Publication

Researcher José Paulo Pereira publishes article in Veredas Journal

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José Paulo Pereira, a researcher at CIAC, has published the article “Mia Couto: between the city and exile, in Jesusalém”, in Veredas Journal (vol.40).

The abstract of the article reads: “The reading unfolds, in the novel Jesusalém by Mia Couto, not only the assumptions of its title but also those of its Brazilian and English versions. It starts from the ambivalent meaning of the adverb ‘beyond’ – associated there with the name ‘Jesus’ – and from the paronomastic play with ‘Jerusalem’ – a city ethically, politically, and religiously conceived by Emmanuel Lévinas, in Au-delà du verset. It thus emphasizes what ‘beyond’ implies, of a certain critique of Christianity and accompanies, in the character of Silvestre Vitalício, both the process of his exile from the city and his madness, and his melancholic survival after the death of his wife, Dona Dordalma. In Mwanito’s writing – the fictional author of the novel – it observes its compatibility with both the deconstructive concept of ‘writing in general’ by Jacques Derrida and the concept of image, according to E. Lévinas, both presupposing an obliteration of ‘being’ as full presence.”

Veredas is a semiannual journal of the International Association of Lusitanists. It is a scientific publication aimed at disseminating research on the literature and culture of Portuguese-speaking countries.

The article is available (here).

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