Epistolários e preservação da memória : a correspondência de João Penha

Abstract

Due to their hybrid nature, moving back and forth between life and literature, the letters exchanged by writers constitute valuable documents, not only preserving the biographic memory of their author, but also providing raw material for textual scholars, as already stated by Gérard Genette. The legacy of João Penha (*1839 †1919) may be considered a good example, since the studies on this poet have greatly benefited from the use of his correspondence. The letters exchanged by Penha represent not only explicit testimonies of his ideas as a man and as an artist, but are also indirect sources on his work, contextualizing the paths of literary creation and thus enriching critical edition.