ABSTRACT
This article analyzes the process of production, circulation, and reception of books for the borderlands, i.e., books printed in Europe but intended for the South American missionary borderlands. As a case study, the work examines the “communication circuit” behind Ara Poru aguĭyey haba, a book written entirely in Guaraní language by Jesuits, printed in two volumes in Madrid between 1759-1760, and addressed primarily to the devout Indigenous people from the missions in Paraguay. The analysis presented demonstrates that clergymen who traveled between America and Europe - known as procurators - played a decisive role in all stages of this book’s biography, which suggests that book history in the South American borderlands should be reconsidered as a moving and dynamic global history, influenced by religious factors.
Keywords:
Book history; Society of Jesus; Guaraní language; Guaraní missions; Paraguay; Spiritual literature