A Farewell to Arms

a Reading of Quarup and Reflexos do Baile by Antonio Callado

Abstract

This article aims to present some findings from a broader research project focused on the comparative analysis of two novels by Antonio Callado: Quarup (1967) and Reflexos do Baile (1976). Despite their differences, it is suggested that both works are part of an integrated fictional project whose purpose is to deeply investigate Brazilian reality during the civil-military dictatorship. From this perspective, the study also seeks to identify how the social and political changes of the post-coup period resonate in each narrative, shaping not only recurring themes but also the structural elements of the novelistic forms in discussion. In this process, it becomes evident that historical elements, such as the intensification of repression and censorship, the defeat of the armed left, the rise of the culture industry, and the contradictory nature of Brazil’s conservative modernization, generated narrative impasses that Callado’s writing sought to address through specific aesthetic strategies.