Official Press Publisher celebrates six years with the launch of Dalcídio Jurandir's work at the Book Fair
The work brings elements of social criticism and culture, which established the writer as one of the greatest names in Brazilian literature
The Dalcídio Jurandir Public Publisher, part of the Official Press of the State of Pará (Ioepa), celebrated its sixth anniversary on Tuesday (19) with a special launch at the 28th Pan-Amazonian Book and Multivoices Fair, at Hangar. For the first time, in an edition of the Fair, the Publisher published a work by the author it is named after: the novel "Chove nos Campos de Cachoeira," a classic of Amazonian literature.
Founded in 2019, through Decree No. 272, signed by Governor Helder Barbalho, the Ioepa Publisher has already facilitated nearly 200 works by Pará writers, always focusing on literary productions from the Amazon. The current management of the Official Press has redefined the role of the institution, traditionally focused on publishing official acts, and established the Publisher as a space for valuing the memory and literature of Pará.
Special launch - Originally published in 1941 by Editora Vecchi, "Chove nos Campos de Cachoeira" was Dalcídio Jurandir's first novel, a Pará writer born in Ponta de Pedras, in Marajó. The work won first place in a contest promoted by the magazine Dom Casmurro, with a jury that included names like Jorge Amado and Oswald de Andrade. The book inaugurates the Cycle of the Extreme North, a set of 10 novels that will be relaunched by the Dalcídio Jurandir Publisher.
The novel tells the saga of Alfredo, a character considered an alter ego of Dalcídio, and brings elements of social criticism and culture, which established the writer as one of the greatest names in Brazilian literature.
Preserved relic - The new edition was prepared from the original edition, found in an unusual way and today kept as a relic by the Ioepa Publisher.
“In a meeting at the Municipal Library of Soure, I saw that some books were being discarded. Among them, I found a copy of the first edition of ‘Chove nos Campos de Cachoeira’. We rescued the book and preserved it, and it served as the basis for this new publication,” said the Publisher's coordinator, Moisés Alves.
The literary review was conducted by researcher Regina Costa, a doctor in Literary Studies, who highlighted the relevance of the work. “This book was the subject of my Master's and Doctorate. I have always been enchanted by Dalcídio's literary strength. He brings in his writing a critically rich, socially and culturally vibrant Amazon,” she stated.
Commitment to Amazonian literature - During the launch, the president of Ioepa, Jorge Panzera, emphasized the Publisher's commitment to disseminating Dalcídio Jurandir's work. “We will publish all ten books of the Cycle of the Extreme North, to put in the hands of the people of Pará the work of one of Brazil's greatest writers. Dalcídio made a deep dive into the Amazonian imagination, being a true man of the Amazon. He masterfully represents the essence of our people and the richness of our literature,” he highlighted.
With six years of operation, the Dalcídio Jurandir Publisher consolidates itself as a reference in the preservation and dissemination of Pará literature, reaffirming the role of Ioepa as an instrument of cultural and historical valorization of Pará.
