The article analyses two Brazilian novels, written in different epochs: Aluísio Azevedo's O cortiço (The slum house), published in 1890, and João Ubaldo Ribeiro's Viva o povo brasileiro (translated as An invincible memory), of 1984. In spite of many differences, both relate the process of élites formation in Brazil, revealing its violence. Azevedo's naturalism and Ribeiro's use of parody establish, each one after its way, a stimulant dialogue with Brazilian history.
literature and history; violence; elites