The Damage of Real: The Recognition of Evil in the poetry of João Cabral de Melo Neto

Abstract

Starting from the enigmatic character of João Cabral’s poem Fábula de Anfíon and considering its experiential dimension, this paper highlights the link between real and evil in this poem. Based on the complex reflection set out by Paul Ricoeur in The Symbolism of Evil (1960), the article argues that the issue of evil is rich. If, on the one hand, the reality of evil cannot be concealed for it is a fundamental individual and historical human experience, on the other hand, it is a kind of opaque and equivocal reality, and this prevents the thought to reduce it to theoretical, philosophical or conceptual explanations. Aiming at developing a hermeneutical reflection aware of its self-implication, the paper argues that the way to deal fairly with evil is recognition. Finally, the article re-evaluates the concept of confession so that it can be used for a reflection on the place of reality in the poetry of João Cabral.