“EFFIGY THAT BURNS”:

A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF JOÃO SUASSUNA IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF ARIANO SUASSUNA

Abstract

This article aims to understand how the tragic death of João Urbano Pessoa de Vasconcellos Suassuna became a historical and traumatic event responsible for shaping the behavior, practices, defenses and experiences of Ariano Vilar Suassuna, a prominent playwright from the state of Paraíba, Brazil. João Suassuna, the former governor of Paraíba, was assassinated on October 9, 1930, as a result of the turbulent period of fighting within the oligarchy that ran the state, during the armed movement called Revolução de 30. Viewed by his son as a politician dedicated to advocating for the "forgotten sertanejos", João Suassuna left a lasting legacy that profoundly influenced Ariano's intellectual development, including his passion for classical literature and his unwavering defense of popular and traditional culture. João Suassuna's death continued to resonate throughout Ariano's literary career, often recalled in a painful and nostalgic way in many of his works and speeches. Drawing on authors such as Jeanne Marie Gagnebin (2006), Eduardo Dimitrov (2011),  Ana Maria César (2020), and relying on the documentary corpus made up of interviews, speeches from the Brazilian Academy of Letters and journalistic sources, the study demonstrates how the playwright from Taperoá becomes marked by his father's murder, transforming and re-signifying the traumatic experience into a historical commitment to defending cultural traditions.