Carolina Maria De Jesus — The Black Writer That Never Gave Up!
Brazil has produced some of the best authors in the last 100 years. Most of us know names like Paulo Coelho, Jorge Amado, and Adriana Lisboa. But, there is one best selling author the world forgot about and that is Carolina Maria de Jesus.
Who is Carolina Maria De Jesus?
She is the author of Quarto de Despejo, one of the best-selling books from Brazil. It means the “Room of Garbage” and it’s published as “Child of the Dark” in English. When her book came out in 1958, it sold more than 10,000 copies within the first three days and 90,000 copies by the end of 6 months.
The book became an international success overnight. It was translated into 13 languages and published in 40 Countries. Within a year, she was rivaling Jorge Amado as the most widely translated Brazilian author. At the time of her death, over 500,000 copies of her book were sold.
A dirt poor mother with no formal education becoming a national and worldwide sensation at a time when women didn’t have so many opportunities — Isn’t that impressive?
Maybe!
Nevertheless, that’s not what makes Carolina special.
For a long time, people had forgotten about her. Thanks to Google Doodle and many YouTubers & bloggers, people have again started to learn about her.
Let me tell you her story and why she is my writer #1.
The Unexpected Journey of A Black Favelada
Carolina was born in the small town of Sacramento (no, not the one in California) in Minas Gerais. Most probably as a descendant of slaves. She was born to a poor black mother as an illegitimate child. They barely got by with minimum resources as her mother switched between different jobs. During these early years, Carolina’s mother had to force her to go to school. Though reluctant in the beginning, she eventually gained an interest in education and learned whatever came her way.
Sadly though, it lasted only for two years because her mother took a job on a farm and moved to the countryside. Despite the short period, Carolina learned enough in this time to help her start writing later in her life. Carolina’s childhood passed by joyfully in the countryside. She cherished its natural beauty for her entire life and reflected on these memories in her writings.
Sweet Sixteen & Independence
At the age of 16, she moved to Sao Paulo along with her mother where they worked as cooks or maids. By this time, her grandfather passed away. She always remembered her grandfather as the greatest influence of her life and described him as “an African Socrates.” His words and teaching played an important role throughout her life.
Influenced by the typical migration of most poor women and a need for change in life, Carolina moved to the metropolis of Sao Paulo. Upon her arrival, she took jobs of domestic help, hotel room cleaner, and selling beer.
She worked in many places but her strong character did not sit well with others. She was a firm believer in being an independent woman and never got married. It is her feisty, independent nature that led to enmity with the so-called elite class and eventually her downfall later in her career.
Currents of Love & Motherhood
During this time, Carolina fell in love with a sailor who knocked her up and abandoned her. With a newborn baby in her hands and having lost her job with no employer willing to take the risk, Carolina moved to the streets of the favela to make a living.
As a determined mother, she strapped her baby to the back and went about collecting recyclable items on the streets. She searched for food and clothing in garbage cans.
It was a hand to mouth situation where every penny she earned counted dearly. A pound of usable items earned her one Cruzeiro (which is a quarter of a U.S. cent). Like everyone in this world, she had good days and bad days.
After two years, she gave birth to her second child, Jose Carlos. This time the father was a Spaniard who she said gave her a lot of love and money. But her living conditions remained the same. Now, she had to strap two children to her back as she went scavenging through the streets.
After a little while, she’s flattered by another rich man who gave her food and money to buy clothing for her children. Her third child, Vera Eunice, was his daughter, which she maintained as a secret for a very long time.
Though she lived a life that’s consistent with the favela culture, she never gave up her moral standards. Unlike her neighbors, she was independent and gutsy but never violent nor a sociopathic liar. A good reason for them to despise her.
The Diary
On 15 July 1955, Carolina made her first entry into her diary. It resounds hope as well as sorrow:
And she was always hopeful and thankful:
In her diary, she clearly states she was a “loner” in the unfriendly favela. But the favelados did give her regard as a trustworthy person with a stable mind. Quite a few admired her for the reading and writing capabilities she possessed. And some let her take care of her children. With her actions and attitude, she spread light in the dark world of the favela. An agent for a stable life.
Her diary is a witness to some gruesome activities that drove the poor favelados to further insanity. For example, she tells us how employees of restaurants spilled acid in garbage cans to avoid the poor using their leftovers. Prostitution, abusive children who beat up their parents, drunkards, hunger, and death drained any drops of hope left in their hearts.
Her words often evoked strong images:
During an election campaign, in April of 1958, a young & budding reporter Audalio Dantas was assigned to cover the opening of a playground in Caninde (a pre-election gift to the people by the traditional politicians). Audalio, a self-taught journalist, makes a living by writing stories and producing photos to editorials and news agencies as a freelancer. Over time he’s hired as a reporter by some of the best news agencies.
