Crossing paths: anti-destination and turns in João Antônio and other artists from the city

Abstract

With his footsteps and his writing, the young writer João Antônio traveled the streets of São Paulo in the 1950s and 1960s, tracing affective routes, inserting himself into urban daily life and sharing experiences that deviated from the hegemonic discourse of the time. Based on the theoretical considerations of Michel de Certeau and Guy Debord, in the area of Cultural History, the aim is to address aspects of the author's creative path and his literature, which dialog with the practice and inventiveness of other artists, who also stood out for their wanderings and their keen and critical eye for the details of everyday life in the city and the lives of its residents. Among these artists are the playwright Plínio Marcos, the writer Carolina Maria de Jesus and the filmmaker Ozualdo Candeias, who, like João Antônio and his characters, took shortcuts and faced anti-destinations and turns in order to survive life's difficulties and create.