Stories, Places and Geographies Lived: a geographical reading of ubaldian narratives

Abstract

The aim of this work is to analyze, from a humanist perspective, the ways in which João Ubaldo Ribeiro conceives, experiences and narrates the urban spaces of Itaparica. We propose to unveil the ways of existing narrated by Ubaldo, based on the places lived as narrative scenarios, intertwined with writings that outline ways of being in the world and their existential possibilities. The investigation, based on the theoretical dimension of 'place', looks at four chronicles, interpreted in the light of the precepts of Humanist Geography. The selected narratives offer an immersion in the writer's experiences in his homeland, seeking to elucidate the 'space of place' by addressing themes that encompass the dimensions of places and lived experiences. The chronicles, rich in geography, demarcate specific temporalities and represent the geographies experienced by Ubaldo, highlighting geographical experience and personal geography. In this way, the literary narratives not only reveal the places Ubaldo visited with friends and family, but also show sensitive ways of being-in-the-world. Therefore, this study reaffirms the potential of literature as an instrument for geographical studies, especially in the dimensions that contemplate ways of being in the world, revealing place as circumstantiality and the locus of everyday experiences.