On this fateful day, Audalio comes across a heated argument between a group of miscreants, trying to dismiss children playing from swings, and a fiery black woman who had no dearth of curses. This black woman can be heard yelling:
The incident piqued the interest of Audalio and he asked her to show him the writings. This request led them to the little shack of a house that Carolina possesses. It is, literally, a Room of Garbage as the name suggests.
As bewildered as Audrilo gets with the house, he is more amazed by the writings of her diary.
It was a fascinating collection of fiction, stories, and poems, reflecting her reality with the rich and her days in the countryside. Dantas found them to be
Dantas was determined to publish some of these stories in the local newspaper. However, Carolina did not like this idea as she felt the writings were personal and not so significant. Despite the objection, Audrillo proceeded to publish some of the excerpts from the book in the local newspaper.
Rise to Fame of Carolina
As a story out of the ordinary, the news piece gained a lot of traction, and Carolina’s life instantly invoked curiosity among people. Audalio’s interesting summing of the story adds to the excitement factor.
However, Carolina never esteemed herself as such a curious human being. To her, it was just her reality that she documented, nothing more, nothing less.
The news articles garnered a lot of attention and very soon, the newspaper demanded more articles. This led to the talk of releasing a book. Though it was tough in the beginning, Audrillo finalized a publication deal with a publishing house.
That’s how Quarto De Despejo came to fruition. And the book made Carolina an overnight sensation.
Carolina enjoyed celebrity status. She often appeared on television and radio giving interviews. She gave many lectures at universities. Toured Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. She received the “Order Caballero del Tornillo.” in Buenos Aires. In São Paulo, Academia da Letras, a prestigious law firm, honored her achievement. At least, for a little while, she was named “honorary citizen’’ of Sao Paulo and received the key to the city.
Her publishers inflated her innocent mind with unbelievable financial compensation. One of her publishers, Editora Francisco Alves, assured her 10% of proceeds from each sale and 5% to Dantas. In the first few months after the release of her book, she received royalties of $60 a day. Due to the lack of documents to open her own bank account and the stipulation of shared payments with Audalio, she opened a joint account with him where her payments were deposited.
Carolina received immense respect from foreign critics who lauded her writings and her struggle to give a better life to her children. Many were, for the first time, exposed to the social miseries of the favelas and the courage of one woman who wanted to speak about the truth.
Many magazines and newspapers devoted an entire page to talk about her.
Journalists, authors, and media personalities from Argentia, Germany, Japan, and many other countries across the world gave her great praises and translated the original book in multiple versions.
Under the direction of Gerson Tavares, a documentary titled “O Despertar de um Sonho,” was released in 1975. Despite the protest by the Brazilian ambassador, the documentary ran across many channels in Europe. As expected, it was never televised in Brazil. Carolina did gain a little from this endeavor. She received a compensation of $2,500 for the film rights although she rejected a copy of the documentary.
Many Brazilians were unsure of how to react to her success or how to use it.
The same critic added that her rags to riches story was perfect for North Americans, comparing her to the soccer superstar, Pele.
Some Brazilians with a traditional outlook were surprised that a low-class black woman like Carolina could produce such works.
She did have great respect for her fans and admired those who respected her. One can also find her kind nature when she autographed books carefully and signed them: “With affection, Carolina Maria de Jesus,” or “God will guide you.”
Black Whore
By the fourth month, with a down payment from Audalio, Carolina’s long lost dream came true. Carolina can finally move out of their “Garbage Room” to a brick house with good facilities Along with her children and frugal belongings, Carolina bid farewell to the favela. They didn’t, however, move out in the best of circumstances.
Screamed favelados as Carolina and her children vamoosed from their violence. They threw rocks at them, wounding her son’s face and daughter’s arm. But why did they hurt them? What was her crime? Well, they blamed Carolina for becoming rich by writing about them.
Finally, after all the abuse, they end up in the working-class neighborhood of Santana in their new home. It had a living room, a kitchen, electricity, gas, water, and a garden. Pretty soon, photographs of the newfound comfort of her and her children circulated through the various media channels.
There were many who questioned the quality of their home. It was not really a great house in the eyes of the critics. But for Carolina and her family, it was a palace. It was a dream come true.
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
However, their dream did not lead to happiness, at least not for a long time. They ended up feeling miserable as the neighbors treated them as outcasts and never gave them an opportunity to mingle with them. They had more pain and suffering than ever imagined. The kids who were used to playing around in the streets and enjoying nature ended up feeling like inmates in a prison. In fact, that’s exactly what they said, a big prison house.
They were tormented by frequent visits from curious people who treated them as more interesting specimens than humans. Carolina was blamed for any dispute that occurred in the neighborhood. Even the police blamed her. She realized very soon that they were not going last there for a long time.
