Who Speaks Loses It: The Critical Metapoetry of Jomard Muniz de Britto

Abstract

This article offers a critical-interpretive analysis of the thought and work of Jomard Muniz de Britto to understand how the metapoetry present in his poetic production both tensions and unveils new perspectives on the discourses surrounding contemporary Brazilian poetry. Grounded in the debate on aesthetic plurality between the 1960s and 1980s and drawing on the reflections of Melo Neto (2011), Marcos Siscar (2010; 2014), Ítalo Moriconi (1992), Renan Nuernberger (2024), Flora Süssekind (2004), among others, the text argues that although various tendencies coexisted, Jomard occupied a critical in-between space, dialoguing with multiple avant-gardes without fully adhering to any of them. The reading of the poem “Quem fala perde” (“Who Speaks Loses”) highlights his critique of the redemptive expectations often attributed to art, the myth of originality, and identitarian fixations. Through linguistic play, parody, and conceptual dismantling, the poet challenges dogmatic discourses and advocates for a writing practice that embraces contradictions, displacements, and multiplicity. Ultimately, Jomard’s poetics is shown to anticipate contemporary discussions by proposing a creative model that rejects teleologies and reaffirms the critical power of language.