Estrada de Rodagem São Paulo-Belo Horizonte: fluxos que constroem um novo tempo social em “A volta do Marido Pródigo” de Guimarães Rosa

Over the period of colonization until the beginning of the XXth Century there was a double articulation of flows in the region of Minas, in Brazil, which generated specific traits in the economic and social organization: the connection with the inter-regional routes supported the exportation of commodities (at first, gold and other minerals; afterwards, coffee), while a network of regional and local roads allowed for the supply of agricultural products within the region itself. Guimaraes Rosa’s short story describes the moment of transition in which this double articulated structure was about to be broken: the construction of the road between Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte means not only the establishment of a connection between two major centers - but also announces the end of the backwoods isolation and their incorporation into the inter and extra-regional flows, within the dynamics of globalization.