This municipality in the state of Paraíba, the Smiling City, inspires narratives that cross historical time with geological time, serving as a basis for prose that explores the Dinosaur Valley and the imagination of the high sertão dweller.

Sousa: The Sertão That Becomes Word – Between Gypsy Tradition and Academia That Pulverizes Poetry

By Guest Literary Researcher

There are cities that keep their literature in the dusty archives of libraries. There are others that celebrate it in the public square, with guitars, recited verses, and the certainty that words are a territory to be occupied. Sousa, in the Paraíban sertão, is one of the latter. Known nationally for the dinosaurs of the Fish Valley and for its rich gypsy tradition, the city has consolidated itself as a literary hub of regional relevance, driven by an institution that functions as a cultural beacon: the Sousense Academy of Letters.

In this report, we dive into the literary scene of Sousa to reveal not only the names that make up this academy but also the female voices, the nomadic traditions, and the events that take the city's literature beyond its borders, proving that the sertão, indeed, is literate.

1. Roots and Tradition: The Cradle of the Sertão and the Heritage of the Cordel Masters

Before talking about the current scene, it is necessary to understand the fertile ground on which it rests. Sousa is in the heart of the Paraíban sertão, a region historically marked by the cattle cycle, drought, and the strength of popular culture. But the great literary reference that echoes throughout Paraíba and, consequently, through Sousa, is the cordel.

Although the greatest name in cordel literature, Leandro Gomes de Barros, was born in Pombal (a neighboring city), his work crossed the sertão and became an intangible heritage of the region. It was Leandro who systematized the cordel booklet as we know it today – with meter, rhyme, and woodcut cover – and directly influenced giants like Ariano Suassuna. In Sousa, this tradition of rhyming verse, viola challenges, and popular narrative has never been lost; it has only reinvented itself, gaining academic and institutional contours.

2. The Contemporary Scene: The Sousense Academy of Letters and Female Protagonism

If there is one name that defines Sousa's literary scene today, it is the Sousense Academy of Letters (ASL). Founded to aggregate and foster the city's intellectual production, the ASL is composed of 50 permanent chairs, each dedicated to a literary personality from Paraíba. Far from being a merely decorative institution, the academy has proven to be an active engine of cultural production and dissemination.

The 2024 Inauguration: Renewal and Research

In December 2024, the ASL held a historic ceremony at the Professora Dodora Historic Cultural Center, inaugurating ten new academics. What stands out in this event is the rigor: each new member conducted "intense research on the trajectory of their patrons" before taking their seat. This demonstrates that the academy is not an empty honorary title but a space for study and knowledge production.

The newly inaugurated academics include:

Female Strength: Marcilânia Alcântara at FliParaíba

The literary scene in Sousa also stands out for its female protagonism. One name that deserves special attention is Marcilânia Alcântara. The writer was invited to participate in the second edition of the International Literary Festival of Paraíba (FliParaíba) 2025, one of the state's largest literary events, which brought together names like Itamar Vieira Júnior, Silviano Santiago, and Maria Gadú.

At the festival, held in João Pessoa, Marcilânia participated in Table 2 – "Ancestral Voices", alongside Eva Potiguara and Mestra Doci. Furthermore, she led a Storytelling session in the Curumim Space, titled "Dom Ramon and his guitar: the stump and the moon mother". Marcilânia's presence at an event of international projection (with participants from Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde) places Sousa on the national literary map and demonstrates that local production has the quality to dialogue with the great references of the Lusophone world.

Gypsy Tradition: Sarau and Dance

Sousa is known for its strong gypsy community, and this tradition also expresses itself literarily. The Cia Dirachin Calin, a group from the city, was responsible for one of the most emblematic moments of FliParaíba 2025: the Gypsy Sarau, held in the Cloister of the São Francisco Cultural Center. The performance, which combined poetry, dance, and music, highlighted how literature in Sousa is lived on the street, in the body, and in orality – not just on the pages of books.

3. Themes and Works: What is Written in Sousa?

Based on the events and the profiles of the academics, it is possible to draw a panorama of the predominant genres and themes in Sousa's literary production.

Predominant Genres

1. Poetry and Recitation: The strength of oral tradition and cordel makes poetry the queen genre. The presence of saraus (like that of Cia Dirachin Calin) and public recitations is remarkable.

2. Memory and Biography: The requirement of research on the patrons of the ASL chairs indicates that memorialistic and biographical production is strong. Academics not only write original works but also act as guardians of the memory of important figures in the region.

3. Children's and Young Adult Literature and Storytelling: Marcilânia Alcântara's work at FliParaíba with storytelling points to production aimed at children and young adults, using oral narrative as a tool for cultural transmission.

Central Themes

• Ancestry and Sertanejo Identity: Marcilânia's participation in the "Ancestral Voices" table was not accidental. Writers from Sousa are deeply interested in rescuing the indigenous, gypsy, and sertanejo roots that make up the local identity.

