Eduardo Lourenço and Antonio Candido: dialogues about the Brazilian backlands

Abstract

The relationship between Portugal and Brazil can be seen as a huge labyrinth that has no solution. Their encounters and disagreements, as familiar but also distinct cultures, are marked in history. However, it is certain that the Portuguese language unites us, as this is the mark of lusophony, which involves a cultural imaginary. Such an idea could not go unnoticed in the literature of both nations. In this way, we found a point of contact to guide us through this maze: Eduardo Lourenço. From the Portuguese critic’s essays, we can see that the lusophone imaginary is indeed present in the formation of Brazilian literature. Thus, our imagination takes us to lusophony, not only as speakers of the same language, but mainly as an expression of the mythical image that surrounds us. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how Eduardo Lourenço, despite having lived for a short time in Brazil, was able to have a very unique perception and certainly close to one of the greatest Brazilian critics, Antonio Candido, regarding Brazilian literature and its social developments. In this study, then, our central objective is to highlight the bond between critics regarding Brazilian literature of the 20th century, based on the Lorenço essays “Aquilino e Guimarães Rosa”, “Guimarães Rosa ou o terceiro sertão” and “Os sertões de Portugal”, taking as the center of discussions the representation of the sertão and country people as a Brazilian particularity, but which touches on the universal scope.