Preservation of Hispanic Memory in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil: the Local Collection of the Nélida Piñon Library of the Instituto Cervantes

Abstract

This work aims to present the Local Collection of the Nélida Piñon Library of Cervantes Institute in Rio de Janeiro, which objective is to gather and document works that deal with the historical and cultural relations between Brazil and Spain, between Brazil and Hispano-America. The Hispanic presence in Brazil dates back to the 16th century and Rio de Janeiro is one of the four cities marked by Spanish immigration. The Local Collection began to be developed in 2004, the year the library was created and opened to the public, having as policy the annual acquisition of titles that meet its profile. The collection has been growing over time with the arrival of donations, which led to the creation of special sections according to specific themes and aspects (linguistics, biographies, literature, etc.). Among them are the collections of the philologist Adriano da Gama Kury, of the poet Reynaldo Valinho Alvarez, and of the writer Nélida Piñon. In historical terms, the sections dedicated to Hispanic personalities who have marked the history of Brazil and the formation of Brazilian literature: the Carlota Joaquina de Borbón, Spanish queen consort of John VI, King of Portugal, and that of the Jesuit of Canary origin, José de Anchieta whose works mark the beginning of literary production on Brazilian soil. It gathers works by Hispanic personalities who came to live or to work in Brazil and in the city of Rio de Janeiro, writers such as Juan Valera (Spain), Manuel Puig (Argentina), Alfonso Reyes (Mexico) and Gabriela Mistral (Chile), Rosa Chacel (Spain). The Local Collection is a vehicle for the preservation of the Hispanic memory in Brazil. This is an experience report with a qualitative approach. It is perceived that thematic convergence in bibliographic collections is an important object of study and that research needs to be developed in this field.

Keywords: Local collection, Personal collections, Nélida Piñon Library, Memory preservation, Spanish immigration in Brazil.