From 1971 to 1978, Hélio Oiticica (1937-1980), a native of Rio de Janeiro, lived in Manhattan. During his sojourn in New York, a city he referred to as Babylon, he put much of his effort into a new project: that of publishing a number of texts written in this period as a book whose format and content would constantly change throughout the years, never reaching a final result. Variously known as Newyorkaises and Conglomerado, the publication project became both the epicenter of Oiticica`s production and a promise that never came to fruition. This dissertation analyzes the relationship between Oiticica`s art and his writings and addresses the marked presence of literature in both his works and his reflections. The analysis of the relation between the two takes into account different manifestations of this writer/reader`s creativity, such as his archive, intimate writings, letters and notebooks, as well as his reading. By presenting and analyzing little-known or previously unpublished texts by Oiticica, this dissertation aims not only to broaden the scope of debates on art and literature in general but also to disseminate new themes and possibilities of research into Oiticica`s work.