Flirts with history and fiction: the truths of carnival according to Rubem Braga

The purpose of this article is to study the multiple relations between chronicle, history and fiction. One of its stages is a consideration of theoretical contributions chosen in the debate upon genre, approached in order to reveal the particularities in which the chronicle can move while exploiting these issues. Some remarks are developed on the writings of Brazilian chroniclers of the twentieth century and their articulations with history and fiction. Among them, Rubem Braga, author of the chronicles "The carnivals of the old days" and "The young woman of the carnival", published in the same book in the 1960's and analyzed in the text. The focus on carnival is justified by the idea that these celebrations can trigger discussions concerning peculiar connections between chronicles, history and fiction, such as a review of the notion of truth.