The creation of the public library in 1831: Politics and written culture in the province of Maranhão

Abstract

The text presents information about written culture in the captaincy/province of Maranhão in the first decades of the 19th century, based on printed press records sent to Maranhão, preserved by the Torre do Tombo National Archives and the Overseas Historical Archive, in the minutes of the Presidential Council (1825-1831) and in the advertisements published by Maranhão newspapers between 1821 and 1834. Then, it analyzes the records of the newspaper O Farol Maranhense, referring to the subscription of money and books for the creation of the Public Library, inaugurated in May 1831. The objective is to explore the demand for a library as a component of the written culture expansion, captured by the tensions between “Brazilians” and “Portuguese” in the province, aggravated by the arrival of the news of the abdication of dom Pedro I.