Guimarães Rosa’s “Duelo”: Moira’s interface to the Backwoods’ violence

Abstract

his essay aims at reflecting on the concept of moira, referring to destiny accor-ding to the Greek tradition, in connection with the journeys and violence of the backwoods, as shown in the short story Duelo, the fourth narrative included in Guimarães Rosa’s Saga-rana. The ancient concept of destiny has been adapted to the hardships endured by man in the Brazilian dry hinterland, portrayed as a space of persecution, death and instability. This reflection on Rosa’s short story will therefore be carried out by placing the harsh landscape of the backwoods within the context of Greek universalist tradition pertaining to destiny.