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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 May 2025
Did I really write an entire book about the cultural history of Rio de Janeiro without mentioning Aldir Blanc? Let me rectify that immediately. Blanc (1946–2020) was one of Brazil’s great lyricists and a chronicler of everyday life as slippery and compelling as Machado de Assis. Blanc grew up in the densely populated neighborhoods of the Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone, far from fashionable beachside neighborhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema. He earned his degree in psychiatry and pursued that profession for several years, first in a large hospital, caring for the severely mentally ill, then in his own practice. These experiences shaped his creative work – he became a peerless observer of the daily lives of Rio’s less glamorous residents – the working stiffs, the hard-luck hustlers, the low-budget romantics. And he brought to this task a mode of inquiry that was both clinical and empathetic.
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