The “First Brazilian Critic” and “The Critic’s Ideal”

Last chapter, we speculated about Machado’s feeling of exultation when he saw his portrait side by side with that of José de Alencar on the cover of the January 30, 1873, issue of Arquivo Contemporâneo. Around this time, Machado was best known and most praised for his poetry. Five years earlier, another publication should also have brought him joy. It was an open letter written by the same José de Alencar, appearing in the pages of Correio Mercantil, on February 22, 1868. In this letter, Alencar enthusiastically introduces a young poet named Castro Alves to Machado. In Alencar’s view, Castro Alves was a promising talent in need of guidance through the “impassable path of the literary life.” Who could be the “Virgil to the young Dante”? In Alencar’s mind, it had to be Machado, whom he called the “first Brazilian critic.” And by “first,” Alencar meant both precursor and unrivaled.

Looking back on these events, we can easily come to a twofold conclusion: first, that in 1868 Machado stood out as a critic; and second that, five years later, in 1873, Machado was celebrated as a poet. The documents that support these conclusions are, respectively, Alencar’s letter published in Correio Mercatil on February 22, 1868; and Arquivo Contemporâneo’s issue of January 30, 1873. This is one way to read history. Nevertheless, there’s another way, also valid, which we should call in here: a way based on how the echoes of the past reverberate in the present.

When we look back at the year 1873 and feel the vibrations that have travelled to us across the years, it’s Machado the critic who still stands out, not the poet. Why? Because in 1873, Machado wrote an article that eventually became a cornerstone of Brazilian criticism: “Notícia da atual literatura brasileira” (“News of the Present Brazilian Literature”), which went down in history through the title of the first of its five sections, “Instinto de nacionalidade” (“Instinct of Nationality”). Had Machado written only this article, and no other critical piece, still he would have left his mark on the history of Brazilian criticism. But Machado did much more. Was he, then, actually the “first Brazilian critic” in 1868, at the age of 29? Well, it depends on how we look at this issue. Let’s examine a few historical points.