So it was my past: autobiographical writing, stories and memories of the poet José Costa Leite

Abstract

This article aims to present the process of writing the autobiography, The Life of My Life, by the poet José Costa Leite. In it, I tried to describe how the approach with this cordelista and his experience occurred through his autobiographical writings. I took as a reference to be able to think this "writing and self-construction", the reading of Philippe Lejeune that allows to problematize this narrative of self and the archiving of life itself. José Costa Leite is a Paraiba poet living in the Zona Norte Mata de Pernambuco. Comes from the 1940s by writing string brochures, as well as producing woodcuts and popular almanacs. It was around 80 years of age that he decided to write his memoir reports, in order to leave people a record of their life trajectory. Therefore, I try to establish some reflections about this poetic construction and the narrative of his re-readings of the past and the present. This autobiographical analytical course allowed us to understand how the experience in fairs selling leaflets was decisive for his writing, establishing himself as author and artistic producer.