Santa Catarina letters

Inspired by the French Academy of Letters, which dates back to the 1897th century, Machado de Assis idealized and founded, in 1924, the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Then came the Academies of Letters of the Member States of the Federation, with Santa Catarina being founded in 20. More recently, especially in the last XNUMX years, the Academies of Letters of the Municipalities and others of national or state scope began to appear prominent in the literary field. Practically all of them have the main commitment to “take care” of the Portuguese language, however, this has not been the only task performed by these private institutions. The Casas de Letras have shown extraordinary importance for the appreciation of culture and education, so vilified or simply forgotten by governments. In his inaugural speech at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Marco Lucchesi coined a phrase that has been enthusiastically highlighted in eloquent speeches, but has not been taken seriously. "Let no one be deceived: culture is the ultimate bulwark of democracy.”, said the distinguished immortal. Also academic Ana Maria Machado, in a recent interview, proudly highlighted: “Our biggest commitment is to take care of the Portuguese language”. Conceição Evaristo, a writer from Minas Gerais, based in Rio de Janeiro, who disputed the election for one of the chairs of the Brazilian Academy of Letters with Cacá Diegues, was critical when she asked: “Who is a writer? Who writes or who publishes?”. Some have gone further: “Who should be considered a writer? Who publishes or who has their works read?". The question makes sense, because in many cases, bestsellers do not hold a more demanding reader until the tenth page. More than 120 years after the foundation of the Casa de Machado de Assis and almost 100 years of the Academia Catarinense de Letras, it is no longer possible to delegate to them the exclusive task of “taking care of the Portuguese language” or defending a quality education or the most cultural manifestations of this so plural and rich country. Mainly in the last 20 years, the number of Academies of Municipal Letters has grown a lot, entities that boast total legitimacy, since, according to the first article of our Constitution, the Federative Republic of Brazil is constituted by the Union, the Member States and the Federal District. and by the Municipalities. But there are other very important Casas de Letras, especially the Academia de Letras do Brasil, founded in 2001. In Santa Catarina, we highlight three institutions of the greatest importance in promoting culture and literature, namely: the Academia de Letras do Brasil – Santa Catarina, created in 2008 and presided over by the distinguished writer Miguel João Simão; the Academia Catarinense de Letras Jurídicas, conceived and created in 2013, has been presided over since its foundation by the brilliant writer Doctor Cesar Luiz Pasold; and the Federation of Academies of Letters and Arts of Santa Catarina, created in 2017 by lawyer and writer Adauto Beckhäuser. One cannot forget, still, the importance of several Academies of Children's and Children's Letters, created in Santa Catarina in recent times, mainly for the work they develop in the school environment. With all these institutions at the service of the Portuguese language, culture and education in our country, at no cost to the public purse, it would not be a good idea for the constituted governments to at least promote the synchronism of government actions with the various activities carried out by these entities? In this sense, we highlight two beautiful actions developed by the Academia de Letras de Biguaçu. The first in 2012, with the development of a Reading Incentive Program and a Cultural Olympiad, and the second in 2017, with a Literary Contest that culminated in the creation of the Academia de Letras Mirim, actions carried out with the support of schools in the Municipality. With this diversity of ideas and initiatives in motion, there is also a need to adopt mechanisms to control the activities developed by these institutions so as not to allow the art of writing to be trivialized. For the purpose of showing work or satisfying vanities, we have observed some actions or publications far below the acceptable level. At the same time, we must encourage as much as possible the emergence of new writers. There are few selfless people who manage to break through the barriers of difficulties and, often on their own, start a career as a writer. In search of the protection of the much-maligned Portuguese language, we need to wage a true National Crusade for the constant improvement of education, for more support for quality cultural production and for the democratization of the benefits of the so-called Rouanet Law, pulverizing investments in a judicious way, without privileges for some to the detriment of all others. Until now, there has been no effective commitment to education in Brazilian governments. There has been no attempt to rationalize resources to achieve better results. It is high time for us to make the educational revolution in Brazil. The reality is that the art of writing has taken a back seat in Brazil. Education has to be a priority in any government. Our invaluable cultural riches are not valued. Nothing is more urgent in Brazil than total attention to education. Encouraging reading in and out of schools must be a national obsession. The famous phrase of Monteiro Lobato, which says: “a country is made with men and books”, has not been taken seriously. The language of Camões, despite the great effort of many selfless people, has never been so harassed. While it is possible to notice the literary institutions committed to effectively “taking care of” the Portuguese language and encouraging the publication of good works, the large publishing houses invest in artificial productions, in biographies of big shots or in the translation of bestsellers consecrated by the media. With all these institutions at the service of the Portuguese language, culture and education in our country, at no cost to the public purse, it would not be a good idea for the constituted governments to at least promote the synchronism of government actions with the various activities carried out by these entities? In this sense, we highlight two beautiful actions developed by the Academia de Letras de Biguaçu. Text: José Braz da Silveira - Lawyer, professor and President of the Academia de Letras de Biguaçu. Publication: William S. Schütz - Writer, social communicator and vice-president of the Academia de Letras do Brasil - Santa Catarina, Palhoça Section. Email: willianschutz @hotmail.com