As if the torture at this new home was not sufficient, journalists and media made her new life even more painful with their harsh and relentless criticism. From her clothing and manners to her public appearances, they left no stone unturned as they made her life a misery. And politicians as well called her disrespectful and rude, alienating her from the elite.
I believe, in their minds, they pictured a woman who is supposed to be polite, docile, non-provocative, absolute subordinate, and joyfully receptive of anything that came her way. An ignorant human expectation that continues even today. Unfortunately for them, Carolina was nothing like they imagined. And so the repulsion!
Masters of the Puppet
The 1960s were politically intoxicating days in Brazil. Media, journalists, and news agencies found every chance to express their views on social injustice. Carolina’s publishers and self-appointed advisors wanted her to follow the same pattern. Of course, she said no as she wanted to stick to her work. To add to the rejection, her demands for equal respect fell on deaf ears and led to the departure of her so-called “well-meaning” advisors.
More importantly, Danta’s adamant need to control her life made her desperate.
She also accused him of rephrasing many parts of her work which she loved and had a connection to. She had extensively on this literary intrusion in her second book Casa de Alvenaria (Brick House)
You can sense the anguish of her soul in the below words:
The Beginning of the End
The books that followed Quarto de Despejo did not enjoy the same success in spite of the effort put in and the fame that followed Carolina. The second book, Casa de Alvenaria: Dia’rio de uma ExFavelada, that portrayed her life in the brick house was more aggressive, in part to her being rejected by the middle class. If the same language were used by an intellectual or a white person, it would have been accepted better. Unfortunately, for Carolina, she came across as an arrogant black person with no public manners.
In 1969, Carolina accumulated enough money and resources to move away from Santana to Parelheiros. It was definitely not an ideal location. It was a poor suburb in the industrial zone of the city. A barren land far from the rich. Due to the low price and low taxes of the land, Carolina hoped to find a better life there.
The sight of this land can be compared to that of modern-day Mumbai. On one side, rich skyscrapers. On the other, poor huts. Carolina had no other choice. Her love for the countryside and her need to stay in the city for her children’s education drove her to the only ideal location and that’s Parelheiros. Carolina spent most of these days alone as her children attended the public schools, which were far away from her home. As usual, Carolina never stayed idle. She used her time to read newspapers, get better at writing, and cultivating crops in her garden, waiting for the yield.
By this time, most of her royalties stopped. With no money, Carolina and her children were forced to collect paper and bottles once again. There was a glimmer of happiness, however, as they spent some of the money earned on enjoying a few luxuries such as buying colas and movie tickets.
After eight years from the time she gained fame, Carolina was back to poverty but never lost her optimism. She says:
Considering her life in the favela, she was better off. But not when you consider her success as an author with books still getting sold in many countries. The sad part is that many blamed her for her miseries, without ever realizing or trying to understand her side of the story.
If you ask me, I don’t think she would have lived a miserable life if the publishing companies and the self-loathing advisors paid her dues as she was promised.
Racist Greed
In the late sixties, when interviewed by a reporter at her Parelheiros home, she did not come short of words to express her bitterness about Audalio Dantas. She had written a notebook about it.
This is my way of getting back. I have terrible poems in which I will seek my vengeance. Here in this notebook, I have all of my grief
In fact, there were no documents or contracts in her possession for the author’s royalties. At one point in 1966, six million cruzeiros were promised to her for the german translation rights but she received none.
According to her, one of her editors said:
Not only was this a racist attack but an attack on her rights to royalties.
The End of Hope
A few days before she passed away, Carolina was in talks with her US publisher about a film company that had asked for the film rights to her book Quarto de Despejo. It was also mentioned that an advance of $15,000 was offered for the same, though the publisher demanded more. Carolina never received any money from these negotiations but she was very excited knowing she would be visiting the US and probably play a role in the movie.
The day before she died, Carolina experienced breathing difficulty on the way to her son’s home. Following an intense argument with Jose Carols, her son, he refused her request to die in her home and did not believe that she had a little time. Maybe this was the final nail to the coffin of her already downtrodden life.
Sadly, en route to a local first aid station, the author of one of Brazil’s best selling books passed away. The worst part, their children did not have any money to bury her. And their appeals for financial help for the same never materialized.
Nobody really knows what happened after.
Triumph or Tragedy?
Some may consider this story as tragic but the beauty rests in the beholder’s eyes.
No matter the circumstances, never let others dictate your life. You may or may not get the glory but you will eventually die with self-respect. Carolina was definitely ahead of her time. If she were born in this age, she may have become a sensation.
However, Life is never fair, humans are never fair. But we have will power. And we can live through it. People like Carolina help us to stay focused on the one skill or art or work or passion that we love to do.
To me, Carolina is a woman who defied all odds to live her life the way she wants. Always thanking God and caring for her children until the last day. A Great Woman. A Great Mother.
And a Fantastic Writer!
