"Between Wolf and Dog" and "Dissolution": An Orwellian reading of the opening of Claro Enigma

Abstract

The opening of the book Claro Enigma (1951), by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, begins with an enigmatic section entitled “Entre Lobo e Cão” followed by the poem “Dissolução”. The most accepted thesis among critics is that “Entre Lobo e Cão” would be an intertext with the verses of a poem by Sá de Miranda, as well as “Dissolução” would evoke the pessimism and immobility of the poet. In this article I intend to demonstrate that the correct interpretation of the title of the section would be in a chronicle by Drummond himself entitled “Para Quem Goste de Cão” (1947), which, in general, is literally read as a pamphlet in defense of dogs. My thesis, however, is that the chronicle should be read as an Orwellian political allegory in which Drummond compares inauthentic poets to domestic dogs, wolves to authentic poets, writers to needy children, and publishers to luxury dog ??owners. The theromorphic characters are transfigurations of the characters who starred in the Second Congress of the Brazilian Association of Writers (ABDE). Finally, we will use a contextual interpretation of the poem “Dissolução”.