Corção was educated at the
Polytechnic School of UFRJ, but left the institution in 1920 without obtaining his degree in
engineering, specializing later in electronics. He was an active member of the
Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) at this time. After meeting
Alceu Amoroso Lima, however, he kept himself at a distance from communist groups and remained close to Catholic circles until his conversion, in 1939. Corção studied
Thomism and
theology with
Benedictine monks and played an important role at
Dom Vital Centre in Rio de Janeiro, founded by
Jackson de Figueiredo. He participated in the "Catholic revival" movement in Brazil, which converted many intellectuals previously attracted to
Positivism. The writings of
G. K. Chesterton had a strong effect on Corção. In 1946 he published an essay on Chesterton's ideas and even translated one of his books,
The Barbarism of Berlin. He was also strongly influenced by the work of the French Catholic writer
Jacques Maritain, while still close to the
Action Française. His only novel, , was awarded by
Unesco and later translated into many languages. Corção worked for decades as a journalist, collaborating to several prestigious newspapers, such as
Tribuna da Imprensa,
Diário de Notícias,
Estado de S. Paulo and
O Globo. In
O Século do Nada (
The Century of Nothing), he passionately defended the
Francoist Spain and
José Antonio Primo de Rivera. According to him, the
Second Vatican Council was a "terminal sin". In August 1969, he founded
Permanência, a split from Dom Vital Centre. The name of the magazine came from the French
Permanences created by
Jean Ousset, the founder of the
Catholic City. ==Influence==