Living with Os Sertões – experiences and reflections of a german scholar

Abstract

The author of this lecture recalls and contextualizes his interest and fascination, from the end of the 1960s, on Os Sertões by Euclides da Cunha, a book that he reads, from the perspective of the dialectic of Enlightenment, as an account, partially ambiguous or contradictory, of a patriot who, imbued with ideas of civilizing progress, intends to research and express the totality of the causes, characteristics, objective and subjective aspects of a crime committed in the name of the Nation and Civilization: the War of Canudos. The complexity and enigmatic nature of the task led Euclides to create an interdisciplinary essay, merging scientific, anthropological and poetic approaches into erudite rhetoric, with a strong emotional impact and humanitarian appeal. All this motivated the speaker to translate Os Sertões into German, obliging him to carry out extensive research and meticulous text analyses, of which examples are presented. The lecture ends with voices about the repercussion of Krieg im Sertão in German-speaking countries.

[Received on: November 20, 2022 – Accepted on: December 15, 2022]