To be quite frank, I was surprised to realize how prevalent Japanese literature was in Brazil, especially over a hundred years ago. For instance, the first Japanese newspapers began in 1915 in Brazil, and they shifted to a daily schedule in 1937. I also found An Age of Speculative Farming, the most famous work from that time, be be quite interesting. It depicts the life of Japanese immigrants who move to Brazil and how they’re changed more than just darker skin color. It is set in São Paulo focused on a woman and her life in the city. It is critical of the urban youth and the beggars in the streets. However, it is mostly critical of the main character who seems to sell her body to random men. Yet, as the story goes on, it focuses on how Japanese try, at any costs, to achieve riches, even at the cost of other Japanese. Overall, the lecture was extremely intriguing to hear because I learned more about my culture and how it was embraced in a different way than I could have ever imagined.
