Liminality in Contemporary Brazuca Literature.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate instances of liminality in Sérgio Vilas-Boas debut novel, Os estrangeiros do trem N , published in 1997. By employing concepts from the fields of cultural and postcolonial studies, this analysis hopes to draw parallels between the lives of the novel’s two protagonists, Plínio João and Angél Benadski, both undocumented Brazilian immigrants living in New York City, and that of all immigrants who find themselves between worlds. Regardless of the country of origin, the destination, and the reasons one immigrates, the feeling of being in a liminal state, of not belonging, of being between worlds and identities, is almost universal. Contemporary Brazuca (an affectionate nickname Brazilian-Americans use to refer to themselves) literature is full of examples of this phenomenon. With the support of theorists from postculural and postcolonial studies, this study will focus on the first part of the aforementioned novel to illustrate liminality as it refers to the lives of the two characters.