This book is dedicated to the reissue of the short story Jupira (published in 1872) by Bernardo Guimarães (1825-1884, from the city of Ouro Preto ¿ Minas Gerais/Brazil), whose 150th anniversary is commemorated.It integrated, in the year 2022, the commemorations of the Bicentenary of Independence and reminds us that 1872 was the scene of many commemorations on the 50 years of Independence and the publication of the results of the first national census. It is never useless to remember that Brazil was in full search of itself, also through literature. Bernardo Guimarães was one of the main authors to act in this direction, even going so far as to contribute to the counting and characterization of its inhabitants. It is no coincidence that in the news as well as in the census results, Brazil turns out to be a complex country with extraordinary challenges. Navigating these challenges through a literary reading is, in a way, a form of letting oneself be traversed by a time which, even today, is present.Luciano Mendes by Faria Filho