition, politics and dictatorship: Two opposition books by Editora Alfa-Omega^*

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the edition by Editora Alfa-Omega of São Paulo of two opposition books: The Island (a Brazilian reporter in the country of Fidel Castro), by Fernando Morais (1976), and The Exiles: 5,000 Brazilians Awaiting Amnesty, by Cristina Pinheiro Machado (1979). From the analysis of the history of the publishing house and the process of production and edition of this two books and its repercussion, I will try to show how and why they were characterized as books of opposition to the dictatorship in force in Brazil at that time and the political role of these works during that period studied. I shall also discuss the category of “opposition books”, which I understand to be related to literary works which represented a public political manifestation of opposition in a period of strong restriction of democratic freedoms. They were therefore possible forms of intervention within a dictatorial framework, which brought in themthe limitations inherent in the vehicle book, limitations related to the readership, the distribution and effective reach of these works, and their real impact on the country’s political situation.

Keywords:
opposition books; opposition publishers; dictatorship in Brazil