Macunaíma, the Hero Without Any Character

"Macunaíma, the Hero Without Character" is the result of many years of research by Mário Raul de Moraes Andrade, a writer, poet, and critic who played a key role in shaping Brazilian modernism. He devoted his life to updating national art and thinking. The main character, Macunaíma, comes from an Amazonian Tapan-yumás tribe and sets out on a journey in search of the amulet of muirakitã, given to him by Si, the Mother of the Forest. His path is filled with adventures that reflect the myths and legends of Brazil. The novel mixes different dialects, folklore, anthropology, and mythology, presenting Brazilian identity. However, criticism of national “peculiarity” also occupies a significant place in the text.

Macunaíma is lazy and focused on sensual pleasures, combining traits of an Indian, a Black person, and a White person—symbolizing a people that is still taking shape and does not yet have a formed character. Nevertheless, the image of Macunaíma allowed Andrade to achieve the goal of Brazilian modernism—to create a dialogue between elite and folk culture. The edition is supplemented with a detailed glossary and Oswald de Andrade’s “Anthropophagous Manifesto.”