Eliane Robert Moraes, considered the greatest pornographer in Brazil, has over four decades of contributions to studies on the subject. Her first book on the topic, in partnership with Sandra Lapeiz, was published by Brasiliense in 1984, presenting an erudite and objective approach that mixed encyclopedic knowledge with the discussion of complex themes.
Her professional career includes appearances in scientific magazines, newspapers, and literary fairs. She taught philosophy and journalism at PUC-SP and translated works such as Marquis de Sade and Georges Bataille. Her literary production expands with publications like the Anthology of Brazilian Erotic Poetry (Ateliê Editorial), the double volume The Unveiled Body, Anthology of Brazilian Erotic Short Stories (1852-2022), and the recent essay The Cursed Part of Brazil (Tinta-da-china), with three new titles planned.
In a conversation held at her home in Perdizes, the professor of Brazilian literature, aged 74 and about to retire from USP but maintaining great vitality, addresses the challenges and pleasures of studying literary eroticism, emphasizing the total freedom of imagination as her main asset.
Known as Nani among friends, Eliane is married to the poet and editor Fernando Paixão. She discusses the most sensual themes with great elegance and good humor.
When asked about Reinaldo Moraes, Eliane reported that they met in 2010 during the Mantiqueira Festival, after he published Pornopopeia. Initially, there was mutual apprehension—she feared being seen as outdated by him, a pornographer, and he feared saying nonsense—but they quickly became friends. They began living on the same street and meet regularly at the Wednesday fair. She praises Reinaldo for his generosity, charm, and ability to turn everything into literary creation.
Eliane shared an experience where she asked Reinaldo for a short text for a magazine called Alfa about the Flip, but he delivered an extensive material of 70 thousand characters instead of the requested 8 thousand. After asking for a reduction, he replied by email, extending the message over four pages, refusing to cut anything.
She also mentioned a request made to Reinaldo for an anthology of Brazilian erotic short stories, where he sent a sensational but very long story that ended up incorporating a passage from Pornopopeia.
When discussing the concept of excess, Eliane pondered whether it refers to Baroqueism or Brazilian eroticism. She argued that although Baroqueism involves formal exaggerations such as hyperbole, the excess in the erotic context resides in the content. Literary eroticism does not follow a single structure, potentially varying from a haiku to extensive works like 900-page erotic novels.
For Eliane, excess functions as a paradigm of transgression: it occurs when an established norm is broken or displaced. She cited Hilda Hilst as an example, whose pornographic works, despite being short novels, create an impression of great explosion. Citing Roland Barthes, she exemplified how excess manifests when a rule is broken, such as in the case of André Gide, where the unbearable odor in a house leads the commissioner to release the smoke, violating professional norms.
Regarding Amara Moira's view, which suggests that sex is viewed as psychological threat and that literature should be read with caution, Eliane disagreed with the idea of current repression. She observed that while repression was greater in the 70s/80s, today there is a very strong censoring gaze on eroticism, especially when linked to social denunciations.
Eliane highlighted that for those who work with eroticism, claiming it is merely fantasy can be interpreted as censorship. She commented on the book The Pink Notebook by Lori Lamby (1990), mentioning the shock it generated and how critics frequently accuse Hilda of defending pedophilia, a fact she finds shocking. She stressed that while a man would have been massacred for praising such a work, a woman like Hilda has a different authorization.
Concerning violence and eroticism, she compared the controversial rape scene in Sam Peckinpah's The King of Comedy to the story of Juliet in Sade, where a orgy of 400 people takes place. She reinforced that excess in literature does not need to be realistic; if it is too realistic, it ceases to be eroticism. She mentioned Tatiana Salem Levy and Clarice Lispector, and cited testimonies from Mara, who indicated that about 90% of transsexuals and homosexuals were initiated through abuse, a difficult topic to address artistically due to the risk of being accused of supporting rape.
Finally, Eliane concluded that, while eroticism belongs to the world of what does not happen, it is dangerous and fascinating, and the dividing line between fiction and reality is complex.
