BETWEEN FICTION AND TRADITION: THE CONFIGURATION OF CULTURE AS A SPACE OF MEMORY IN "RECLUSOS DO TEMPO", BY ALEX DAU

Abstract

This text is based on a study on the configuration of culture as a space of memory, seeking to problematize how the imbrication between fiction and tradition is processed in the work “Reclusos do Tempo” (2017), by the Mozambican writer Alex Dau. Based on presuppositions of the decolonial theory, this research aims to interpret the images and the fundamental aspects in the tales of Alex Dau, from the markings of Mozambicanity, showing to what extent, based on social and cultural themes, the narrative “Reclusos do Tempo” mirrors aesthetic values that shape the cultural imaginary of Mozambique. Using the bibliographic method, we designed the theoretical basis that supports the literary analysis undertaken, as it was possible to demonstrate, therefore, the symbolic elements that the author uses for the expression of Mozambican identity.

Keywords: Cultural imagination. Memory space. Tradition. Mozambicanity.