THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: Clarice Lispector's The Passion According to G.H.

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Welcome back to The Invisible College, my series of literature courses for paid subscribers. The introduction to and schedule for the 2026 season is here. The 2024 and 2025 archives are here. This episode, of which the first 30 minutes are free, is about Clarice Lispector’s novel The Passion According to G.H. I begin first with my checkered personal experience with Lispector’s writing, then the three phases of her reputation among Anglophone readers, and finally her biography. Then I embark on an explication of the novel, which I interpret as no less than an attempt to create a new religion, a new ritual, and a new gospel in the middle of the 20th century, a fusion of heaven and hell, matter and spirit, good and evil, like none seen before, equal parts disturbing and profound. Several ongoing themes of The Invisible College gather to their shattering climax here. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe! The slideshow corresponding to the episode can be downloaded behind the paywall: