Tiodora's letters : an enslaved woman's fight for family and freedom / Marcele D'Salete ; translated by Andrea Rosenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salete, Marcelo D', author, artist.

Contributor:

Rosenberg, Andrea, translator.

Standardized Title:

Mukanda Tiodora. English

Language:

English

Portuguese

Subjects (All):

São Paulo (Brazil)--History--19th century--Comic books, strips, etc.

São Paulo (Brazil).

Slavery--Brazil--São Paulo--Comic books, strips, etc.

Slavery.

Enslaved persons--Comic books, strips, etc.

Enslaved persons.

Letter writing--Comic books, strips, etc.

Letter writing.

São Paulo (Brazil)--Comic books, strips, etc.

Genre:

Historical comics.

Comics (Graphic works)

Graphic novels.

Biographical fiction.

Physical Description:

202 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 26 cm

Other Title:

Enslaved woman's fight for family and freedom

Place of Publication:

Seatlle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, [2026]

Language Note:

In English, translated from the Portuguese.

Summary:

Inspired by the powerful true story of Tiodora da Cunha Dias, Eisner Award-winner D'Salete reconstructs a forgotten part of Brazil's dark history of slavery. In the mid-19th century, millions of Africans were enslaved and brought to Brazil. Among them was the real-life Teodora who, separated from her husband and her son, worked in the home of a priest in São Paulo. Wishing to reconstruct the family ties lost during the journey from Africa to Brazil and to achieve emancipation for herself and her family, she gave Claro, a Black man who could read and write, money to help her write letters: some addressed to her husband and her son, whereabouts unknown, in the hopes that the letters would find them and that they could achieve this quest together; and some addressed to enslavers, intended to either help locate her family or to persuade them to let her buy her freedom. Inspired by this correspondence, Tiodora's Letters is a rigorously researched historical work, a compelling narrative based on her letters, and masterfully drawn by D'Salete, who graphically recreates her struggle. In the 1860s, Benê, a fictional Black young man who likes Tiodora because she was kind to him, takes it upon himself to seek Tiô's family and deliver the letters. He embarks on a dangerous and world-building journey into the interior of Brazil and to the coffee plantations where they might be. There are many wordless passages of heartbreaking horror, character beats, breathtaking drawings of nature, and much more.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9798875001710

OCLC:

1524974013

Publisher Number:

90104338878