The Vision of the Judgment of God and the Afterlife in The Story of the Merciful One or the Dog’s Will by Ariano Suassuna

The cause of concern of the article is a drama by a Brazilian author Ariano Suassuna, which was published
in Polish language in 1959 in “The Dialogue”. The piece of writing is dedicated to God’s judgment
on sinners, it shows the vision of the afterlife and other worlds. Author confronts the text of the drama
and its message with an official doctrine of the Catholic Church and excerpts of the Bible which concentrate
around death and God’s judgment on the man. An important part of the article is also an attempt
to locate Suassuna’s work in the background of the European literary tradition. Despite the fact that the
drama has roots in another cultural circle, it perfectly fits in frames of genres such as medieval mysteries,
morality or the Baroque autos sacramentales. In the work of Brazilian writer a crucial role of the Blessed
Virgin is highlighted, which could lead to a positive acceptance of the piece of writing in Poland complex
cult of Mary which is characteristic for Polish religiousness.