A escrita como cena substitutiva da Pólis: memória, silêncio e testemunho em Salinas Fortes

Abstract

Memorial narratives may be the locus of articulation of a subject’s experiences and collective movement. These two levels overlap, particularly in personal reports of traumatic historical events. Writing would assume in such cases the function of a substitutive scene of the polis. This is the case of the book Retrato calado (The silent picture), by Luiz Roberto Salinas Fortes. This work highlights the articulation of autobiographical elements, the subject’s pursuits and mistakes, and the testimony his imprisonment for political reasons during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The physical and psychological tortures he suffered project their shadows onto the pages, resulting in the impossibility of a complete and successful confessional text, whether in the autobiographical or political sphere.