Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-183) and index
An introduction to the fiction of public works -- Conquering the dark: literature, lighting, and public space in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1900s -- The spectacle of light: a public works company in southeastern Brazil (1906-1971) -- Brasília: the real and promised city in 1960s Brazilian literature -- Fiction and massive public works during the Brazilian military regime (1964-1985) -- São Paulo's failed public works in Ferréz's Capão pecado and Luiz Ruffatois Eles eram muitos cavalos