Menotti Del Picchia (São Paulo SP 1892 - idem 1988)
Menotti Del Picchia was a poet, short-story writer, novelist, chronicler, essayist, journalist, author of children's stories and politician. The son of the journalist Luiz Del Picchia and Corina Del Corso, he began his studies in Campinas (SP) and completed them at the Ginásio Diocesano São José in Pouso Alegre (MG). He returned to São Paulo, where he entered the Largo São Francisco Law School. He made his literary debut in 1913 with the book Poemas do Vício e da Virtude [Poems of Vice and Virtue]. The following year, he settled in Itapira (SP), where he practiced law and ran the newspapers Diário de Itapira and O Grito!.
In 1917, he published the poems Moisés [Moses] and Juca Mulato, the latter considered his masterpiece. In 1919, he worked as editor-in-chief of the Tribuna de Santos, where he remained for a year. Back in São Paulo, he took over the direction of the newspaper A Gazeta and began contributing to Correio Paulistano, in which, under the pseudonym Hélios, he mounted one of the most vigorous defenses of the modernist movement. He took part in the Semana de Arte Moderna [Modern Art Week] in 1922, coordinating the event's second evening.
In the following years, he joined the Verde-Amarelo and Anta groups, alongside the poet Cassiano Ricardo (1895–1974) and the writer Plínio Salgado (1895–1975) - nationalist political-literary associations opposed to Oswald de Andrade's (1890–1954) Pau-Brasil movement. In 1933, at the invitation of Assis Chateaubriand (1892–1968), he took over the direction of the newspaper Diário da Noite. In 1936, he joined the group A Bandeira, founded by Cassiano Ricardo, also of nationalist orientation, which published the magazine Anhanguera.
Two years later, he was appointed by Governor Ademar de Barros (1901–1969) to head the Publicity and Propaganda Service of the State of São Paulo, later renamed Departamento de Imprensa e Propaganda (DIP) [Department of Press and Propaganda]. In 1942, he ran the newspaper A Noite and, the following year, took chair no. 28 at the Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL). Between 1926 and 1962, he served several terms as state and federal representative. In 1987, the Casa Menotti Del Picchia, an institution devoted to preserving his collection, was inaugurated in Itapira.
Critical Commentary
Menotti Del Picchia's historical importance to Brazilian Modernism is widely acknowledged: besides having been responsible for presenting the movement's aesthetic premises during the Semana de Arte Moderna, the author campaigned for the movement in his daily column in Correio Paulistano, thus becoming one of its main chroniclers.
Although he was on the front line of the movement and of the organization of the 1922 Semana de Arte Moderna, Menotti Del Picchia produced a body of work still influenced by the aesthetic currents with which Modernism sought to break. In the various genres to which he devoted himself, there is a mismatch between his literary practice and the revolt of form and content that he himself preached.
His first book, Poemas do Vício e da Virtude [Poems of Vice and Virtue] (1913), has a grandiloquent tone and precious imagery, still driven by Romantic inspiration, as this excerpt from "Cantiga do Sapateiro" [The Shoemaker's Song] reveals: "Desditoso e contrafeito/ eu numa ânsia me debato:/ ela voltar, como um louco,/ nem que morra dentro em pouco,/ tiro o coração do peito/ e dele faço um sapato?" [Wretched and ill at ease/ I struggle in anguish:/ for her to return, like a madman,/ even if I die shortly after,/ I tear the heart from my chest/ and make a shoe of it?].
In 1917, an important strand of the author's work began: dramatic poems, in his case meant more for reading than for staging. That year saw the publication of Moisés [Moses], whose biblical inspiration would also give rise to Jesus (1958), and of Juca Mulato, which made him famous. Despite its persistent Romantic idealization, this book anticipates one of the central themes of Modernism: the search for the essentially national, revealed in the figure of the caboclo whose impossible passion for his employer's daughter is portrayed in picturesque, rhythmic verse, with a fluency close to oral speech.
