A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Araujo’s dissertation reproduces Freyre’s encounter beside the Capibaribe quays: a man enjoying the midnight air and reciting verse meets a stranger whose Panama hat shades his face. The stranger asks for a light. While the walker searches his pockets, the apparition laughs and reveals a rotting, worm-eaten face with gold teeth. The pleasant night air is overwhelmed by its stench. The contrast between polished gold and bodily decay gives the figure its striking appearance.
Weslley Vittor de Carvalho’s 2025 illustration project specifies a white jacket, Panama hat and clean, polished shoes, with a body between zombie and demon. These details belong to his artistic interpretation. In AD Luna’s 2020 interview, writer André Balaio also describes a white-suited, gold-toothed supernatural night wanderer. In Balaio’s telling, the person supplies a light for its cigar and receives a sinister laugh in return: a small difference from Freyre’s walker searching unsuccessfully for a match.
Origins & earliest records
Global Editora’s account dates Freyre’s collection to 1955 and says his work began in 1929 while editing A Província. That history dates a literary project, rather than every oral episode. The 2020 Balaio interview and Carvalho’s 2025 design record give separately dated examples of later interpretation.
Records & interpretation
Araujo pp. 111–112 preserve the quoted encounter; Freyre’s original remains indirect. Carvalho’s title pages and p. 24 directly establish the visual brief. Balaio’s published interview independently supplies the offered-light variation. Global’s publisher description supports the collection’s chronology; the full comic and radio recording were not inspected.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Da semiose dos lugares do Recife na permanente renovação do folclore assombrado citadino
Directly inspected pp. 111–112, including quoted Freyre 2000 pp. 62–63 and identification of the 1955 Ayres illustration.
- 02
Do medo à memória: ilustrações das assombrações do Recife velho
Directly inspected title pages and p. 24; creator’s visual selection and design brief.
- 03
Assombrações do Recife Velho
Selected older literary witness, read indirectly through Araujo; no claim to have inspected the full original.
- 04
O Recife Assombrado
31 October written interview account inspected; linked audio unplayed.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- ResearchAraujo 2023: Boca-de-Ouro, pp. 111–112Research access: 2026-10-05
- ResearchCarvalho 2025: Boca-de-Ouro visual briefResearch access: 2026-10-05
- CommunityAndré Balaio’s named 2020 interviewResearch access: 2026-10-05
- ReferenceGlobal Editora: collection history and adaptation creditsResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.