“The dialect” by João Cabral de Melo Neto

Abstract Based on the poem “O dialeto” [The Dialect”], this paper intends to analyze the poetic diction of João Cabral de Melo Neto, aiming at understanding how the likely rejection of the “family-dialect” used by his cousin Gilberto Freyre was developed. Reflecting upon his verses “Nele nunca soube escrever: deve escrever-me um superego” (“I never knew how to write them: a superego must be writing me”, in direct translation), João Cabral's poetry is perceived as the space between the typical “Casa-grande” discourse and the cultural expression of popular groups, such as the plantation workers for whom the poet read cordel literature during his childhood.