Crônica (Portuguese for chronicle) is a Brazilian form of short writings about daily topics, published in newspaper or magazine columns. Crônicas are usually written in an informal, observational and sometimes humourous tone, as in an intimate conversation between writer and reader. Writers of crônicas are called cronistas. It is considered to be a purely Brazilian literary genre.
Newspaper crônicas had their inception in the 19th century, with the development of the press in Brazil, inspired by the French Journal des débats; they flourished in the mid of the 20th century, with the country's urbanization process, musing about daily happenings and becoming more informal in nature. Crônicas, despite their ephemeral nature, are usually compiled in book anthologies.
Some authors known by their crônicas are Machado de Assis, Rubem Braga, Fernando Sabino, Paulo Mendes Campos, Rachel de Queiroz and Luís Fernando Veríssimo.