Violence, Evil and Nihilism: Nietzschean Traces in Guimarães Rosa’s Grande Sertão: Veredas

Longconsideredaphilosophical novel,João Guimarães Rosa’sGrandeSertão:Veredascontains an analysis of the various ways in which human vio-lence manifests itself. The theme of violence in the economyofthe novel (andin theauthor’swork moregenerally) is stronglylinked to the theme of evil,which is often personified in Rosa’swork in the form of the devil, with whomhis characters have ametaphysicalrelationship. Rosa’sreflections on violence,evil and freewill in theGrande Sertãoshould be considered inrelationto hisreadingofNietzsche’sworks,which he studied before writing the novel.It is pos-sibleto reconstruct this reading, at least in part,from the books that are pre-served in his libraryto this day, the margins of which still contain hismarksand notes.Itisthus possible to consider the investigation of evil, violence andfree will contained in the novel against the backdrop of the tragic and nihilistictheories not onlyofNietzsche but of Unamuno and Kierkegaard, philosopherswho were alsoappreciatedbyRosa.