MURILO MENDES, ESPINOSA, DIVINDADE E MUNDO FÍSICO

Abstract

Contrary to what might be expected from a Catholic intellectual shaped during the first half of the 20th century and opposed to creative processes framed by confrontations between the sacred and the profane, Murilo Mendes integrates everyday actions with the inner effects they produce in each individual. Recognized as a transgressor of literary forms of expression, he combines a particular understanding of science with the manifestation of a subjectively grounded hope. This article examines the trajectory of the notions of divinity and the physical world present in Murilo Mendes’ memoirs—preferably those published in A Idade do Serrote—which reveal their compatibility with the interpretive perspective of the tradition of commentators outlined by Carl Gebhardt for Spinoza's work in two aspects: totality as systematizable through practical life and philosophy as a metaphysical religion. It argues that, although not always explicitly mentioned, Spinoza is present throughout the content of Murilo Mendes’ expositions.