Author's Biography
Sabino, Fernando (1923- ), Brazilian novelist, short story writer, and columnist. Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. He debuted with the short stories Os grilos não cantam mais (1941) but became especially popular as a chronicler of daily life, balancing elements of humor and lyricism. Among his many titles, notable ones include O homem nu (1960), O gato sou eu (1983), O grande mentecapto (1979), O menino no espelho (1982), Zélia, uma paixão (1991). His texts are collected in Obra reunida (1996).
In O encontro marcado (1956), Fernando Sabino wrote the novel of his post-World War II generation, a book constantly reissued: "Yes, I believed in God, but a distant, forgotten, distracted God, preoccupied with other matters, not my petty problem of learning to live."
Mineiro Group
This designation, "Mineiro Group," was coined during the modernist period to distinguish the group led by Carlos Drummond de Andrade and Martins de Almeida, founders of A Revista in 1925, the first modernist publication in Minas Gerais. Emílio Moura and Gregoriano Canedo were its editors. The group also included young writers whose work and renown would grow, aligning them among the great national writers: João Alphonsus, Abgar Renault, and Pedro Nava.
In the 1950s, another group of Mineiros emerged and grew in Belo Horizonte, who, from an initial communion of ideas, diversified their paths, all achieving prominence within their chosen literary genres. These are Hélio Pellegrino, Paulo Mendes Campos, Fernando Sabino—the author focused on in this work, Fábio Lucas, Otto Lara Resende, Affonso Ávila, and Sábato Magaldi—the latter being the first theater critic to be inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Summary
Plot - Synthesis:
It is pertinent to clarify here that Sabino's work "A Faca de Dois Gumes" is a trilogy, and as such, it should be read in its entirety. Only by studying the narrative that composes all the stories will a student be able to analyze the magnitude of the work. Having stated this, we will provide a concise analysis of the first two stories in the collection and focus more closely on the last one, which was chosen for the entrance exams of the Federal University of Viçosa.
THE GOOD THIEF
The main characteristic of this story is its similarity to Machado de Assis's work "D. Casmurro." It revisits the characters Bentinho and Capitu, identified respectively in the characters Dimas and Isabel. Isabel is self-assured and an expert thief; Dimas, intimidated by the strong figure of his wife, gets lost in a labyrinth of daydreams to clarify his suspicions about her. The narrator's presumed adultery is also included.
He even tries to steal objects to prove a certain superiority to himself, but he proves nothing to himself, his beloved, or even us, the readers. Dimas's insecurity increases when Isabel begins to spend too much time with her cousin. The suspicion grows when we discover the theft of the book "O primo Basílio," another literary similarity, a playfulness that Fernando Sabino uses constantly.
A metalanguage is occurring throughout the story; in fact, it is an homage to great literary references.
Dimas ends up being arrested and gradually drifts away from his wife, growing old alone, just like the memorialist lawyer Bento in the work "D. Casmurro."
The confusing narrative is the main aspect to be studied in the work—the first-person narration confuses the reader, who is unable to ascertain the truth of what is being told. Our greatest proof is the end of the story, which encapsulates the thesis we have demonstrated:
"...What brings me back to Capitu's enigma. Let's get to it." DRY MARTINI
This is an unparalleled story in terms of Fernando Sabino's reinterpretation of so-called detective stories. The confusion and the chess game formed by the narrative prevent any conclusion by the reader regarding the crimes:
We have a woman named Maria Miraglia (second wife of Amadeu Miraglia) who presents herself to Commissioner Serpa, claiming to be a victim of her husband's scheme.
She complained of Amadeu's attempt to annihilate her as he had done with the other.
Our supposed criminal, Amadeu, tries to prove his innocence to Detective Serpa, who is trying to solve the case at all costs. The husband's alibi is again the wife's suicide, intended to drive him mad. The chess game is set up again, and both the reader and the detective are checkmated.
At the end of this story, a homicide occurs in the same manner:
"...A man and a woman entered the bar, sat down, and ordered dry martinis. While the waiter served them, she went to the phone, he went to the restroom. When they returned, upon drinking their beverages, the woman collapsed..."
At the police station, a terrified Amadeu takes advantage of Commissioner Serpa's carelessness and grabs his gun, threatening the others present, including his own wife. In the ensuing shootout, everyone dies except Amadeu, who, in despair, commits suicide by jumping from the parapet.
The phone rings, ringing insistently without finding shelter in the lethargy of the mortified space.
THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
It's no use knowing whose fault it is if you don't know it's yours.
Aldo Tolentino
Main characters:
Aldo Tolentino; Dr. Marco Túlio; Maria Lúcia; Paulo Sérgio
"And there he was: Aldo Tolentino, 50 years old, lawyer, widower, one son from his first marriage, two from his second, betrayed by his wife with his friend and colleague from the office, hiding in his own home..." "shorter, but well-built, well-dressed, sun-tanned, athletic appearance" Aldo Tolentino's frivolous and unfaithful son is unjustly accused of homicide—he represents the other side of the (wounded) edge.
Synthesis - plot
Aldo seeks revenge on his adulterous wife, Maria Lúcia. To do so, he steals the identity of a subordinate at the office, fakes a business trip, and travels to São Paulo on behalf of his boss, Marco Túlio.
Once in São Paulo, our hero checks into a hotel to avoid suspicion and discreetly evades it, flying to Rio de Janeiro via air shuttle with a forged passport on the return trip.
Upon returning home discreetly, he arranges to catch the adulterous couple in the act, annihilating them.
The perfect crime occurs, and the victim will be Aldo Tolentino himself, who sees his own son pay for his crime by committing suicide in prison. Paulo Sérgio had arrived home in the early hours of the crime, found the corpses there, and became the prime suspect.
