Mediating Brazilian Culture: Richard Katz’s Travel Writing about Brazil

The renowned German-language travel writer and journalist Richard Katz (1888-1968) was part of the diaspora of desperate refugees fleeing from Hitler. Katz arrived in Brazil via Lisbon in 1941 and remained until the mid-50s. In his four travel books about Brazil Katz helped his Germanspeaking readers, most of whom knew little about Brazil, understand its history, culture, people, animals, and plants. He was aware of the difficulties of depicting such a vast and varied country. Katz chose what he called an inductive method, namely observations of details that could shed light on the whole, and he used works by Brazilians to support his views. Because of his long years living in Brazil, he understood the country well. I will focus here on the following topics. Having escaped from Nazi racial persecution Katz admired Brazil as a melting pot where different races blended together. He was fascinated by how African religions evolved and adapted in Brazil and he attended several religious ceremonies in Rio and Salvador. As both an animal lover and an avid gardener he delighted in Brazil's flora and fauna, which he described vividly, and he also addressed such environmental problems as deforestation.