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This paper sets out to analyze to what extent Maria Firmina dos Reis (1822-1917), an Afro-Brazilian writer from Maranhão State, having published her novel Úrsula (1859) created a different sort of narrative so as to understand Brazil's history and its people. By dwelling attention on African elements in her literary productions, Maria Firmina builds up another Brazilian identity, the one which takes into account not only Africans, but also African descendants in our country. In doing so, the author focuses upon the discussion of our formation with a strong criticism to the slavery period, which by the way was part of her world and is still part of ours when one tries to understand what Brazil is. At the same time, this long forgotten and subordinate Brazilian writer also used the aforementioned novel as a means of explaining and criticizing patriarchy and male domination. Throughout the paper, we seek to demonstrate how Maria Firmina dos Reis did so, that is, created a new interpretation of Brazil, a plural and democratic one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]