His effective rapprochement with modernist aesthetics began with Chuva de Pedra [Rain of Stones] (1925), which demystifies the Romantic vision expressed in his earlier books, and was consolidated in República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil [Republic of the United States of Brazil] (1928), with free verse on national subjects. Picchia's affinity with authors such as Mário de Andrade (1893 - 1945) and Antonio de Alcântara Machado (1901 - 1935) can be seen in poems such as "Torre de Babel" [Tower of Babel], in which he celebrates the different nationalities that formed the city of São Paulo: "[...] Italianos joviais,/ húngaros de olhos de leopardo,/ caboclos de Tietê arrastando o caipira [...]" [Jovial Italians,/ Hungarians with leopard eyes,/ caboclos from Tietê drawling their country accent].
As for his prose, the author devoted himself to adventure narratives and science fiction - writings he himself considered minor works: of A República 3000 [The Republic 3000] (1930), he said it was a "recreational zone that does not even border on the plane of art". The author's aim of reaching uneducated readers - perhaps the reason for the great popular success of Juca Mulato - leads Alfredo Bosi to define this body of work as "singular in the modernist context, in the sense of a lowering of tone (a malicious person would say: of level) that allowed him to come closer to the average reader and brush against mass culture".
Chronology
1892 - Menotti Del Picchia is born on March 20 in the city of São Paulo
1897 - Moves with his family to the town of Itapira, São Paulo
1900 - Begins primary school at the Grupo Escolar Dr. Júlio de Mesquita
1903 - At a ceremony held in Itapira's main square, meets the poet Coelho Neto (1864 - 1934)
1904 - Moves with his brother José Del Picchia to Campinas, São Paulo, and enters the Ginásio Culto à Ciência. Publishes the chronicle Natal [Christmas] in the newspaper Cidade de Itapira
1906 - Transfers to Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, and enrolls at the Ginásio Diocesano São José, where he meets the poet Guilherme de Almeida (1890 - 1969) and the writer Plínio Salgado (1895 - 1975). Writes his first poems, later published in the book Poemas do Vício e da Virtude [Poems of Vice and Virtue], of 1913
1907 - Publishes his first poems in the literary sheet O Estudo, edited at the school, as well as Conto do Indígena [Tale of the Indigenous Man] in Cidade de Itapira
1908 - Founds the newspaper O Mandu with other day students of the Ginásio São José
1909 - In São Paulo, works in the office of the Mosteiro da Luz and enrolls at the Largo São Francisco Law School, graduating in 1913
1910 - Meets the poet Olavo Bilac (1865 - 1918), also a student at the school
1912 - Marries Francisca Avelina da Cunha Salles
1914 - Moves to Itapira, practices law and runs the newspaper Cidade de Itapira, a pro-government periodical aligned with the ideas of the Partido Republicano Paulista - PRP
1915 - In Itapira, founds with Antônio Carlos Chagas the periodical O Grito!, opposed to the ideas of the PRP
1916 - O Grito! is renamed Tribuna Itapirense
1917 - Publishes the poem Juca Mulato
1918 - Moves to the city of Santos, São Paulo, where he becomes editor-in-chief of the newspaper A Tribuna de Santos and befriends journalists and poets such as Afonso Schmidt (1890 - 1964), Ribeiro Couto (1898 - 1963), Galeão Coutinho (1897 - 1951), Martim Francisco (1853 - 1927) and Vicente de Carvalho (1866 - 1924)
1919 - Meets the writers Oswald de Andrade (1890 - 1954) and Mário de Andrade (1893 - 1945) and the sculptor Victor Brecheret (1894 - 1955), members of the modernist movement
1920 - Moves to the city of São Paulo and becomes editorial director of the newspaper A Gazeta, recently acquired by the journalist Cásper Líbero (1889 - 1943). Works for the newspaper Correio Paulistano and, through his chronicles signed with the pseudonyms Hélios and Aristophanes, spreads the ideas of the modernist group. Launches the film company Independência Filme and, with Monteiro Lobato (1882 - 1948) and Oswald de Andrade, founds the magazine Papel e Tinta
1921 - With Oswald, Salgado, Mário and Cândido Mota Filho (1897 - 1977), launches the modernist movement in São Paulo at the event that became known as the Trianon Manifesto. Besides those mentioned, the group includes Sérgio Milliet (1898 - 1966), Luis Aranha (1901 - 1987), Brecheret and Di Cavalcanti (1897 - 1976), among others. Contributes to the Jornal do Commercio
1922 - Is part of the group responsible for organizing the Semana de Arte Moderna [Modern Art Week] held at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo
1923 - Joins the Verde-Amarelo and Anta groups, together with the writers Cassiano Ricardo (1895 - 1974), Salgado, Motta Filho and Raul Bopp (1898 - 1984). With Cassiano, founds the publishing house Editora Hélios
1924 - Is appointed head of the Public Prosecutor's Office and later chairman of the Diplomacy Committee of the Federal Chamber. Is put in charge of recruiting troops in the interior of the state
1926 - Is elected state representative
1927 - Publishes with Salgado and Cassiano the collection of essays O Curupira e o Carão
1928 - Is reelected state representative
1929 - With Salgado and Ricardo, publishes the Verde-Amarelo Manifesto in Correio Paulistano
1930 - Takes part in the Revolution of 1930, defending the reformist aims of the president of the State of São Paulo, Júlio Prestes (1882 - 1946), and, at the federal level, the continuity of the Washington Luís government (1869 - 1957). The victorious revolutionaries invade the headquarters of Correio Paulistano
1932 - Becomes secretary to Governor Pedro de Toledo (1860 - 1935) and takes part in the Constitutionalist Revolution
1933 - Invited by Assis Chateaubriand (1892 - 1968), becomes director of Diário da Noite. Takes over the direction of the magazine A Cigarra
1935 - With Cassiano Ricardo, founds the magazine São Paulo. His sacred poem Jesus is staged at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo
1936 - With the writers Cassiano Ricardo, Mário de Andrade, Alcântara Machado (1901 - 1935), Plínio Barreto (1882 - 1958), Rubens do Amaral, Valdomiro Silveira (1873 - 1941), Afonso de Taunay (1876 - 1958), Reynaldo Silveira, Vicente Rao (1892 - 1978), Paulo Prado, Guilherme de Almeida, Paulo Setubal (1893 - 1937), Ellis Júnior (1896 - 1974), Motta Filho and Monteiro Lobato, joins the cultural group A Bandeira. To spread its ideas across Brazil, the group founds the newspaper Anhanguera, published from June 1937
1938 - Under the government of Ademar de Barros (1901 - 1969), appointed federal intervenor in the state by Getúlio Vargas (1882 - 1954), Del Picchia becomes director of the Publicity and Propaganda Service of the State of São Paulo, renamed Departamento de Imprensa e Propaganda - DIP [Department of Press and Propaganda]. The cartoonist Belmonte (1897 - 1947) and the poet Cassiano Ricardo also hold posts in the government
1939 - Contributes to the magazine Planalto, founded by Cassiano Ricardo
1942 - Takes over the direction of the newspaper A Noite
1943 - Takes chair number 28 at the Academia Brasileira de Letras - ABL
1945 - Heads the São Paulo branch of the Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro - PTB [Brazilian Labor Party]
1947 - Takes part in the Congress of Writers and Booksellers of Latin America, held in Buenos Aires
1948 - Gives a lecture at the Clube da Poesia, chaired by Cassiano Ricardo
1950 - Is elected federal representative
1954 - Is reelected federal representative
1955 - The play A Fronteira [The Frontier] is staged in Rio de Janeiro
1956-1958 - The publisher Martins Fontes publishes his complete works in 13 volumes
1959 - A special edition of Juca Mulato is published, illustrated by the painter Candido Portinari (1903 - 1962)
1960 - Elected as alternate to Representative Coutinho Cavalcanti (1906 - 1960), takes office as federal representative
1962 - Ends his political career
1967 - Is awarded the title of Emeritus Citizen of São Paulo
1969 - Receives the Juca Pato Prize and the title of Intellectual of the Year
1979 - Wins the Brasília Prize for his body of work
1982 - Is honored with the title of Prince of Brazilian Poets and with the Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho Trophy
1984 - Receives the Moinho Santista Prize for Literature in the field of poetry
1987 - The Casa Menotti Del Picchia opens in Itapira
1988 - Dies on August 23 in the city of São Paulo
Published Works - First Editions
Poetry
Poemas do Vício e da Virtude [Poems of Vice and Virtue] - 1913
Moisés [Moses] - 1917
Juca Mulato - 1917
Máscaras [Masks] - 1920
A Angústia de D. João [The Anguish of Don Juan] - 1922
Chuva de Pedra [Rain of Stones] - 1925
O Amor de Dulcinéia [The Love of Dulcinea] - 1926
República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil [Republic of the United States of Brazil] - 1928
O Deus sem Rosto [The Faceless God] - 1968
Noturno [Nocturne] - 1971
Short Stories
Toda Nua [All Naked] - n.d.
