This article aims to examine different aspects of the link between translation and nationhood and views translation as an important element in the formation of the new nation. It examines ways in which translation can help to fashion ideas within a nation, using as an example the way in which the Clube do Livro, a Brazilian book shop, which initially existed between 1943 and 1976, propagated the ideas of nationalism and ‘developmentalism’ that are found in Brazilian official discourse in the forties and fifties. It then extends the discussion on the concept of foreignization and the development of national consciousness. The article ends by arguing against a Frankfurt School and Althusserian interpretation of the Clube do Livro as a lever of the military regime in Brazil (1964-89), which encouraged ‘correct’ opinions and discouraged dissent.