AMAZONIAN NIHILISM: NIETZSCHE, FREUD AND DALCÍDIO JURANDIR

Abstract

This article analyzes Dalcídio Jurandir's novel "Belém do Grão Pará," which narrates Alfredo's first experiences in the city, especially those that awaken a sense of wonder followed by a feeling of helplessness. This conflict of contradictory feelings is interpreted as a nihilistic experience. This type of nihilism, experienced by Jurandir's literary characters, is understood as a "symptom" of the denial of colonial values. According to the philosophical analysis of these characters, nihilism can be understood as an epidemic phenomenon of European origin, described by Nietzsche in his metaphor of the "death of God," but transmitted to the inhabitants of the Amazon during the decolonization process, which began at the turn of the 19th century. The epicenter of its development is the modern city of Belém do Pará.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2025.029-049