A Mulher que Pecou [The Woman Who Sinned] - 1922
O Crime daquela Noite [The Crime of That Night] - 1924
A Outra Perna do Saci [The Saci's Other Leg] - 1926
Novels
Flama e Argila [Flame and Clay] - 1920 (published as A Tragédia de Zilda [The Tragedy of Zilda] from the 4th edition)
Laís - 1921
O Homem e a Morte [Man and Death] - 1922
Dente de Ouro [Gold Tooth] - 1923
A República 3000 [The Republic 3000] - 1930 (published as A Filha do Inca [The Daughter of the Inca] in 1949)
A Tormenta [The Storm] - 1932
Kalum, o Mistério do Sertão [Kalum, the Mystery of the Backlands] - 1936
Kummumká - 1938
Salomé - 1940
O Árbitro [The Arbiter] - 1958
Chronicles
O Pão de Moloch [Moloch's Bread] - 1921
O Nariz de Cleópatra [Cleopatra's Nose] - 1923
Memoirs
A Longa Viagem [The Long Journey] - 1st stage - 1970
A Longa Viagem [The Long Journey] - 2nd stage - 1972
Children and Young Adults
Viagens de João Peralta e Pé de Moleque [Travels of João Peralta and Pé de Moleque] - n.d.
No País das Formigas: Novas Aventuras de João Peralta e Pé de Moleque [In the Land of the Ants: New Adventures of João Peralta and Pé de Moleque] - n.d.
Theater
A Fronteira da Carne [The Frontier of the Flesh] - n.d.
O Covarde [The Coward] - n.d.
O Incubo [The Incubus] - n.d.
Suprema Conquista [Supreme Conquest] - 1921
Jesus, Tragédia Sacra [Jesus, Sacred Tragedy] - 1958
Essays
Pelo Divórcio [For Divorce] - n.d.
Bandeirante - n.d.
Bandeira [Flag] - n.d.
O Momento Literário Brasileiro [The Brazilian Literary Moment] - n.d.
O Governo Júlio Prestes e o Ensino Primário [The Júlio Prestes Government and Primary Education] - n.d.
Sob o Signo de Polimnia [Under the Sign of Polyhymnia] - n.d.
Ensaio da Expansão do Pensamento [Essay on the Expansion of Thought] - n.d.
Soluções Nacionais [National Solutions] - 1935
Arte Moderna [Modern Art] - 1922
Por Amor do Brasil [For the Love of Brazil] - 1927
A Revolução Paulista através do Testemunho do Gabinete do Governador [The São Paulo Revolution through the Testimony of the Governor's Office] - 1932
Despertar de São Paulo: Episódios do Séc. XVI e do XX na Terra Bandeirante [Awakening of São Paulo: Episodes of the 16th and 20th Centuries in the Land of the Bandeirantes] - 1933
Source: Itaú Cultural