• Gypsy Culture: The sarau by Cia Dirachin Calin shows that Sousa's literature incorporates the symbols, musicality, and worldview of the gypsy people, a rare and precious theme in mainstream Brazilian literature.

• Valorization of Patronage: Each work produced by ASL members carries, in some way, a dialogue with their patron – whether by revisiting their work or updating their legacy for the 21st century.

Examples of Recent Works and Events

Final Considerations: Sousa, a Garden of Letters in the Sertão

What makes Sousa's literary scene so special is not the number of books published by major publishers – it is the life that pulses in its events. It is seeing the Sousense Academy of Letters taking the lead in organizing ceremonies that mix academic research and performances by the Gypsy Violin Orchestra. It is seeing a writer like Marcilânia Alcântara representing her city at the state's largest literary festival, alongside renowned names. It is seeing the mayor himself, Fábio Tyrone, reciting poems of his own authorship at the inauguration of new academics.

Sousa proves that literature does not need the showcases of the Rio-São Paulo axis to exist. It flourishes where there is memory, tradition, and, above all, people willing to recite a verse under the hot sertão sun.

References

• FLIPARAIBA 2025 – International Literary Festival of Paraíba. Official Program. Government of Paraíba, 2025. Available at: https://fliparaiba.pb.gov.br/

• REPÓRTER PB. Sousense Academy of Letters holds inauguration of new academics and highlights the region's literary culture. December 10, 2024. Available at: https://www.reporterpb.com.br/noticia/sousa/2024/12/10/academia-sousense-de-letras-realiza-posse-de-novos-academicos-e-destaca-a-cultura-literaria-da-regiao/166385.html

• G1 PARAÍBA. FliParaíba: see the program for the literary festival that brings together writers and artists in João Pessoa. November 27, 2025. Available at: https://g1.globo.com/pb/paraiba/noticia/2025/11/27/fliparaiba-2025-programacao-festival-literario-em-joao-pessoa.ghtml

• PARAÍBA.GOV.BR. Biography of the master of cordel literature is launched at the Cultural Space. April 27, 2015. Available at: http://antigo.paraiba.pb.gov.br/index-38021.html

⚠️ Research elaborated with the aid of Deep Research is subject to referential ambiguity.
🖥️Clean HTML code using a proprietary tool.
👥Research by Guilherme Felipe, Curation by Sílvio Lôbo

This municipality in the state of Paraíba, the Smiling City, inspires narratives that cross historical time with geological time, serving as a basis for prose that explores the Dinosaur Valley and the imagination of the high sertão dweller.

Sousa: The Sertão That Becomes Word – Between Gypsy Tradition and Academia That Pulverizes Poetry

By Guest Literary Researcher

There are cities that keep their literature in the dusty archives of libraries. There are others that celebrate it in the public square, with guitars, recited verses, and the certainty that words are a territory to be occupied. Sousa, in the Paraíban sertão, is one of the latter. Known nationally for the dinosaurs of the Fish Valley and for its rich gypsy tradition, the city has consolidated itself as a literary hub of regional relevance, driven by an institution that functions as a cultural beacon: the Sousense Academy of Letters.

In this report, we dive into the literary scene of Sousa to reveal not only the names that make up this academy but also the female voices, the nomadic traditions, and the events that take the city's literature beyond its borders, proving that the sertão, indeed, is literate.

1. Roots and Tradition: The Cradle of the Sertão and the Heritage of the Cordel Masters

Before talking about the current scene, it is necessary to understand the fertile ground on which it rests. Sousa is in the heart of the Paraíban sertão, a region historically marked by the cattle cycle, drought, and the strength of popular culture. But the great literary reference that echoes throughout Paraíba and, consequently, through Sousa, is the cordel.

Although the greatest name in cordel literature, Leandro Gomes de Barros, was born in Pombal (a neighboring city), his work crossed the sertão and became an intangible heritage of the region. It was Leandro who systematized the cordel booklet as we know it today – with meter, rhyme, and woodcut cover – and directly influenced giants like Ariano Suassuna. In Sousa, this tradition of rhyming verse, viola challenges, and popular narrative has never been lost; it has only reinvented itself, gaining academic and institutional contours.

2. The Contemporary Scene: The Sousense Academy of Letters and Female Protagonism

If there is one name that defines Sousa's literary scene today, it is the Sousense Academy of Letters (ASL). Founded to aggregate and foster the city's intellectual production, the ASL is composed of 50 permanent chairs, each dedicated to a literary personality from Paraíba. Far from being a merely decorative institution, the academy has proven to be an active engine of cultural production and dissemination.

The 2024 Inauguration: Renewal and Research

In December 2024, the ASL held a historic ceremony at the Professora Dodora Historic Cultural Center, inaugurating ten new academics. What stands out in this event is the rigor: each new member conducted "intense research on the trajectory of their patrons" before taking their seat. This demonstrates that the academy is not an empty honorary title but a space for study and knowledge production.

