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Vinicius de Moraes and "Pátria minha": The Politics of Writing in Post-war Brazil

This article analyzes Vinicius de Moraes's "Pátria minha" (1948) within the historical context of his first diplomatic post abroad. "Pátria minha" was written while Moraes was stationed in Los Angeles as a Cônsul de Segunda Classe (Ministério, "Moraes" 385). Moraes's poetic interpretations of Brazil often originated from the standpoint of the relationship between the sexes. "Pátria minha" is no exception to this rule, since symbolically gendered relationships play an important role in the poem. Written as an open letter to Brazil of the late 1940s and conceived within the specific politico-cultural context of post-war Latin America, "Pátria minha" traces through intimate imagery the contours of Brazilian identity as it conjures a complex and vulnerable nation. In the poem, the nation is articulated as being in transition and threatening dissolution because of its precarious position between local and global hegemonic discourses, namely the Vargas legacy and US expansionism. This article analyzes some of the analogies between Moraes's diplomatic work and his poetic conception of Brazilian identity during this tense period in national history by utilizing original archival materials, such as personal correspondence and diplomatic documents located in the Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa and in the Arquivo Histórico do Itamaraty in Rio de Janeiro.