BRAZIL REFLECTED IN FEMALE AND IMMIGRANT LITERATURE

Abstract

This article recovers and analyzes the literary production of Ida Knoll (1835–1919), one of the first German-speaking immigrant women to publish in Brazil. Based on manuscripts and texts scattered across rare newspapers and almanacs, the study presents a largely forgotten literature marked by themes such as longing for the homeland, the contrast between Brazilian and German landscapes, festive traditions, daily life in German-speaking colonies, and cultural clashes experienced by immigrants. Through short stories and poems, Knoll constructs multifaceted images of Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting both the idealization of the lost homeland and the attempt to adapt to a new world. Her work, written in German and later translated, reveals a sensitive and critical perspective on social tensions, class inequalities, and dynamics of belonging. The study argues that this immigrant and female-authored literature constitutes an important historical and aesthetic record, offering a unique view of Brazil’s cultural formation through the lens of foreign women.