The Northeast of Brazil has a lively tradition of popular songs and poetry. Literatura de cordel (literature on a string), a popular form of poetry, significantly shaped the consciousness of an illiterate population, spreading news and retelling popular stories and legends, in the humorous and often ironic voice of the poet. Poems were – and still are – produced by itinerant singing poets selling their songs in small, inexpensive chapbooks in rural markets and fairs. Woodblock prints and sculptures depicting the popular themes exhibit the same dynamic combination of tradition and improvisation seen in literatura de cordel.