Browsing a flea market in the Northeast of Brazil, you may come across a couple of stands with what appear to be simple pamphlets, displayed across strings of twine and attached by wooden clothespegs. At first glance, they could be drawings or postcards, but a closer look will reveal one of the most traditional and longstanding forms of literature in Brazilian history: literatura de cordel.
Named after the strings (cordeis) they are arranged upon, cordel literature consists of short poems or folk novels, usually no more...
