Out-of-print books by Moacyr Scliar will soon be back on the shelves, with pages that smell brand new. Starting in September, the Companhia das Letras will begin a project to reissue works by the Gaucho writer, who died in 2011. It will begin with the reprinting of the paperback edition of A Majestade do Xingu (1987) (The majesty of the Xingu), already scheduled for next month. In the first half of next year, the book will be released as a special edition with a new cover, and a new preface and afterword by writers Paulo Scott and Michel Laub, respectively.
Other new releases include an expanded edition of the short story anthology Contos Reunidos (1995) (Collected stories), this time edited by UFRGS literature Prof. Regina Zilberman, scheduled for publication late next year, and a comic book adaptation of what is considered Scliar’s masterpiece, The Centaur in the Garden (1980), which has yet to be released.
Other titles in the publisher’s catalog, such as Sonhos Tropicais (1992) (Tropical dreams), Saturno nos Trópicos (2003) (Saturn in the tropics), and Manual da Paixão Solitária (2008) (Manual of the solitary passion), among others, will be reissued with new covers. Renowned for her studies of Scliar’s literature, Regina says that the new collection of short stories will keep texts that were part of the first edition but will also include later work by the writer. “In the 1990s, Moacyr agreed to publish Contos Reunidos, and the book was to include everything he considered important among the short stories, what he thought was best. It’s interesting that, from then on, he didn’t publish any more books of short stories. But he didn’t stop writing them. The new selection keeps the stories already published and added those written later. Moacyr himself sent me several of them,” says the professor.
Pedro Schwarcz, editorial assistant at Companhia das Letras and editor of Scliar’s works, emphasizes the importance of reissuing the works of a writer who was both accessible and sophisticated, with a unique ability to mix history and fiction to create funny and melancholic narratives: “Scliar mixes the historical novel with elements of fantasy literature, playing with the myths that shape our Western Judeo-Christian culture. He mixes humor, lyricism, satire, and melancholy. History and fiction merge in a contradictory and critical way. He is a great novelist and a great short story writer. He deserves to be reprinted,” says Schwarcz.
For Prof. Zilberman, the timeless nature of Scliar’s themes will continue to resonate with generations to come. “Moacyr has a lot to say to every generation because his themes are still relevant today. A Majestade do Xingu (The majesty of the Xingu), for example, is about the Indigenous people of the Xingu, and it was written in the 1980s, when the debate about Indigenous issues was not that intense. But his books need to be available to readers.”
* Article by Karina Dalla Valle originally published on the GZH website
