In 2013, Poet Ferreira Gullar Was Received Like a Pop Star in Paraty

12/06/2016 - 17h04

"Lautaro was a thin arrow/ Elastic and blue..." The famous verses from Pablo Neruda came to mind when I saw Ferreira Gullar walking through the streets of Paraty in July of 2013.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the sun was still bright against a clear blue sky. It was his fifth appearance at FLIP (International Literary Festival of Paraty).

He was already more than 80 years old, but he moved his thin frame with a lightness, determination and speed across the ungrateful stones of the ground of the city until reaching FLIP's Casa Folha, where he would give the lecture "A Brief Lesson in Poetry".

As the poet neared the locale, hundreds of people began yelling out his name, applauding, raving against the government (Dilma Rousseff), touching him, pulling on him.

It was a hysterical moment, an excessive reaction. He nearly panicked. With one arm he tried to push away from the most aggressive people and with the other he sought assistance until being rushed away to a protected space.

He hadn't been expecting such a reception. Nobody had. Was it an overflow from the June protests of that year?

How many there had read more than the "Dirty Poem" ("Poema Sujo"), if even that? It doesn't matter. In the literary celebration, he was "the" star. Two years later I asked him if he would ever go back to FLIP. "Never again", he responded.

At first, I had thought that the manifestation at Paraty was a testimony to the importance of poetry.

Although a great poet of the language, in addition to a respected critic of the visual arts, Gullar created poetry that is often difficult and demanding. It is naïve to say that poetry alone had conferred upon him this prestige of a pop star at the end of his life.

It could also have been due to his post-communist positions in the press. So much so that when he sat down in front of the audience, sensing the spirit emanating from the environment, Gullar moved away from the theme of the lecture (poetry) and started to give lessons in politics - which were much easier to understand.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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