A certain letter: against the grain of Ana Cristina Cesar’s writing laboratory

Abstract

Ana Cristina Cesar’s poetry has been widely associated with the epistolary universe. Her literature communicates, in various ways, with general aspects of correspondence: the evocation of the interlocutor, the question of intimacy, references to letters, postmen, postcards, etc. Even so, little has been said about her letters. This article analyzes one letter (from September 7, 1969) alongside the poem “Onze horas” (1968), to demonstrate that between these two forms of writing there is a curious path of laboratory and experimentation. The letter in question was written by Ana Cristina Cesar to Luiz Augusto and published in 2022 in the book Amor mais que maiúsculo: cartas a Luiz Augusto. From the manuscript of this letter, it is possible to draw an interesting parallel between epistolary experimentation and her poetic production in general, as well as the dialogue between the letter’s text, the materiality of the letter, and the poem in question.