The silence in Herberto Helder

Abstract

In this essay, silence is investigated as a theme and structuring negativity of the poetic word, in the work of Herberto Helder. As a radiating element of form, silence is approached to other frequent signifiers in the Portuguese poet’s work, such as “truth”, “enigma”, “face”, “death” and “book”. To support the investigation, we first resort to the difference between name (onoma) and discourse (logos), as formulated by Giorgio Agamben, in A ideia da prosa. Furthermore, the concepts of silence and absence of book, formulated by Maurice Blanchot, are occasionally used. Next, we look at the essay Uma espécie de crime, by Manuel de Freitas, aiming to detect the different notions of “silence” and “face” in Herberto Helder. From the approximation between Hofmannsthal’s thoughts regarding the silence in poetic writing and the work of the Portuguese poet, the singularity of silence in poetry is delimited. Finally, we take a panoramic look at silence in the work of Herberto Helder, based on one of his last books, entitled A morte sem mestre.