This excerpt comes from my novel Neca: A Novel in Bajubá (Moira 2024), which I wrote based on my experiences as a travesti sex worker in São Paulo. It is also inspired by work I encountered during my doctoral studies, including the concluding monologue of James Joyce's Ulysses and the subversive thread running through Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom. I also wrote Neca in Bajubá, a language that Brazilian travestis created to communicate in secret and that today is becoming a central part of the linguistic and cultural patrimony of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Neca is a monologue in which an older Brazilian travesti tells a new girl—me, Amara—her chaotic life story and teaches her the ropes of street prostitution. These are stories that I lived and heard on the streets. This older travesti protagonist offers crucial advice on how to make money and shows this...
