Death Is a Festival: Funeral Rites and Rebellion in Nineteenth-Century Brazil

Latin America in Translation

by João José Reis, H. Sabrina Gledhill (Translator)

Originally published in Brazil in 1993, this award-winning book explores the traditions and beliefs--African, Portuguese, and Brazilian--surrounding death and burial in early 19th century Brazil.

Genres: Brazil, History, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 1991

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, rich in detail. Only complaint is that while it vividly portrayed the sights, sounds, and smells of both the baroque and the modern ways of death in Bahia, it never explicitly critiqued or conceptualized these concepts, nor expressed why they matter to the history of Brazil or the Atlantic world. Clearly they do, and an experienced reader won't need his or her hand held; but undergraduates might not see just how momentous a change was taking place.

[Bill sire · Rating 3 out of 5]

totally cool