Black men cry and love:

Lyricism in Black and/or Afro-Brazilian Literature

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present a brief analysis of the poem Mano Brown também ama, by Lucas Litrento, in contrast with the chronicle “Meia Noite,” from the book Homens pretos (não) choram, by Stefano Volp. These authors belong to a new generation of Brazilian writers who do not fit within the so-called traditional literary canon and who, although also engaged in politically committed literature, seek to give voice to a dissonant literature—one of invention that diverges, in its purpose, from what is traditionally expected of Black authors. With innovative lyricism, their narratives not only challenge readers to confront the realities of racism, inequality, and historically silenced voices, but also create space for discussions on the subjectivities of Black men. In order to address these issues, we will consider and contrast the concepts of dominant and dissonant systems; of Afrodiasporic literature, with its poetics of engagement and resistance, opposed to the concept of errant literature, with its poetics of invention and displacement; as well as the notions of “enracinèrrance” (Jean-Claude Charles) and cognitive minorities (Berger, 1996), in addition to the contributions of Edimilson de Almeida Pereira (2022), bell hooks (2022), Frantz Fanon (2008), and Homi Bhabha (1998).