O céu pelo avesso: a religião na poética de Murilo Mendes

Abstract

Murilo Mendes’ poetry makes an unique path when it comes to Brazilian Literature for its originality and its scope of theme and form undertaken, being acknowledged internationally as one of the most prolific lyrics of the 20th century. Among the poetical operation means of the author, the Modernism presented in his letters is distinguished from the other productions related to the literary moment that occurred in Brazil because there is in it the strong presence of religion. In his biography the poet experienced conversion to the Christian faith and this fact became an aesthetic mark of his writings, since the symbolic universe of Christianity was often activated by the author in order to create his works. Religion, in Murilo Mendes, is in constant dialogue with poetry, with music, with painting, with dance, with mythology, ultimately, with resources for author’s poiésis. Thus, to accomplish a study that identifies, analyzes and interprets the dialogues with the religion present in the poetry of Murilo Mendes is the main intention of the present work. Although there is recognition of the poetic magnitude of Mendes, there are few deep approaches related to investigating the apparatus of his poems that promote a discourse with religious themes. Therefore, from an interdisciplinary approach, the possibilities of interpreting Murilo Mendes’ poetic corpus are established in order to present identification, an analysis and an interpretation of the religious in his lyric. One of the important aspects in the production of Murilo Mendes is that, facing the tensions that Modernity has proposed for human beings, for religion and for the whole Western society, the poet chooses the way of rehabilitating the traditions, promoting the approximation between the men of the 1900ies and the mythical-religious universe. This practice, which can be seen in the Modernist productions of the so-called second generation of this literary aesthetic in Brazil, is distinguished from others by the problematizing attitude that Murilo’s lyrical-self undertakes dealing with the religious theme. The crudeness of human condition, in its various restrictions, the examination of traditional and orthodox religiosity in order to mobilize meaning for the living of faith in the present times and the verification of the mystery offered as a challenge also for modern man are aspects which compose the poetry of Murilo Mendes that deals with and proposes the perception of the religious in Modernity.