O trem e os andrajos

Abstract

This work is part of a wider effort to review the permanence of tradition in brazilian modernism and, more specifically, in the poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade. To do so, we will refer to the author's correspondence and analyze his poem "Sabará", from his book Alguma poesia. This poem allows us to understand Drummond's early reflections on the national patrimony, revealing a distinctive feature of the author's writing which would become a key theme in his oeuvre; namely, the enjoyment at observing the decay of the colonial city. From tradition to its ruin, Carlos Drummond de Andrade's writings offer an original reading of the history of brazilian modernization, shedding light on the relationship between brazilian modernism and the writing of brazilian history.