Work Structure:
Fragmentation of narrative structure—the third-person discourse is permeated with psychologism, and the stream of consciousness is constantly resumed by Aldo Tolentino.
Textual Structure:
The violence in contemporary works is a notable resource for portraying our time in literature. The view of desire as sexuality and urban hatreds merge, see example:
"...Finally, he turned her onto her stomach and fell upon her, possessing her with fury:
_ Speak more, woman. Speak more, you bitch, tell me everything, you ordinary whore - and he finished, finally, while she moaned with pleasure under his body."
The colloquiality of the discourse is also another factor that interests us; the pessimism is evident, and the existentialism about life is clear at the end of the story:
"...The detective informed that Paulo Sérgio had hanged himself with his t-shirt in his cell.
_ I'm going there now (said Aldo Tolentino)
Instead of leaving, he went to the pantry, still sleepy, took the bottle from the cupboard, and took all the pills. Then he returned to his office, lay down on the sofa, and soon fell asleep again.
Relevant Aspects
Contemporary Trends
The aesthetic experimentation of the 1922 Week gave rise to an ideology with which the problems of culture, such as quality and tradition, were re-examined. The interest in contemporary life guided Josué de Castro, Caio Prado Júnior, Jorge Amado, and Jorge de Lima. The Estado Novo (1937-1945) and World War II sharpened tensions in the realm of ideas, and new historical configurations generated new experiences in the arts, especially in literature. The production of authors from the first half of our century reveals anxieties and unprecedented projects in the works of poets, narrators, and essayists. In poetry, the 1945 generation focused on metric precision, seeking to oppose the literature of 1922, belittling the achievements of modernism.
In the panorama of new Brazilian poetry, Fernando Ferreira de Loanda insists on the affirmation of difference and the search for new paths. This is the position of Alphonsus Guimarães Filho, Péricles Eugenio da Silva Ramos, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Paulo Mendes Campos, Hélio Pellegrino, and Lêdo Ivo, among others. They all defend an intimate genre where images correlate with the sentiment that symbols hide and suggest. They submit to technical and formal requirements.
In psychological novels, the path is through the introspection of psychoanalysis. Socialism, Freudism, and Catholicism are used to understand social man.
Always be attentive to reading contemporary works, as what interests us most is their narrative structure, which is condensed and attractive to the contemporary reader accustomed to so many images from the digital world.
A Faca de Dois Gumes is a trilogy of stories by Fernando Sabino, published in 1958. The work explores complex psychological themes and moral dilemmas, often through intricate narratives and unreliable narrators. The title itself suggests the dual nature of actions and consequences, where a seemingly beneficial act can have harmful repercussions, and vice-versa.
The first story, "O Bom Ladrão" (The Good Thief), is a clear homage to Machado de Assis's "Dom Casmurro." Sabino reimagines the characters of Bentinho and Capitu as Dimas and Isabel, respectively. Dimas is plagued by insecurity and jealousy, constantly doubting his wife Isabel, who is portrayed as cunning and adept at theft. The story delves into the subjective nature of truth and the unreliable perspective of the narrator, mirroring Capitu's ambiguous guilt. The narrative plays with literary allusions, including a reference to Eça de Queirós's "O Primo Basílio," further blurring the lines between original and homage. The story concludes with Dimas's isolation and aging, echoing Bento Santiago's fate, emphasizing the destructive power of suspicion and self-doubt. The first-person narration deliberately confounds the reader, preventing definitive conclusions about the events.
The second story, "Martini Seco" (Dry Martini), presents a detective-like scenario that, like the first, ensnares both the reader and the investigator. A woman, Maria Miraglia, accuses her husband, Amadeu Miraglia, of attempting to murder her, mirroring his alleged actions against his first wife. Amadeu maintains his innocence, claiming his wife is trying to drive him insane, a defense that mirrors the wife's alleged suicide. The story is framed by a mysterious murder that occurs in a bar, involving a man and a woman ordering dry martinis. The narrative's complexity and the ensuing shootout in the police station lead to multiple deaths, including Amadeu's suicide. The story highlights the manipulative nature of characters and the difficulty in discerning guilt when presented with conflicting accounts and misleading evidence.
The titular story, "A Faca de Dois Gumes" (The Double-Edged Sword), centers on Aldo Tolentino, a lawyer betrayed by his wife, Maria Lúcia, with his colleague and friend. Driven by a desire for revenge, Aldo devises an elaborate plan to murder them. He assumes the identity of a subordinate, fakes a business trip to São Paulo, and then secretly travels to Rio de Janeiro. Upon his return, he stages a scene to discover the adulterous couple and kills them. The "perfect crime" backfires when his son, Paulo Sérgio, who arrived home that night and discovered the bodies, becomes the prime suspect and commits suicide in prison. The story is characterized by its fragmented narrative structure, a blend of third-person narration with Aldo's stream of consciousness, and a profound exploration of psychologism. The text also captures the violence and despair prevalent in contemporary society, with explicit descriptions of sexual encounters and urban alienation. The colloquial language and pervasive pessimism underscore an existentialist outlook on life, culminating in Aldo's own suicide after learning of his son's death.
"Aspectos Relevantes: Tendências Contemporâneas" discusses the broader literary context of Sabino's work. It touches upon the legacy of Brazilian modernism, the influence of historical events like the Estado Novo and World War II on artistic expression, and the emergence of new literary trends. The text highlights the shift towards psychological introspection in novels, influenced by psychoanalysis, socialism, and Catholicism. It also emphasizes the importance of analyzing the narrative structure of contemporary works, which are often condensed and adapted to the visual language of the digital age, catering to the modern reader's experience. The piece suggests that understanding these contemporary trends is crucial for appreciating works like "A Faca de Dois Gumes."
