The institutionalization of the history of Brazil and the political significance of nineteenth-century historiography are the themes of the book Os vultos da nação: fábrica de heróis e formação dos brasileiros? (The figures of the nation: the heroes factory and the construction of Brazilians), Armelle Enders - the latest release of FGV Press, also available in ebook format.With a focus on the constructive nature of heroes and great men in imperial and republican Brazil by institutions of the country, the work questions the modernity of the Brazilian Monarchy and rescues the role of the Republic in the invention and dissemination of national symbols in the development of a new nation, made up from the same cultural tradition.How to give the country a truly national history? Who are the renown people of the past whose edifying examples may be followed by Brazilians? By discussing the issue of figures of the nation, the book addresses history writing in Brazil and the representation of the past - whether in fiction, in the fine arts or theater, seeking to examine the relationship between power and political systems.Please click here and learn more about FGV Press (in Portuguese).