Gnostic time as a structural factor in Campos de Carvalho’s A lua vem da Ásia

Abstract

This article argues that the narrator in Campos de Carvalho’s 1956 novel A lua vem da Ásia displays a perception of time that can be qualified as gnostic, especially in the first of the two parts of his diary. As a starting point, this article takes into account remarks by critics regarding the religious facet in Campos de Carvalho’s novels; then it sets out to approach this facet in the aforementioned novel. The article finds that the narrator’s gnostic perception of time impacts the way he shapes his story, so much so that it can be thought of as one of the novel’s structural factors. This article also finds that one’s reading of the novel can be enriched in the light of Gnosticism and encourages new inquiries sensible to the themes in the novel that can be qualified as gnostic. Keywords: A lua vem da Ásia; Campos de Carvalho; Gnosticism.