The narrative of two Joãos: a dialogue about identities

This book conducts a comparative analysis between modern Brazilian literature and contemporary Angolan literature, more specifically, between two iconic authors from these two countries, namely João Antônio and João Melo. The works that make up the research corpus are: Malhação do Judas Carioca (1975), a collection of 12 short stories and a critical essay, which explore the daily lives of ordinary characters belonging to a nocturnal (bohemian) universe who find themselves on the margins of society and struggle with difficulties for their survival, and Filhos da Pátria (2001), a collection of 10 short stories that trace a historical and social panorama of the city of Luanda (Angola) through its characters, who are generally in a situation of misery and total deprivation of their civil rights, fighting for a place in Luandan society, as well as for a dignified and honest survival. The work analysed the structural and thematic elements of four short stories from each work, as well as the essay ’Corpo-a-corpo com a vida’ (Body-to-body with life) by João Antônio, observing literature as a weapon of defence and denunciation of the ills suffered by the poor strata of Brazilian and Angolan society.