The newly inaugurated academics include:

Female Strength: Marcilânia Alcântara at FliParaíba

The literary scene in Sousa also stands out for its female protagonism. One name that deserves special attention is Marcilânia Alcântara. The writer was invited to participate in the second edition of the International Literary Festival of Paraíba (FliParaíba) 2025, one of the state's largest literary events, which brought together names like Itamar Vieira Júnior, Silviano Santiago, and Maria Gadú.

At the festival, held in João Pessoa, Marcilânia participated in Table 2 – "Ancestral Voices", alongside Eva Potiguara and Mestra Doci. Furthermore, she led a Storytelling session in the Curumim Space, titled "Dom Ramon and his guitar: the stump and the moon mother". Marcilânia's presence at an event of international projection (with participants from Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde) places Sousa on the national literary map and demonstrates that local production has the quality to dialogue with the great references of the Lusophone world.

Gypsy Tradition: Sarau and Dance

Sousa is known for its strong gypsy community, and this tradition also expresses itself literarily. The Cia Dirachin Calin, a group from the city, was responsible for one of the most emblematic moments of FliParaíba 2025: the Gypsy Sarau, held in the Cloister of the São Francisco Cultural Center. The performance, which combined poetry, dance, and music, highlighted how literature in Sousa is lived on the street, in the body, and in orality – not just on the pages of books.

3. Themes and Works: What is Written in Sousa?

Based on the events and the profiles of the academics, it is possible to draw a panorama of the predominant genres and themes in Sousa's literary production.

Predominant Genres

1. Poetry and Recitation: The strength of oral tradition and cordel makes poetry the queen genre. The presence of saraus (like that of Cia Dirachin Calin) and public recitations is remarkable.

2. Memory and Biography: The requirement of research on the patrons of the ASL chairs indicates that memorialistic and biographical production is strong. Academics not only write original works but also act as guardians of the memory of important figures in the region.

3. Children's and Young Adult Literature and Storytelling: Marcilânia Alcântara's work at FliParaíba with storytelling points to production aimed at children and young adults, using oral narrative as a tool for cultural transmission.

Central Themes

• Ancestry and Sertanejo Identity: Marcilânia's participation in the "Ancestral Voices" table was not accidental. Writers from Sousa are deeply interested in rescuing the indigenous, gypsy, and sertanejo roots that make up the local identity.

• Gypsy Culture: The sarau by Cia Dirachin Calin shows that Sousa's literature incorporates the symbols, musicality, and worldview of the gypsy people, a rare and precious theme in mainstream Brazilian literature.

• Valorization of Patronage: Each work produced by ASL members carries, in some way, a dialogue with their patron – whether by revisiting their work or updating their legacy for the 21st century.

Examples of Recent Works and Events

Final Considerations: Sousa, a Garden of Letters in the Sertão

What makes Sousa's literary scene so special is not the number of books published by major publishers – it is the life that pulses in its events. It is seeing the Sousense Academy of Letters taking the lead in organizing ceremonies that mix academic research and performances by the Gypsy Violin Orchestra. It is seeing a writer like Marcilânia Alcântara representing her city at the state's largest literary festival, alongside renowned names. It is seeing the mayor himself, Fábio Tyrone, reciting poems of his own authorship at the inauguration of new academics.

Sousa proves that literature does not need the showcases of the Rio-São Paulo axis to exist. It flourishes where there is memory, tradition, and, above all, people willing to recite a verse under the hot sertão sun.

References

• FLIPARAIBA 2025 – International Literary Festival of Paraíba. Official Program. Government of Paraíba, 2025. Available at: https://fliparaiba.pb.gov.br/

• REPÓRTER PB. Sousense Academy of Letters holds inauguration of new academics and highlights the region's literary culture. December 10, 2024. Available at: https://www.reporterpb.com.br/noticia/sousa/2024/12/10/academia-sousense-de-letras-realiza-posse-de-novos-academicos-e-destaca-a-cultura-literaria-da-regiao/166385.html

• G1 PARAÍBA. FliParaíba: see the program for the literary festival that brings together writers and artists in João Pessoa. November 27, 2025. Available at: https://g1.globo.com/pb/paraiba/noticia/2025/11/27/fliparaiba-2025-programacao-festival-literario-em-joao-pessoa.ghtml

• PARAÍBA.GOV.BR. Biography of the master of cordel literature is launched at the Cultural Space. April 27, 2015. Available at: http://antigo.paraiba.pb.gov.br/index-38021.html

⚠️ Research elaborated with the aid of Deep Research is subject to referential ambiguity.
🖥️Clean HTML code using a proprietary tool.
👥Research by Guilherme Felipe, Curation by Sílvio Lôbo