The spectres of Erico Verissimo

a decolonial analysis of the fantastic element in Incidente em Antares

Abstract

Based on the concepts and notions presented by Aníbal Quijano and Enrique Dussel, this article proposes a decolonial reading of the fantastic element present in Incidente em Antares, a novel published by Erico Verissimo in 1971. Based on an analysis of the uprising of the dead described in the book, and on Jacques Derrida's spectrology, we present a possible interpretation of the narrative that understands the presence of the Military Dictatorship as a form of symptom of the colonial experience. The aim is to reaffirm the idea that colonialism is maintained by the presence of spectres that embody the figure of slave masters who retain political power within the boundaries of Eurocentrism. Thus, I propose a political exercise of revisiting the past through the space of fiction, in which we can re-elaborate our experiences, in order to contribute to the studies of decolonial literary criticism and anti-colonial studies as a whole.