How many mothers stay awake at night, worried about their children and overwhelmed by the demands of the family? Alzira Souza Umbelino Cardillo wrote the book Stories for Mothers to Sleep for these women to be welcomed with cozy narratives before falling asleep and having a peaceful night’s sleep.
In 18 short stories, the author gives voice to different female perspectives to show the diversity of motherhood feelings. Through short texts and simple moments, the writer addresses the frustrations, fears and joys of being a mother in the most varied stages of their lives and that of their children. It also presents multiple points of view and contexts, from family relationships in the urban environment to inland cities.
In “Aconchego”, for example, a character notices the great differences between two generations when she lets her daughter go shopping with her friends without the presence of adults for the first time. At first, the girl is ashamed of the matriarch’s loving interactions, but later both realize that this affection is still needed in times of tension.
In “Astronauta”, the protagonist is happy when all her children, now adults with their own careers, return to the country where they were born to spend time with their parents. On the other hand, in the short story “Embroidery”, the writer highlights how this distance from the family can lead to the abandonment of important memories and experiences during growth.
Alzira Souza Umbelino Cardillo, from Minas Gerais, is a writer, lyrical singer and teacher with a degree in Literature, a postgraduate degree in Reading and Text and a master’s degree in Portuguese Language Literature. In music, she goes through a family tradition of professional musicians, having signed a partnership with Belchior and recorded the CD “Alzira Cardillo – Uma Antologia de Belchior”. In literature, she has already published three individual books: “Mona”, “Interior of Me” and “Stories for mothers to sleep”. Texts authored by her were also selected in contests such as the Sesc Brasília Children’s Literature Prize Monteiro Lobato, in 2015, and the Off Flip Prize, in the years 2021 and 2022.
Associating with an event that affects many mothers – the concern for their children. Thinking about this context, you ended up releasing the book “Stories for Mothers to Sleep”, in which the narratives end up being warm and welcoming. How did the idea of writing this book come about?
The idea was born from the combination of two factors. First of all, I, as a mother, have always read and mostly made up stories, in the heat of the moment, when the girls go to bed, so that they fall asleep faster and more smoothly. They liked it a lot. It was a habit that I kept during the childhood of my two daughters, because I like to tell, create and also listen to stories. Many times, after the girls went to sleep, I thought it would be good if someone told me a relaxing story so that I could fall asleep more easily. Second, I realized one day that there was in my text bank, which is a folder on the laptop with the title “my texts”, a certain number of stories that had mothers as protagonists. I thought a book with the theme of mothers would be good, light and unpretentious like those texts I wrote and, at that moment, I reread it with pleasure. From then on, I started writing other texts, but already with the idea of the publication and the central theme: stories about the daily lives of mothers for the entertainment and rest of mothers, stories for mothers to sleep.
In the same way that bedtime stories help children, it comes as a surprise to some people to learn that they also work for some adults, helping them to get a peaceful night’s sleep. Before releasing this project to the public, did you test out this type of storytelling?
Yes, I was happy to hear stories told and read by my youngest daughter. Right after being literate, she liked to read her books to me, both of them already ready for bed, and the childish and sweet voice provoked the ideal relaxation for sleep. Another moment I experienced listening to stories told by the same daughter was after the final revision of the texts for Stories for Mothers to Sleep. This time, I asked her to read it, I wanted to do the exercise of moving away from being an author and listening to the stories, trying to understand the effect it could have on other mothers. And it was very pleasant.
Regarding the stories that are included in this collection, you give voice to different female perspectives, showing the diversity of motherhood feelings. Despite the image of this greater concern for children and the title referring to mothers, could this book also be a good choice for fathers?
Yes, it can also be a good choice for parents. There are fathers as mothers as mothers; there are uncles and aunts, godfathers and godmothers, brothers and sisters who are mothers, that is, they present themselves with maternal tenderness in raising and educating the children they love.
There are many popular theories that claim that when you become a mother, you end up adopting a new perception of the world, and of course this reflects in concern for the world. Based on your observations, even though the mothers already know a little about everyday life in cities, why does this concern increase over cases that were already known to the parents?
