On the centenary of the birth of starlet and businesswoman Zaquia Jorge, Estrela de Madureira , by Marcelo Moutinho, takes us through her fascinating trajectory on the stages and backstage of Rio's revue theater in the 1950s.
In the vibrant world of Rio de Janeiro's revue theater, Zaquia Jorge wasn't just a star; she was the very essence of the show. In this moving biography, Marcelo Moutinho reveals the behind-the-scenes story of a woman who transcended the stage and touched the hearts of Rio's suburbs, leaving her indelible mark on Brazil's cultural history.
Zaquia didn't limit herself to applause and the limelight: she became an entrepreneur by founding the Madureira Theater, fostering a vibrant suburban cultural scene in a context where the curtains were rising mostly in the city's south zone. Her legacy also resonates in the democratization of access to culture and art, a true pioneer.
The Star of the Suburbs departed prematurely, drowning in the sea of Barra da Tijuca at the age of 33. The samba "Madureira Chorou"—the biggest hit of the 1958 Carnival—became the lament of an entire city, sung by Joel de Almeida. In 1975, Império Serrano dedicated its samba-enredo to Zaquia's story, a tribute that endures in Carnival memory: "Zaquia Jorge, the Star of the Suburbs, Star of Madureira."
Marcelo Moutinho transports us to the vibrant atmosphere of 1950s Rio de Janeiro, interweaving Zaquia's biographical details with the era's defining historical and cultural aspects. In addition to her impact on the stage, she also graced Brazilian screens, appearing in films that have become classics, such as The Transviada Baroness and Hold Firm, Isidoro .
With cover texts by Rachel Valença and Ruy Castro, and an introduction by Luiz Antonio Simas, Estrela de Madureira also features an insert filled with historical photographs, immortalizing moments in the starlet's life, the Madureira Theater, and the moving Império Serrano parade in her honor. The result of the author's extensive research, this book not only reconstructs the extraordinary universe of Zaquia Jorge but also reclaims the public memory of an artist who dared to challenge the standards of her time, making the Rio de Janeiro suburbs the stage for her own cultural revolution.
"Reading Marcelo's work, now completed, revealed something I didn't know: how much the Madureira Theater made Zaquia Jorge known and loved by the locals. There was no exaggeration in the samba 'Madureira chorou,' released for Carnival in 1958, shortly after her tragic death." - Rachel Valença
"By reconstructing Zaquia's trajectory, Moutinho ends up creating a mosaic that encompasses Madureira, Brazilian revue theater, suburban sociability, music, cinema, the city, and the leading role of women in a society and environment where misogyny was rampant. As if that weren't enough, the book rescues—it's important to emphasize—from oblivion the character who, despite her short life, became ingrained in the local memories, combining historical rigor, the critical mastery of bibliography, and the award-winning writer's fluent writing." - Luiz Antonio Simas
“Zaquia’s world – woman, actress, theater manager, public figure – was the revue theater, Carnival, the front pages of newspapers, scandal magazines, and all of Rio in the 1940s and 1950s.
Marcelo Moutinho brings this world back in Estrela de Madureira , a biography that finally takes us to the North Zone, a territory almost forgotten in the mapping of Rio's artistic and cultural life. And no one is better equipped than Marcelo to do so. - Ruy Castro
