THE TOPIC OF CARPE DIEM IN HERBERTO HELDER’S POETICS

Abstract

The objective of this work is to show that there are still authors in contemporary poetry who make use of commonplaces of classical lyricism to compose their works. According to Curtius, the topoi originate from ancient literature, being revisited by poets from different periods, especially today. Thus, we seek to investigate the recurrence of commonplaces carpe diem horaciano in the poetry of Herberto Helder. It is important for us, however, to demonstrate how contemporary writers, despite being original in their creations, make use of the topoi consecrated by Horace, modifying and signifying them by adding their special touch and the thoughts of their time.