Josué Montello House of Culture in Maranhão History

Published on March 2, 2017 · Updated on June 3, 2025

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Josué Montello House of Culture in São Luís do Maranhão

The Josué Montello House of Culture is part of the Cultural System of the State of Maranhão and aims to promote studies, research and work in the fields of Literature, Arts, Social Sciences, History and Geography, covering the artistic and cultural manifestations of the State.

Casa de Cultura Josué Montello — The Josué Montello Cultural Centre

The Josué Montello House of Culture

Casa de Cultura Josué Montello

Initially, the CCJM was housed in its own building in the Largo do Ribeirão.

The growth of the Casa de Cultura Josué Montello’s collection led it to move to an old house belonging to the João Pereira family, located on Rua das Hortas, corner of Rua do Coqueiro, which was purchased by the State Government in 1989.

From March 1990, the House began its activities in this building, after it had been restored and adapted for its purposes.

In the first half of 1997, the house underwent a process of restoration, expansion and modernisation of its physical facilities, with funds raised by the Association of Friends of the Josué Montello Cultural House – AACCJM, by MINC/MECENATO-TELEBRÁS, with the intervention of the Government of Maranhão.

The raison d’être of this cultural space is the collection of works from the private library of the writer Josué Montello, as well as personal objects and documents.

Collection and operation

The Josué Montello Cultural Centre was founded by the State Secretariat for Culture and today houses a collection of 60,000 works by various authors.

Its creation was only possible thanks to the 20,000 works donated by the author. Inaugurated on January 23, 1983, the house houses a literary collection, photographic and documentary records, medals and awards relating to the writer’s life and work, and offers services to students and researchers.

The collection contains 50,000 titles donated by the writer, including literary works signed by great names of Brazilian and Maranhão literature.

The Josué Montello House of Culture promotes studies and supports research in the fields of literature and human sciences, with the aim of preserving documentation related to the writer’s life and work.

It also organises events such as seminars, conferences, debates, lectures and symposiums on literary and social themes, open to the public, as well as concerts and recitals.

Inside the Josué Montello Cultural Centre

As well as books, the house contains photographs, medals, awards, plaques, paintings, swords, dictionaries, newsletters and magazines related to the writer.

Biography of Josué Montello

Biography – Josué Montello was born in São Luís on 21 August 1917.

His works include Os Tambores de São Luís, from 1965, the trilogy consisting of the novels Duas Vezes Perdida, from 1966, and Glorinha, from 1977, and the novel Perto da Meia-Noite, from 1985. Several of Josué Montello’s books have been translated into English, French, Spanish, German and Swedish. Some of his novels have been adapted for the cinema.

In 1976, Uma Tarde, Outra Tarde was filmed under the title O Amor aos 40; and in 1978, O Monstro was filmed as O Monstro de Santa Teresa.

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Written by Willy Sievert

Editor of Bahia.ws since its founding in 2009. Based in Salvador, he travels frequently across the Northeast and all of Brazil to keep the guides up to date. Learn more about Willy Sievert →