Desolación (1922) y Lagar (1954), de Gabriela Mistral : una huella mística

Abstract

Throughout history there have been many great intersections of literature and spirituality. Notably, the perceptible sacred themes of the 20th century poetic productions of Cecília Meireles, Henriqueta Lisboa, Jorge de Lima, and a host of other authors worldwide demonstrate the consistent and timeless relationship between these two disciplines. This presence has endured in an especially unique way in the poetic work of Gabriela Mistral, who wrote poetic works laden with explicitly religious content all the while based in the archetypes of Sacred Scripture, Christianity and religious vision, with the passing of time a little more syncretic. Drawing on these foundational observations, this paper aims to investigate the aesthetics present in the poetic work of Mistral, beginning with a brief historical and theoretical review of literary and spiritual ideological exchange as it pertains to her compositions, and then the subsequent intertextualities and archetypes that permit novel interpretations of her texts. The fundamental assessment of Mistral’s output relies on the great literary works that had an important role in both the mystical themes of literature and the educational formation of Mistral. Through this preliminary investigation, the close relationship between the poetic word and the sacred word, and to what extent poetry can approach a language marked by "mystical traces" (CIRLOT; VEGA, 2006) can be used to further understand Mistral’s work. Specifically, two poetry collections of the aforementioned author are analyzed in this investigation: Desolación (1922), her first publication, and Lagar (1954), the last published during her lifetime. Ultimately, by comprehending the religious presence in Mistral’s poetics in this new perspective, one can further identify and appreciate a characteristic, almost mystical imprint that lives in artistic, intentional unity.