A mágica é a fonte dos caminhos: a experiência artístico-psicodélica de Lula Côrtes como reencantamento do mundo (1970-1975)

Abstract

This paper proposes an analysis of part of the work of multi-artist Lula Côrtes – prioritizing his literary productions, especially Rarucorp (1971), Hábito ou Vício (1972), O Livro das Transformações (1975) and the literary production published in the booklet of Paêbirú (1975) – from the perspective of a central concept: that of re-enchantment of the world. This concept refers to an attempt to rescue the magic, enchantment and values that had been erased by modernity. Therefore, the reader will follow fragments of Lula Côrtes' life and will find an exposition of his texts, whether in prose or poems, together with their relationships with the countercultural ideals and utopian beliefs of the 1970s. In other words, by dialoguing with the concept exposed, his work, with the help of psychedelic substances, inserts romantic and revolutionary attempts to transform the values of society, dialoguing with the depths of existence by providing new visions, ways of life, paths and ways of experiencing the world. Some of the values promoted are: the re-enchantment of nature, since nature, in capitalism, is seen as something to be destroyed and transformed into profit, but, in Lula's work, it is shown as an enchanted place that carries an intrinsic magic based on a cyclical renewal; an appreciation of constant transformations to the detriment of being fixed on something; the exaltation of dreams; the recognition of the duality of existence, which accepts evil as part of human nature; the paths leading to the unknown, assuming that not everything can be explained by reason, as well as that the encounter with the indefinite reveals wonders; and, the valorization of the individual in the face of social atomization. In the end of the paper, the works of Lula Côrtes produced in the 1990s – Lula Côrtes & Má Companhia (1996) and A Vida Não é Sopa (2006) – will also be analyzed, as they contain strong elements of disillusionment in the face of the non-transformation of these values sought in the 1970s.