Lygia Fagundes Telles and the mastery of narrating

Abstract

The work of Lygia Fagundes Telles (1923-2022) is the main object of studies in this paper, which aims to propose an introduction to the set of the paulistana writer’s short stories, supported by the reading of her critical fortune and the knowledge of her wide literary production, which also includes novel, memory, chronicles and correspondence. The narrative art of the “lady of Brazilian letters” is presented here through examples extracted from her most recent publication, Os contos (2018), an anthology edited by the author herself. The intention is to show her importance and her present situation in the scenario of the Brazilian short story of female authorship, emphasizing her dialogue with masters storytellers of the past and her projections in the contemporary Brazilian literature. This study is part of a research on the works of Lygia Fagundes Telles, interrelated to the analysis of her literary correspondence, and pays tribute to the life and production of this great writer, who would celebrate her centenary in 2023. Her cultural performance is much broader to the scholars who use the various interpretative keys offered by the author to those who dedicate themselves to reading her diligently, seeking to bind her with a legion of fictionists who propose, at the same time, the renewal and the retaking of this legacy.