Frederico Barbosa, poet and former director of Casa das Rosas, was acquitted by the First Court of the Special Civil Court of São Paulo in the slander and defamation case related to the removal of the collection of the poet Haroldo de Campos from the institution, located on Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo.
In February, about 21,000 books belonging to Campos were sent to a warehouse, about 30 kilometers down the street, without his family’s consent. On that occasion, Barbosa went online to protest against professionals who work or have worked at the institution. He was accused by Reynaldo Damasio, coordinator of cultural activities at Casa das Rozas. The report contacted Damasio but did not comment on the ruling until its publication.
At the time, São Paulo’s Secretariat of Culture, Economy and Creative Industry said the transfer was made to ensure proper preservation of the Campos Collection. “Just as when the group was at Casa das Rosas, the visit and consultation of the materials can be made by appointment.”
Haroldo’s son’s widow then stated that it was not in the family’s interest “to close the library in Baruiri.” According to people involved with the foundation, Casa das Rosas would not be the ideal place to store a collection like Haroldo Campos’.
In 2016, Federico Barbosa was fired from Casa das Rosas after more than a decade as director of the establishment. The social organization that runs the cultural institution, Boyesis, said at the time that the decision was linked to “the museum’s vision for the future.”
Barbosa then said that the supposed restructuring the organization was going through was nothing more than a lie. He replied at the time: “He (Clovis de Barros Carvalho, director of Poiesis) called me there and said that I was fired, and that my work did not satisfy him.”