Contemporary poetry for children and youth in Brazil

Poetry that targets children and youth began to be published in Brazil in book form during the twentieth century. ¹ While there are distinguishable differences between the poetry written for children and that written for young people, ² this discussion deals with poetry for both groups, children and youth. However, it will also seek to outline some of the unique features of the dual targets it deals with. It should be noted that the expression “child-youth”, which is used today in catalogue cards to describe very different types of readers, is inadequate. This grouping no longer works when an assessment of overall poetic works reveals increasing diversification. In the 1980s, Regina Zilberman pointed out the difficulties that resulted from literature being defined by its recipient. The first is the transience of the reader since, for this author, readers continue to change and to reject the books presented to them. The second is the unidirectionality of literature since it is always produced by an adult, in an asymmetric relationship (1987: 37–38). These problems become more complex when the market for publishing books for children and youth has a greater degree of distinction among the different phases of reader development.