Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza (1918-2017) still dialogues with society through his works and in an exhibition that has just been opened at the University's Central Library 'Cesar Lattes' (BC-CL), which bears his name. In it, the writer, linguist, literary critic, sociologist and former professor at Unicamp also dialogues with intellectuals such as Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Florestam Fernandes, Érico Veríssimo, Henriqueta Lisboa, among others, through dedications.
Twenty-six works are highlighted in nine displays on the third floor of the library's Special Collections and Rare Works to be visited by the public until the last day of July from 9 am to 17 pm. Most of the collection is about French and Brazilian literature. There are also works with italics and notes by Antonio Candido, and works with dedications by illustrious people.
According to Maria Helena Segnorelli, director of Special Collections and Rare Works at BC-CL, the books were donated to the Unicamp library in 1989, on the occasion of the death of Antonio Candido's father, rheumatologist Aristides Candido de Mello e Souza. There are around 3.500 books from his father and mother Clarissa's library, and 800 from the linguist's personal collection. “This is a tribute we pay to them. With this, we provide the University with knowledge about Antonio Candido that is now under our custody and preservation. The aim of the exhibition is to promote this collection, which was found within his father's collection."
Maria Helena revealed that Antonio Candido's interaction was particularly close with the historian and journalist Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, a name that is also part of Unicamp's Special Collections collection. “It is interesting to note that within a large collection, two great Brazilian intellectuals talk and appear side by side, as happened in life.”
In the dedication of the book Teresina Etc., Antonio Candido recognized the importance of Sérgio Buarque's work and his 'major protagonism', remembering the faithful friendship that united them. "These great intellectuals were committed to helping people understand the History of Brazil and social policy. One collaborated with the work of the other”, said Maria Helena. So much so that, in an excerpt from the book The Rio Bonito Partners, Antonio Candido stressed that, re-reading this book to begin the tests, he was impressed to see how much he was influenced by his work, especially Bandeirantes and Mamelukes e Monsoons.
The exhibition has been well sought after and is of great interest to scholars. Several intellectuals dedicate their books to Antonio Candido. These are the cases of Florestam Fernandes, who thanks the linguist for his collaboration in the universal crisis in the book Elements of Theoretical Sociology. In the exhibition, there are also dedications by Alfredo Bosi, Cassiano Ricardo, Guilherme Figueiredo. Everyone said they were admirers of Antonio Candido. “They had a relationship of humility, not a display of egos”, highlighted Maria Helena. In her opinion, research into linguistics and Brazilian studies could emerge from this material. “Currently, we lack great intellectuals as a reference and example."
Antonio Candido is one of the last intellectuals of a great generation of humanists, she highlighted. “He formed, together with Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (Brazil roots), Gilberto Freyre (Casa Grande & Senzala), Caio Prado Jr. (Formation of Contemporary Brazil) and Celso Furtado (Economic Formation of Brazil), one of the five most important intellectuals in Brazil, with his work Formation of Brazilian Literature. He studied the decisive moments in the formation of the Brazilian literary system."
The idea of this exhibition is to pay homage to Antonio Candido, show the interaction with renowned intellectuals in the dedications and present important works in the country.
