Faro & Lino, publishers of Aluísio Azevedo’s work

Abstract

Considering that the role of the publisher impacts on the meanings and functionalities of literary texts, the objective of this article is to study, based on evidence collected in the contemporary periodical press, the trajectory of Portuguese booksellers Faro & Lino, publishers of the novel Casa de Pensão (1884), by Aluísio Azevedo. In the process of editing, re-publishing, dissemination and reception of the work, a dispute of meanings comes to light, whether it was a simple crime narrative or a serious and moralizing naturalistic novel, revealing the formats it assumed in its appearances and the graphic resources (such as illustrations) used in its production and dissemination. We will address the publisher’s jobs and how Faro & Lino promoted, publicized, and disseminated their collection, to show their importance in the process of fostering and consolidating a book market in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro. The dealers were enthusiastic about technological novelties and their editorial line was the publication of scientific and literary books, which allows us to infer the company’s receptivity to the works of Aluísio Azevedo and naturalism.