José Francisco Borges, Master of Brazilian Cordel Literature, Dies at 88

José Francisco Borges, Brazil's most celebrated exponent of literatura de cordel, died in late July at age eighty-eight. Born in 1935 in Pernambuco state's countryside, Borges grew up with cordel booklets as his primary source of entertainment and news. He worked various jobs including selling herbs, bricklaying, and carpentry before writing his first cordel in 1964 titled The Encounter of Two Cowboys in the Petrolina Hinterland. Borges taught himself wood-block printing after lacking funds to pay an illustrator for his second story, The True Warning of Frei Damião. His most famous work, The Arrival of the Prostitute in Heaven published in 1976, sold over 100,000 copies with its provocative story of a prostitute who seduces saints after convincing Hell to send her to Heaven. Cordel tradition originated in 19th century Brazil, blending Iberian romanceiro, Spanish-American corridos, and African akpalô oral traditions. These small booklets measuring 10.1 × 16.5 cm feature black-and-white woodcut illustrations and poetic stories pegged on strings like laundry. Borges was known for his salesmanship, performing stories at weekly markets and interacting with potential buyers. Today, cordel booklets have become scarce in São Paulo kiosks, with social media and memes replacing this vernacular tradition in much of Brazil.