I think that mothers and fathers acquire a protectionist character since pregnancy. And that’s nature, it’s good that it’s like that, because children, up to a certain age, really need protection, care, warning of danger. The sense of care and responsibility is what lights the alert in us, like a light that remained inactive before motherhood and fatherhood. The short story Astronauta presents a mother in ecstasy with that of her adult children, even for a weekend, gathered around the wood stove in the interior city. And what is the reason for such happiness? I think the proximity, the possibility of touching, of perceiving the physical and emotional condition of each one, eye to eye, smell to smell. All this is the fruit of the protectionist character that, in fact, never goes away.
To cite an example, the short story “Aconchego”, addresses a character who perceives the great differences between two generations when letting her daughter walk in a shopping center with her friends alone, for the first time. Do you believe that this divide between adults and young people really exists, or are they just created in the social imagination?
I believe in the natural movement of social transformations, in all societies, from generation to generation. So, I don’t think that changes in habits and customs perceived in children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, for example, are part of the social imaginary. It is a concrete fact. This does not mean, however, that it is a dividing barrier, as if dialogue and a happy intergenerational coexistence were not possible. I think that different generations can and should live in harmony, exchanging knowledge and experiences, although the differences are sometimes frightening.
About the story “Embroidery”, it shows the situation of a mother who gets hurt seeing the distance from the family and showing how all this can lead to the abandonment of important memories and experiences during growth. This is a concern of many parents, and about that, do you think that in addition to these stories calming parents down, they can also end up teaching true life lessons to deal with everyday life?
I think that we can all learn from the experiences of others, from the experiences of those around us and people far from us, experiences that somehow reach us, whether through a book, a TV program, a a documentary, of oral reports transmitted by family, friends, acquaintances. We live in a large interactive network. Stories, no matter how little they are born with the aim of teaching, always convey teachings.
Graduated in Literature, post-graduated in reading and text and master in Portuguese-speaking literature, could you tell us a little about how reading began to influence your life so much to the point of becoming your profession? Could you name some influences or favorite writer?
Books have always been a passion, since I was a little girl I liked to read, I enjoyed the solitude of reading sitting in a corner at home or in the school library. The option for the Literature course was spontaneous, natural. When I finished high school, my hometown, Itabira, in Minas Gerais, had only one college, the Faculty of Human Sciences of Itabira, with three courses: History, Science and Literature. Many young people, those who could afford it, left the city to attend higher education in Belo Horizonte. In my case, even if I could study in another city, – my reality did not allow it -, I would opt for Literature. I took the entrance exam aware that it was what I wanted to do, although grammar scared me quite a bit in those days. However, literature fascinated me and the dream of becoming a writer grew more and more. During the course I also took a liking to grammar, which doesn’t mean it was easy. Great loves took my heart in those years and we are together until today, starting with my countryman Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Writers such as Fernando Pessoa, Machado de Assis, Cecília Meireles, Florbela Espanca, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Padre Antônio Vieira, Raquel de Queirós, Clarice Lispector, Moacyr Scliar, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Cora Coralina, just to name a few, were and still are big influences for me.
In relation to specialized cultural criticism, which is present in several segments, such as cinema, music, and also in literature – how do you usually deal with literary criticism and does it tend to influence you in some way?
Personally, I’ve never suffered a negative reception, but I think I’m prepared for when it happens, as it’s a consequence of the exposure to which an artist from any area is submitted, with the writer it can’t be different. I like to listen, which doesn’t mean always comply.
What is the importance of literature in society, in your opinion?
Literature is one of the great riches of a people, of a nation. It is art that registers in words the cultures of communities over time. When we read a work of fiction from the past five centuries, for example, we have in our hands a record of habits, customs, anxieties, difficulties, likes and dislikes of a time. The human being – the individual and the collective – is enriched intellectually and culturally thanks to literature. Furthermore, the art of words offers us one of the most pleasurable entertainments that exists: reading.
DATASHEET
Title:Bedtime stories for mothers
Author:Alzira Souza Umbelino Cardillo
Publishing company:Knowledge
ISBN:978-65-86529-86-9
Pages:90
Price:BRL 35
Where to buy:amazon|Virtual bookshelf
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*WithAffonso Tavares