Gerardo Mello Mourão

Gerardo Mello Mourão (January 8, 1917 – March 9, 2007) was a Brazilian epic poet, politician, journalist, translator, essayist and biographer.[1]

He was a major figure of Brazilian epic poetry as well as all lusophone literature.[2] His best-known works include Invenção do Mar: Carmen sæculare (1997) and Os Peãs (1982). He was also known for his involvement with ideological movements of the 20th century, such as fascism and communism. For this reason, Mourao was arrested 18 times. He was also tortured in prison.[3]

References

  1. Os Peãs, a poetic trilogy written by the Brazilian poet Gerardo Mello Mourão (1917- 2007) explores the associations between the epic tradition and the central project of the trilogy - the articulation, through poetry, of a collective heroic memory that might stand as a source of exemplarity. The trilogy is composed of the following works: O País dos Mourões (1963), Peripécias de Gerardo (1972) e Rastro de Apolo (1977). Starting with a reflection on the death and survival of the epic genre, our argument goes on to associate Os Peãs with a tendency in modern poetry that uses the classical epic poem as a reference or a "symbolic frame" for modern poetic experiments dealing with the notions of tradition, memory and community. This is followed by a detailed study of each volume." University of Sao Paulo, available at https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8149/tde-10112016-145800/es.php
  2. "Gerard Mello Mourão" (in português). Confraria (Magazine). GERARDO MELLO MOURÃO [...] is a legendary figure in Brazilian literature. A close friend of Guignard, Michel Deguy and Pablo Neruda, he was nominated for Nobel Prize in 79 and is one of the most respected Brazilian writers internationally. His best known books are The Invention of the Sea, the Jack of Swords and the trilogy Os Peãs. Ezra Pound commented: "In all my work, what I tried was to write the epic of America. I think I didn't succeed. The poet from O País dos Mourões did it".
  3. The epic in Invention of the sea, by Gerardo Mello Mourão, and Galáxias, by Haroldo de Campos. 2014. 364 p. Thesis (doctorate) - State University of Campinas, Institute of Language Studies, Campinas, SP. Available at: <http://www.repositorio.unicamp.br/handle/REPOSIP/269902 Archived 2020-08-08 at the Wayback Machine>. Accessed on: 25 mar. 2021.

Other websites