Patativa do Assaré: uma poética de dicção social em Cante lá que eu Canto cá.

Abstract

This research analyzes the socio-literary aspects present in the poetry of the popular poet Patativa do Assaré. By the investigation of his biography and the analysis of his poetic craft, it aims at demonstrating in general terms Assaré’s strong social commitment. In the light of a bibliographical review, we have the specific objectives of exploring the main historical, oral and written aspects of popular literature; reflecting on the relationship between literature and society; to examine the life and work of Patativa do Assaré, evidencing through the analysis of the corpus poems "Eu quero" and "O agregado", the poetic language, the formal aspect, and especially, the social complaining content of Patativa citizen poetry. In order to do so, we have used works that deal with the thematic in question and we found theoretical support in publications such as Burke (2010), Cascudo (2006), Goldstein (2001), Luyten (1992) and Luciano (2012) and critical works such as Feitosa (2003), Nuvens (1995), Carvalho (2001) and Brito (2010). The analysis results confirm that the poet assumes a clearly social posture not by the simple description of the local country scene, but because he seeks through the representation of the life and dramas of poor people, give voice to the oppressed. Patativa makes his poetic craft an instrument of fight for the claim of rights lacking to the country man, rural worker, but not only theirs. His civic poetry also assumes new angles when it reaches national situations and characters of urban environment. The final considerations highlight the Patativa’s poetry importance as a poetics of social diction and as an expression of the countryside man -- sertanejo, besides reflecting on the opportunity of both academic and educational settings to study popular literature and its poets.