Abstract
The article reflects on Brazilian Naturalism as a "cultural translation" of Naturalism as it originated in Europe. Having traced the relevant aspects of Brazilian literary and cultural situation of the last quarter of the 19th century, it investigates how the specific Romantic heritage in Brazil of the end of the 19th century shapes European impulses.
In the second part of the article, Bom Crioulo, a novel by Adolfo Caminha, is analysed as a particularly noteworthy narrative treatment of the two main themes of Brazilian Naturalism: sexuality and race. Again, the main interest lies in the characteristic articulation of Romantic and Naturalistic elements.