Mad Maria, a Ferrovia do diabo: entre a ficção e a História

Abstract

The present dissertation is the result of the reality of three works: The Devil's Railroad (1960), written by the historian Manoel Rodrigues Ferreira; Mad Maria (1980), novel by Márcio Souza; and miniseries, namesake, adapted by Benedito Ruy Barbosa (2005). The triad deals with the same object, namely the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré Railroad. Through the Comparative Literature, I made a cross-reading of these three narratives, making dialogue about History, Literature and Teledramaturgy. Ferreira's novel, Souza's novel, and Barbosa's mini-series bring a gigantic social critique of an Amazon in full development and the neglect behind the scenes of this theater set up to satisfy the great capitalist machine. Surrounded by disasters, epidemics, financial problems, fierce Indian and animal attacks, and many legends, the history of the construction of Madeira-Mamoré raced the world, and to this day the railroad is known as the most tragic in America.