Notes on religiosity and spirituality in poems by mário de andrade

Abstract

This paper analyzes the poems “Exaltação da Paz” (1917) and “Religião” (1922), by Mário de Andrade, with a view to problematizing the themes of religiosity and spirituality in his poetic production. The first, published in the work Há uma gota de sangue em cada poema, reveals religious traits typical of the transcendental symbolism of Catholicism; the second, present in Pauliceia desvairada, expresses a spirituality rooted in the concrete and everyday reality that marked part of Brazilian Modernism. The results of the analysis indicate that by including, in Brazilian Literature, the country's diversity and religious freedom, the poet highlights the importance of spirituality in the formation of Brazil's identity. Among the critical readings of Mário de Andrade's work, Fábio Lucas (1989) and Rosângela Asche de Paula (2007) stand out. The theoretical-methodological basis, in turn, is based on works by Helen Vendler (1997) and Walter Benjamin (2013).