Northeastern Brazilian woodcuts pulled on coarse paper to illustrate cordel pamphlets — folk tales, ballads and news, sold from strings in market squares.
History
Literatura de cordel arrived in northeast Brazil with Portuguese chapbooks and grew into a distinct popular form from the late 19th century. Self-taught engravers like J. Borges in Pernambuco carved umburana wood blocks for the covers, creating a graphic vocabulary now recognised worldwide.
Process
- 01
Carve umburana or other soft regional hardwood with a pocket knife and gouges.
- 02
Roll black water- or oil-based ink across the block.
- 03
Lay coarse newsprint or jornal paper on top.
- 04
Burnish by hand with a smooth stone or wooden spoon.
- 05
Bind the printed cover with a stapled folio of poetry inside.
Strengths
- +Tiny budget, big editions
- +Charming naive line
- +Doubles as publishing
Limitations
- −Soft wood wears quickly
- −Black-only by tradition
- −Coarse paper resists fine detail
Sources & citations
References for the history and process described above.
- 01Literatura de Cordel — Casa Rui Barbosa Foundation, Rio de Janeiro
- 02Cordel Literature in Brazil — UNESCO Memory of the World