Meu nome é Cláudio: a trajetória de Fernando Pereira Christino em Santa Catarina

Abstract

This work discusses the political trajectory of Fernando Pereira Christino, known by the code-name Cláudio. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1924, he began his activism by creating anti-integralist movements and advocating for the amnesty of political prisoners from the Communist Intentona Movement of 1935. Furthermore, Fernando stood out in political organization; in 1942, he helped structure a group of young people in the Madureira neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, advocating for the dispatch of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force to Italy to combat Nazi-fascism. In 1944, he joined the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), initially working in the grassroots organization in Madureira, which later became the District Committee of the neighborhood. In 1957, he was appointed to lead the State Committee of Santa Catarina, where he played a significant role in organizing strikes in the coal mining region of Criciúma. Later, aiming to influence the intellectual circles of the state capital, he purchased and took over the well-known Anita Garibaldi Bookstore, founded in 1955 by Salim Miguel and Antônio Carreirão. Of particular interest in this research is his role as a mediating intellectual, a bookseller, and a printing press owner responsible for selling and distributing materials considered subversive. In the early days of April 1964, the bookstore was invaded, and the books were burned in Florianópolis Central Square. His trajectory during the dictatorship years still raises many questions, as he was a virtually forgotten/hidden figure. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the available documents in the archives of "Brasil Nunca Mais," "Memórias Reveladas," and the Ministry of Human Rights, seeking to bring visibility to this significant figure in Brazilian intellectual and political history.