Fragments of self: construction of identity(ies) and memory of the writer Manuel dos Passos de Oliveira Telles in the epistolary work “Intimate and Literary Letters”

Abstract

This article analyzes the work Intimate and Literary Letters (1915) with the aim of tracing the (auto)biographical profile of the Brazilian writer Manuel dos Passos de Oliveira Telles (1859-1935), a prominent figure in the literary and historiographical scene of Sergipe in the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries. It investigates how the author records personal events and feelings and explores his relationship with the social and cultural context, while simultaneously constructing and projecting his identity(ies) through writing. Additionally, the potential of this collection of correspondence as a strategy for achieving literary recognition is discussed. This unpublished epistolary book constitutes a documentary heritage that contributes significantly to the preservation and dissemination of Oliveira Telles' individual memory and Sergipe's cultural memory. Its introspective and critical writing offers a unique insight into human complexity, becoming valuable not only as a historical document but also as a literary work of great relevance.