2024-03-07 17:03:00
Companhia de Letras claims that the recall is based on content distortions and isolated excerpts
A book that was the subject of controversy in the country won the literature award, Jabuti, in 2021 (Photo: Disclosure)
The publisher Companhia de Letras, responsible for publishing the controversial book ‘O Avesso da Pele’, by writer and teacher Jeferson Tenório, spoke out after governor Eduardo Riedel (PSDB) announced that he will remove the material from schools in Mato Grosso do Sul. According to the publisher, the decision is based on distortions of the content covered and isolated excerpts out of context. The company uses the word “amazement” to describe the feeling.
Questioned by Campo Grande Newsthe publisher claims that the title, as well as the content, was registered and evaluated by the National Book and Teaching Material Program (PNLD 2021) to be worked on in High School.
“The decision is surprising. By deciding to recall the books, after the repercussions of the broadcast of a video that distorts and takes isolated excerpts from the book out of context, the Department of Education not only limits access to information, but also undermines the autonomy of educators and schools provided for in the PNLD and educational legislation. It also restricts freedom of thought, the right to education and literature of young people.”
The publisher states that the work was approved by a panel of educators, specialists, masters and doctors in literature and Portuguese language along with 530 other titles, and I was subsequently chosen by the educators and management team of the school units to reach schools.
“We emphasize that the works registered in the notice are accompanied by digital materials to support educators, as well as video classes. The copies distributed to students are accompanied by a paratext that discusses the themes of the work related to the BNCC, textual genre, narrator and expressive forms. In other words, the approved works already have “pedagogical guidelines. We repudiate any attempt to impose a single and limited vision of reality, whether through censorship of books, restriction of topics in the school environment or any other form of obstacle to freedom of expression.”
The novel “The reverse of the skin”, won the 2021 Jabuti Prize and talks about identity and complex racial relations, violence and blackness. The publisher adds that Tenório brings to the surface a country marked by racism and a failed educational system, and a dense story about the relationships between parents and children.
Understand – On Tuesday (6) the State Department of Education said it would analyze the content of the book, which talks about racism and sex. The decision came after the matter was taken to the Legislative Assembly. Deputies described the narrative as “disgusting”.
According to the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, after the controversy, sales of “O Avesso da Pele” have increased by 400% on Amazon since Friday. For R$50 on average, today it is one of the best-selling Brazilian books in the country.
In an interview with UOL, Jeferson Tenório said he is not surprised by the reaction, because in 2022 the novel had already become controversial in Salvador and he was even threatened with death.
“They highlight excerpts and talk about an erotic book, which is not true. The book is a criticism of whiteness, of the way white people see black people and this involves sexualization, of the way white people see a black body”, he says In his opinion, the only one who loses is the school, because it loses the opportunity to talk about sexuality.
“The problem is not the word used and the lack of interest in discussing the subject that is so pertinent. The issue in Brazil is that everyone has become a specialist in literature. No authority has the power to remove a book sent by the National Program from school of the Book and Teaching Material”, he assesses.
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