On April 13th, the HUS 254 class had the pleasure to have another guest speaker from Brazil. Dr. Elisa Duque talked about the poetry of the amazing Brazilian poet Manoel de Barros. In her lecture, entitled “Manoel de Barros: landscapes of beginnings”, Dr. Duque introduced the poet, discussed his work and read some of his poems. Here is how she explains his relation to Pantanal and why he himself did not like to be referred to as “The Poet of Pantanal”:
“Manoel de Barros’ pantanal was more than a space on the map or a geographic phenomenon. He was more interested in performing the amphibious encounters of a subject who, in a liquid way, flowed like a river, between species, ethnicities and modes of orality” (Duque, oral presentation).
Here is more about our guest speaker:
Elisa Duque has a degree in Literature and English, specializing in Literature for Children, a Master’s Degree in Theory of Literature and a PhD in Comparative Literature. She studied Poetry Theory with a focus on contemporary brazilian poetry and some dialogues with biopolitics and philosophy. In her master’s thesis, she studied the work of Manoel de Barros and its relations with “nature”. She currently works as a teacher in public primary schools in Rio de Janeiro, and also as a researcher and editor.
Here are some photos of the event:
