Brazilian Authors
in Frankfurt
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Adélia Prado
Adriana Lisboa
Affonso Romano de Sant'Anna
Age de Carvalho
Alice Ruiz
Ana Maria Machado
Ana Miranda
André Sant’Anna
Andrea del Fuego
Angela Lago
Antonio Carlos Viana
Beatriz Bracher
Bernardo Ajzemberg
Bernardo Carvalho
Carlos Heitor Cony
Carola Saavedra
Chacal
Cíntia Moscovich
Cristovão Tezza
Daniel Galera
Daniel Munduruku
Eva Furnari
Fábio Moon e Gabriel Bá
Fernando Gonsales
Fernando Morais
Fernando Vilela
Férrez
Flora Süssekind
Francisco Alvim
Ignácio de Loyola Brandão
João Almino
João Gilberto Noll
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João Ubaldo Ribeiro
Joca Reiners Terron
José Miguel Wisnik
José Murilo de Carvalho
Lelis
Lilia Moritz Schwarcz
Lourenço Mutarelli
Luiz Costa Lima
Luiz Ruffato
Manuela Carneiro da Cunha
Marçal Aquino
Marcelino Freire
Maria Esther Maciel
Maria Rita Kehl
Marina Colasanti
Mary del Priore
Mauricio de Souza
Michel Laub
Miguel Nicolelis
Nélida Piñon
Nicolas Behr
Nuno Ramos
Patricia Melo
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Henriques Britto
Paulo Lins
Pedro Bandeira
Roger Mello
Ronaldo Correia de Brito
Ruth Rocha
Ruy Castro
Sérgio Sant’Anna
Silviano Santiago
Teixeira Coelho
Veronica Stigger
Walnice Nogueira Galvão
Ziraldo
Adélia Prado
The writer and poet was born in 1936 in the city of
Divinópolis, state of Minas Gerais. With a degree
in Philosophy, she taught for twenty-four years.
She began publishing her first poems in her city's
newspapers, and in 1969 she debuted the book A
lapinha de Jesus (1969), in partnership with
Lázaro Barreto. After that, Carlos Drummond de
Andrade became aware of her poetry and
encouraged her to publish her first individual title
– Bagagem (1976), in 1976. Two years later, in
1978, she released O coração disparado (1978),
winner of the Jabuti Award for Poetry. Adélia also
dedicated herself to prose, and in 1979 published
the collection of short stories Solte os cachorros
(1979). In the following year, she released her first
novel Cacos para um vitral (1980). In 2006, she
released Quando eu era pequena (2006), her first
work aimed at children and young adults.
© Acervo da autora
Major works
Bagagem (2003), O coração disparado (2006 – re-edition) (published in English as The Headlong
Heart, 1988), Quando eu era pequena (2006), Solte os cachorros (2006), Cacos para um vitral (2006),
all published by Record.
Works published abroad
O coração disparado (Argentina, United States).
Excerpt – The Headlong Heart
Simple Flesh
“On a large and cool bed
an appetite of despair from my body.
I howl between two grindstones
What do I howl?
The hand of God that grinds me and leaves in darkness
In the mouth of clay, clay.
When I was young
I asked for cross and thieves to protect my flanks
God was not in me.
Today I ask the man lying next to me:
let me touch you
so I can try to fall asleep.”
Adriana Lisboa
She was born in 1970 in Rio de Janeiro. Her
degree is in music; she was a flautist, teacher
and singer, but today is especially dedicated to
literature and translation. She participated in
numerous collected writings, both inside and
outside of Brazil. Her first novel, Os fios da
memória, was published in 1999. In 2003, she
received the José Saramago Award for Sinfonia
em branco (2001). In 2005, the author began to
devote her time to children's literature, with the
publication of Língua de trapos (2005), which
earned her the New Author award from the Books
for Children and Young Adults Foundation. She
has two more children's books: A sereia e o
caçador de borboletas (2009) and Contos
populares japoneses (2008). Among other
important works are: Rakushisha (2007), Azulcorvo (2010), Um beijo de colombina (2003) and
Caligrafias (2004).
© Carlos Luz
Major works
Os fios da memória (1999), Sinfonia em branco (2001) (published in English as Symphony in White,
2010), Um beijo de colombina (2003), Caligrafias (2004), Rakushisha (2007) (published in English as
Hut of Fallen Persimmons, 2011), A sereia e o caçador de borboletas (2009), Azul-corvo (2010),
Língua de trapos (2009), all published by Editora Rocco.
Works published abroad
Rakushisha (Portugal, Italy, USA), Um beijo de colombina (Portugal, Sweden), Sinfonia em branco
(Portugal, Italy, France, Mexico, USA), O coração às vezes para de bater (Switzerland).
Excerpt – Symphony in White
"Thomas remembered her. The love. Where could it be?
Love was like a pale mark left by a picture that was removed after years living on the same wall. Love
produced a vague interval in his spirit, in the transparency of his eyes, in the aged painting of his
existence. One day, love yelled inside him and inflamed his gut. Not anymore. Even the memory was
uncertain, fragmented, pieces of the skeleton of a prehistoric monster buried and preserved by
chance, impossible to reconstruct into a whole. Thirty years later. Two hundred million years later."
Affonso Romano de Sant'Anna
Born in Belo Horizonte in 1973, Affonso
Romano de Sant'Anna is a poet, essayist,
critic, literature professor and also a journalist.
In 1962 he released his first book of essays, O
desemprego do poeta. Two years later, he
obtained a doctoral degree from the Federal
University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) with the
dissertation Drummond, o gauche no tempo on
Carlos Drummond de Andrade, which won him
four awards. As a professor, he has worked at
universities like PUC-RJ and Universidade
Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), as well as
institutions in France, Germany and the United
States. In 1990, he assumed the presidency of
the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, a position
he held until 1996. Author of more than 40
© Umberto Nicollini
titles, including poetry, short essays and essays, he has received important awards, like that from the
Brazilian Union of Writers and Paulista Art Critics Association Award for career achievement.
Major works
O desemprego da poesia (Imprensa Universitária de Minas Gerais, 1962), Canto e palavra
(Movimento Perspectiva, 1965), Música popular e moderna poesia brasileira (Landmark, 2004 - 4ª ed),
Drummond, o gauche no tempo (Lia / MEC, 1972), Que país é este? (Rocco, 1980), A mulher madura
(Rocco, 1986), Sísifo desce a montanha (Rocco, 2011).
Works published abroad
He has more than 25 titles and anthologies published abroad, including O homem e sua sombra
(English – published as A Man and His Shadow), Poemas (Spanish), Nova poesia américa Latina
(German), Barroco, alma do Brasil (English, French and Spanish) (published in English as Baroque,
the soul of Brazil), O Brasil no limiar do sec. XXI (German).
Excerpt Que país é este?
Five hundred years ago we hunted Indians and workers
Five hundred years ago we burned trees and heretics,
Five hundred years ago we raped books and women,
Five hundred years ago we exploited blacks and rentals.
Five hundred years ago we said:
that the future belongs to God,
that God was born in Bahia,
that St. George is a real warrior..."
Age de Carvalho
Born in 1958 in Belem, Pará, he is a poet and
graphic designer. During 1984, he lived in
Austria and moved permanently two years
later to Europe – living first in Munich and
then moving to Vienna, where he currently
lives. He graduated in architecture and
worked for more than twenty years as a
graphic designer and art director for Austrian
and German magazines. His first book of
poems Arquitetura dos Ossos was published
in 1980. He also published several others
books, like Arena, Areia (1986), Caveira 41
(2003) and Seleta, antologia poética (2004).
In 2006, a bilingual selection of his poems
was published in Germany under the title
Sangue-Gesang, translated by Curt MeyerClason. His poems are also present in
s e v e r a l B r a z i l i a n a n d i n te rn a ti o n a l
anthologies.
© Angelika Kropej
Main works
Arquitetura dos Ossos (Falângola / Semec, 1980), Arena, Areia (Grfisa / Edições Grápho1986) Ror:
1980 - 1990 (Editora Duas Cidades, 1990), Caveira 41 (Cosac Naify / 7Letras, 2003), Seleta (Editora
Paca Tatu, 2004), Trans (Cosac Naify / 7 Letras, 2011)
Excerpt - Rest of landscape
"Mine and yours:
The tongues' magnet launches promises,
Letter on letter,
Real,
The tempestuous hand of obliteration
hides
black, amidst the plurality of hair
Looking for the cavernous seal, deep"
Alice Ruiz
Alice Ruiz Scherone was born in Curitiba,
Paraná in 1946. She is a composer, poet,
translator and advertising specialist, and
published her first poems in newspapers and
cultural magazines in 1962. In 1969, she began
her studies of haiku, a Japanese poetry style that
would become decisive in her future work. She
published her first book Navalhanaliga, in 1980,
and later, in partnership with the poet Paulo
Leminski, published Hai tropikai in 1985. In 1989
she won the Jabuti Award with the book Vice
versos (1988). The author is also active in the
music scene and does presentations at events,
maintaining her production as a lyricist in
partnership with various musicians.
© Acervo da autora
Major works
Navalhanaliga (Edição ZAP, 1980), Pelos pêlos (Brasiliense, 1984), Hai tropikai (Fundo de Ouro Preto,
1985), Vice versos (Brasiliense, 1988 –Jabuti Award), Yuuka (AMEOPoema, 2004)
Excerpt - Vice versos
"There are those who pass
and everything passes
with steps already past
there are those who go
from stone to glass
leaving everything split
and there are, thankfully,
those who leave
the vague impression
of having stayed"
Ana Maria Machado
She was born in 1941 in Rio de Janeiro. She
graduated with a degree in literature and has a PhD
in linguistics and semiotics. In late 1969, during the
dictatorship, she went into exile in Europe, where
she began working as a journalist. In 1972, upon
returning to Brazil, she worked at important
newspapers and magazines like Correio da
Manhã, Jornal do Brasil, IstoÉ and Veja. The
author, who has won more awards than any other
Brazilian author in the children / young adults
genre, debuted in literature with Bento-que-bentoé-o-frade in 1977. The following year she received
the Jabuti Award for História meio ao contrário
(1978), one of her major works. In 1979, Ana
founded Malasartes, the first bookstore
specializing in children's books. In 2000, she won
the top award in children's literature, the Hans
Christian Andersen, and in 2003, joined the
Brazilian Academy of Letters, where she has been
president since 2013. She has had a 40-year
career, more than 100 books published, and a total
of over eighteen million copies sold.
© Acervo da Academia Brasileira de Letras
Major works
Alice e Ulisses (Nova Fronteira, 1983); História meio ao contrário (Ática, 1978), Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel
(Salamandra, 1985) (published in English as Me in the Middle, 2002), Menina bonita do laço de fita
(Ática, 2000).
Works published abroad
The author has been published in over 18 countries, including: De olho nas penas (Spain, Sweden,
Denmark, Norway); Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel (Spain, England, Sweden and Germany); Do outro lado tem
segredos (Spain); O elfo e a sereia (Portugal); O pavão do abre-e-fecha (Spain and Portugal); Menina
bonita do laço de fita (Spain, England, France, Sweden, Denmark and Japan); Do outro mundo (Spain
and England) (published in English as From Another World, 2005).
Excerpt – Me in the Middle
“I looked at my mother and at the girl's portrait, found it rather odd, my mother as a child, playing on the
handlebars of a bike, thinking about a water balloon. And it was sort of strange to see her, a big person
in front of me, sitting on the floor, explaining things (...) It's impossible to always know what the best
advice is. Even when I think my great-granddaughter is the one who's right, sometimes my heart still
really wants to do things my great-grandmother suggests, badoom-badoom-badoom with it..."
Ana Miranda
She was born in Fortaleza in 1951. From 1969 to
1999, she lived in Rio de Janeiro, where she
studied painting and began her career as a writer.
She made her debut as a novelist in 1989 with
Boca do inferno, which received the Jabuti Award
for Best New Author in 1990. The book was
included in the O Globo newspaper list as one of
the 100 greatest Portuguese-language novels of
the 20th century. Since then she has written
several novels, among them Desmundo (1996),
Amrik (1997) and Dias & dias (2002, Jabuti Award
for Best Novel and the Brazilian Academy of
Letters Award). Ana is known for her historical
novels, which associate fiction with rigorous
documentary research. She also dedicates
herself to poetry, writing for TV series, movie
scripts, essays and critical texts. She was a
visiting writer at universities such as Stanford and
© Bel Pedrosa
Yale in the United States, and represented Brazil
at the Latin Union in Rome.
Major works
Boca do inferno (1989) (published in English as Bay of All Saints and Every Conceivable Sin, 1992),
Desmundo (1996), Amrik (1997), Clarice (1999), Noturnos (1999), Dias & dias (2002), O retrato do rei
(1991), all published by Companhia das Letras.
Works published abroad
Boca do inferno (Germany, Denmark, Argentina, Spain, France, Holland, Italy, Norway).
Excerpt – Bay of All Saints and Every Conceivable Sin
"The city was built on the extreme southern end of the peninsula, thirteen degrees south and forty-two
degrees west, on the coast of Brazil. It was in front of a large and clean bay that gave it its name: Bahia.
The bay, of a little more than two leagues, started at the tip of Santo Antônio, where the fortress of the
same name had been built, and ended at the foot of the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. And in the
midst of this gulf was the city on a mountain of rock carved into the hillside overlooking the sea, but flat on
the last tenth of it; this hill was surrounded by three high hills, which the settlements stretched over. To
the south, the houses ended near the São Bento monastery; to the north, near the Nossa Senhora do
Carmo monastery.”
André Sant'Anna
Born in 1964 in Belo Horizonte, in the
state of Minas Gerais. He currently
resides in São Paulo and works as a
writer, musician, and writer for
advertising and television. He's also
worked as a screenwriter, as a
collaborator in newspapers and
magazines and, since 2007, he's
been working in the play “Sons e
Furyas”, which blends music,
literature and dance. His short story
© J.R. Duran
"O importado vermelho de Noé” was included in the anthology Os cem melhores contos brasileiros do
século XX, and “Pro Beleleu” is present in the anthology As cem melhores crônicas brasileiras do
século. André also had short stories published in anthologies in Mexico, Spain and Portugal. In 2007,
his novel O paraíso é bem bacana was one of the runner-ups to the Portugal Telecom Literary Award.
In 2012, the author was cited in the series “The 100 Best Non-translated Authors” of the literary
magazine Granta.
Major works
Amor (Edições Dubolso, 1998), Sexo (7 letras, 1999), O paraíso é bem bacana (Companhia das
Letras, 2006), Amor e outras histórias (Cotovia (Portugal), 2001), Sexo e amizade (Companhia das
Letras, 2007), Inverdades (7 letras, 2009).
Works published abroad
Sexo (Portugal), Sexo e amizade (Argentina – release scheduled for 2013).
Excerpt – Sexo e amizade
“Women drivers are a problem. The good old days were during the dictatorship. They didn't hand out
licenses to everyone. You had to prove that you knew how to drive. If the fellow sat in the car and didn't
adjust the driver's seat correctly, just based on the fellow's manners, the instructor knew if he was any
good behind the wheel. If the fellow didn't sit right, with his back straight, just like I'm sitting, the
instructor would tell him to just leave. Without a license. And to drive a cab, like I do, the fellow needed a
lot of experience. That's right. See that? Take a look. Did you see that? No, there's no place for
amateurs in traffic. Yeah. You got to be quick to not waste any of the passenger's time. See that in the
tunnel? I know where all the radars are. Can you see that light blinking over there?”
Andrea del Fuego
Andréa Fátima dos Santos was born in São Paulo in
1975. The pseudonym “Del Fuego” was adopted at
the beginning of her career in 1998, when she was
invited by the magazine of the São Paulo 89 FM
radio to write short essays and to answer questions
about sex asked by the readers. The author has
maintained literary blogs since the year 2000 and
has participated in various anthologies, such as +
30 mulheres que estão fazendo a nova literatura
brasileira (Record, 2005), organized by the writer
Luiz Ruffato. Short-story writer, essayist and
novelist, with titles for the adult public and for
children and young adults, Andrea published her
first book in 2004: the collection of stories Minto
enquanto posso (O Nome da Rosa). Her first novel,
Os malaquias (Língua Geral, 2010), won the Jose
Saramago award in 2011.
© Divulgação Editora Língua Geral
Major works
Nego tudo (Fina Flor, 2005), Engano seu (O Nome da Rosa, 2007), Sociedade da caveira de cristal
(Scipione, 2008), Nego fogo (Dulcinéia Catadora, 2009), Os malaquias (Língua Geral, 2010), Irmãs de
pelúcia (Scipione, 2010).
Works published abroad
Os malaquias (Argentina and Portugal).
Excerpt – Os malaquias:
“Donana asked for help from her husband; he stuck the axe in the log and went to help. The basin
shone at the bottom of the cistern. Adolph sent down the rope with the bucket tied to the end of it, got it
in the basin and dragged it back up along the wall. The woman didn't do the heavy work anymore, with
her brittle bones, and she began to bless children. And with her blessings she earned cornmeal, coffee
and milk. Pinkish white, thin lips. With the exception of the Malaquias, the inhabitants had nut-brown
skin like wild mammals."
Ângela Lago
She was born in 1945 in Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais. She is a writer and illustrator of children's
books. In 1980, her first books were released: O fio
do riso and Sangue de barata. Since then she has
continued to publish, both in Brazil and abroad. She
has received the Jabuti Award several times in the
Children/Young Adults category for Indo não sei
aonde buscar não sei o quê in 2001, Muito capeta in
2005; in the Children/Young Adults Book Illustration
category for Um gato chamado Gatinho in 2001 and
João Felizardo – O rei dos negócios in 2008. She
also received an award from the National Children's
Book Foundation (FNLIJ) and in international
competitions in France, Spain, Japan and Slovakia.
© Divulgação
The author has been nominated three times for the
Hans Christian Andersen Illustration Award from the International Board on Books for Young People. In
1994, the book Cena de rua was included in the collection of the New York Abrams Press and selected
as one of the 15 best picture books in the world.
Major works
Muito capeta (Companhia das Letrinhas, 2004), ABC doido (Melhoramentos, 1999), A festa no céu
(Melhoramentos, 2005), Sete historinhas para sacudir o esqueleto (Companhia das Letrinhas, 2002),
Chiquita bacana e as outras pequetitas (RHJ, 2004), A visita dos 10 monstrinhos (Companhia das
Letrinhas, 2009), João Felizardo – O rei dos negócios (Cosac Naify, 2007), Cena de rua (RHJ, 1994).
Works published abroad
Cena de rua (Mexico, France, United States), Chiquita bacana e as outras pequetitas (Japan, Spain),
Charadas macabras (Mexico), Indo não sei aonde buscar não sei o quê (Colombia), Psiquê (Spanish Latin America).
Excerpt – João Felizardo – O rei dos negócios
“This is the story of Lucky Joe, the king of business.”
Antonio Carlos Viana
He was born in 1944 in Aracaju, Sergipe. He is a
short story writer and translator. He has a degree
in literature, a master's in literary theory from the
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande
do Sul and a doctorate in comparative literature
from the Universidade de Nice, France. He
worked as a college professor for many years. He
has translated more than twenty titles, including
essays, fiction and biographies. His debut in
literature, Brincar de manja, was published in
1974. In 2009, he received the Paulista Art Critics
Association award for Best Short Story Book for
Cine privê. Although his literary work is especially
focused on short stories, he is also the author of
the textbook Roteiro de redação: Lendo e
argumentando (1997) and of the children's book
O palhaço e a bailarina (2007), in partnership with
Sonia Maria Machado.
© Flávio Monteiro
Major works
O meio do mundo e outros contos (1999), Aberto está o inferno (2004), Cine privê (2009), all published
by Companhia das Letras.
Excerpt – Cine privê
Santana Quemo-Quemo
“The man of the little butterflies neither mutters nor moos, and looked like he was watching packages of
biscuit being ripped. The band kept playing, we couldn't hear the music well, just the tractor. The little
houses were all the same, of cardboard and old pieces of wood, it was just creak, creak, creak, creak,
and the men still conversed, content, smiling and possessed. To complete the unfortunate situation, it
had rained all night and the mud had covered everything, and my mother dancing samba and singing
louder and louder, standing in the mud, in danger of slipping, seemed to be under the same bad spell."
Beatriz Bracher
Beatriz Bracher was born in São Paulo in 1961.
After graduating in Portuguese Language and
Literature, she became one of the editors of the
literary and philosophical magazine 34 Letras
from 1988 to 1991, and also one of the founders of
Editora 34 publishing company, where she
worked from 1992 to 2000. In 2002 she published
Azul e dura through 7Letras. Years later, she
published Não falei (2004), Antonio (2007) and
the collection of short stories Meu amor (2009), all
through Editora 34. She has many works
published in various anthologies and cultural
magazines. In 1994, she wrote with Sérgio
Bianchi the plot outline for the movie
Cronicamente inviável (2000) and the screenplay
for the feature film Os inquilinos (2009), winner of
the Best Screenplay Award in the Rio Film
© Francisco Perosa
Festival. In 2008, the novel Antonio was granted the Jabuti Award (third place), the Portugal Telecom
Literary Award (second place), and was a runner-up for the São Paulo Literature Award. Meu amor won
the Clarice Lispector Award, bestowed by the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, for Best Book of Short
Stories of 2009.
Major works
Azul e dura (2002, 7Letras), Não falei (2004, Editora 34), Antonio (2007, Editora 34) e Meu amor
(2009, Editora 34).
Works published abroad
Antonio (Uruguai – release scheduled for 2013)
Excerpt – Antonio
“Men, you know, Benjamin, men like to make up stories and fantasize a lot. When Xavier fell in love with
Elenir, I didn't know him well. We attended the same places, our families were acquainted, but that was
it. The world was smaller, he drew attention, maybe I did too, as Haroldo told you, but I don't think so.
Maybe they noticed me because, being a family girl, I went to college. The girls who went on to study
were the ones who needed to work, though that wasn't expected of us.
These days in the hospital. This green room. I'm confused by this inertia. It had never happened, not
even after retirement. I continued tutoring my students, continued writing and attending boards and
discussions. I always had lots to do. ”
Bernardo Ajzenberg
He was born in 1959 in São Paulo. He is a writer,
translator and journalist. He has worked at
various newspapers, participated in countless
national and international collections and
anthologies, and translated into Portuguese
more than 30 works from French, English, and
Spanish. His first novel, Carreiras cortadas,
was published in 1989. In 2005, he launched his
first book of short stories, Homens com
mulheres (2005), which was a finalist for the
Jabuti Award. In 2003, he received the
Academia Brasileira de Letras Fiction of the
© Divulgação Editora Rocco
Year award for A gaiola faraday (2002). In 2010, he received the Jabuti Award for Best SpanishPortuguese translation for Purgatório, by Tomás Eloy Martinez. In the same year his novel Olhos secos
(2009) was a Portugal Telecom Award finalist.
Major works
Variações Goldman (1998), A gaiola de faraday (2002), Homens com mulheres (2005), Olhos secos
(2009), Duas novelas (2011), all published by Rocco.
Excerpt – Olhos secos
"Lisbon is quite full of people and is much like Brazil (not that that's news!). Well, I say that in
comparison to other countries, where you don't see many beggars, so much disorganization at the post
office or to call other cities or abroad, nor the mix of cars and shops there are here. There are the
loudest of DKW cars with the smell of gasoline coming from them, alongside brand new Renaults. It's a
little like Athens. And here you can distinguish a man belonging to the bourgeois class (that is, a
capitalist) and a proletarian (a laborer or a peasant) a lot faster. This, no doubt, as in Brazil, is different
from what happens in France."
Bernardo Carvalho
He was born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro. He's a
writer, translator and journalist. He graduated in
journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University
of Rio de Janeiro in 1983. In 1986, he began to
work at Folha de São Paulo newspaper as the
editor of the essay addendum Folhetim and later
became a foreign correspondent in Paris and New
York. He received his master's degree from the
School of Communication and Arts of the
University of São Paulo (ECA-USP) in 1993, when
he also published Aberração, a collection of short
stories that marks his debut in literature. His first
novel was published in 1995. In 2003, the novel
Mongólia was published, and in that same year the
book received an award from the Association of Art
Critics of São Paulo (Associação Paulista de
© Divulgação Cosac Naify
Críticos de Arte). In 2004 that same title was
awarded the Jabuti for Best Novel. In 2003, the author received the Portugal Telecom Literary Award
for the book Nine Nights. His most recent novel is O filho da mãe , published in 2009.
Major works
Aberração (1993), Onze (1995), Os bêbados e os sonâmbulos (1996), Teatro (1998), As iniciais
(1999), Medo de Sade (2000) (published in English as Fear of de Sade, 2012), Nove noites (2002)
(published in English as Nine Nights, 2007), Mongólia (2003), O sol se põe em São Paulo (2006), O
filho da mãe (2009), all published by Companhia das Letras.
Works published abroad
Nove noites (Serbia, Germany, France, Netherlands, England), Mongólia (Germany, Portugal, Italy,
France), Aberração (France, Portugal) Os bêbados e os sonâmbulos (France), As iniciais (France,
Portugal), Medo de Sade (England, Sweden, Portugal), Onze (Italy), Teatro (Portugal)
Excerpt – Nine Nights
“This is for when you arrive. You must be prepared. Someone will have to warn you. You'll enter a
territory where truths and lies don't share the same definitions that brought you here. Ask the Indians.
Anything. Whatever comes to your head first. And tomorrow, as you wake up, repeat that same
question. And the day after tomorrow, do it again. Always the same question. Each day you'll be given a
different answer. Truth is lost amidst all the contradictions and rubbish. When you search for what was
buried in the past, you must know that you're at the doorsteps of a territory where memory cannot be
exhumed…”
Carlos Heitor Cony
He was born in 1926 in Rio de Janeiro. He entered
the world of writing in 1947, substituting his father,
a journalist at the Jornal do Brasil newspaper,
while he was on vacation. He is a writer, editor and
columnist for newspapers and magazines as well
as a director of television dramaturgy. In literature,
he debuted with A verdade de cada dia and Tijolo
de segurança, which won in 1957 and 1958 the
Manuel Antônio de Almeida Award. In 1996,
Quase memória, released the year before,
received the Jabuti Award for Fiction Book of the
Year and O piano e a orquestra won the Nestlé
Literature Award. Two years later, A casa do poeta
trágico won the Jabuti Award in the Novel and
Fiction Book of the Year categories. In addition to
works of fiction, the author is also known for his
biographical essays, such as Quem matou Vargas
(1972) and JK e a ditadura (2012). In 1998 he was
awarded the L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the
French government and, in 2000, he entered the
© Divulgação Academia Brasileira de Letras
Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Major works
Quem matou Vargas (Planeta do Brasil, 2004), A casa do poeta trágico (Objetiva, 2005), Quase
memória (Alfaguara, 2006), Pessach: A travessia (Objetiva, 2007), O ventre (Alfaguara, 2008), O
piano e a orquestra (Alfaguara, 2011), JK e a ditadura (Objetiva, 2012).
Works published abroad
Pessach: A travessia (Mexico), Quase memória (France, Portugal, Spain).
Excerpt – Quase memória
"The day: November 28, 1995. The time: about twenty, maybe fifteen to one in the afternoon. The
place: the reception desk at the New World Hotel, right next door, in Flamengo.
I had just had lunch with my secretary and some friends, and we went down the curved staircase that
leads from the restaurant to the reception area. At least once or twice a week I go that way, and as far as
I remember, nothing special happens to me at that time and in that place. It is, in every sense, a
passage.
I didn't hear my name. It was the secretary who told me: one of the doormen, white-haired, with thickrimmed glasses, wanted to talk to me. And he knew my name - I had never been a guest at the hotel,
just a more or less regular customer at the restaurant which is open to the public.”
Carola Saavedra
The author was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1973,
and at the age of three came with her family to
Brazil. She lived in Spain, France and Germany,
where she concluded her master's degree in
Communication. Today she lives in Rio de
Janeiro. She's a writer and a translator, and the
author of the book of short stories Do lado de fora
(2005) and of the novels Toda terça (2007),
Flores azuis (2008, which won in 2009 the Best
Novel Award from the Art Critics of São Paulo
Association and was a runner-up for the São
Paulo Literary Award and the Jabuti), and
Paisagem com dromedário (2010, Rachel de
Queiroz Award in the Young Authors category,
and runner-up for the São Paulo Literary Award
and the Jabuti). She's was one of the twenty best
young writers selected by the 2012 special
edition of the literary magazine Granta.
© Editora Cia das Letras
Major works
Do lado de fora (7letras, 2005), Flores azuis (Record, 2008), Paisagem com dromedário
(Companhia das Letras, 2010).
Works published abroad
Flores azuis (Portugal), Paisagem com dromedário (Germany – release scheduled for 2013)
Excerpt – Paisagem com dromedário
“I'm at the southern tip of the island. If I swam in a straight line, I image that eventually I'd reach
Antarctica. Austral lands. Anyway, the southern tip isn't much when you consider that the northern
side is just a two-hour drive away. Spend a few hours inside a car, and that's all, you're at the end of
the island. The sea, however, seems endless. It's daunting. The sea here is one that has never
been tamed. No one has ever imposed any limits over it. Even the colors, its smell, the algae,
everything about it seems to have suddenly appeared. And I always feel a sense of oddity when I
look around and see roads, houses, people, like in any other place. It's been roughly two weeks
that I've been here. Maybe it's been just a couple of days, I can't tell. Alex, the days have a strange
way of going by in this place.”
Ricardo de Carvalho Duarte
(Chacal)
He was born in 1951 in Rio de Janeiro. The
essayist, lyricist and playwright was one of the
precursors of marginal poetry. His debut in poetry
was in 1971 in a mimeographed edition of 100
copies of the book: Muito prazer, Ricardo. The
following year he collaborated with the magazine
Navilouca, edited by the poets Waly Salomão and
Torquato Neto, and published O preço da
passagem. From 1976 to 1977, they participated
in the group Nuvem Cigana, with Bernardo
Vilhena, Charles Peixoto and Ronaldo Bastos,
and it was the first time modern spoken poetry was
presented in Brazil. In the 1980s, he wrote short
essays for the newspapers Correio Braziliense,
Folha de S.Paulo and Jornal do Brasil. Since 1990
he has directed the project CEP 20.000 (Center
for Poetic Experimentation), which holds monthly
multimedia events in Rio de Janeiro.
© Dani Dacorso
Major works
Drops de abril (Brasiliense, 1983), Letra elétrika (Diadorim, 1994), A vida é curta pra ser pequena
(self-published, 2002), Belvedere (Cosac Naify / 7 Letras, 2007, winner of the APCA prize 2007), Uma
história à margem (7Letras, 2010).
Excerpt - Belvedere
"Guilty
my bad I treated
you badly
like a crook
it was rude
very unfortunate
inelegant"
I hope that
you give me
one more chance
I'll be aware
of your wishes
from now on"
Cíntia Moscovich
She was born in 1958 in Porto
Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. She is a
writer, translator, journalist and
teacher. In addition to individual
publications, her texts have been
included in national and
international collections and
anthologies, and she has an
ongoing collaboration with
newspapers and magazines. In
1995, she won first place in the
© Cleber Passus
Guimarães Rosa Short Story Contest. The winning story later became the novel Duas Iguais: manual
de amores e equívocos assemelhados (1998) and was awarded the Açorianos Literature award, the
same award won two years later for Anotações durante o incêndio (2000). In 2004, Arquitetura do
arco-íris (2004) won third place in the Short Story category of the Jabuti Awards, as well as being
nominated for the Portugal Telecom Award. The author also entered the world of YA literature with Mais
ou menos normal.
Major works
O reino das cebolas (L&PM, 2002), Duas iguais: Manual de amores e equívocos assemelhados
(Record, new edition, 2004), Anotações durante um incêndio (Record, new edition 2006), Arquitetura
do arco-íris (Record, 2004), Por que sou gorda, mamãe? (Record, 2006), Mais ou menos normal
(Publifolha, 2007).
Works published abroad
Duas iguais (Portugal, Spain), Por que sou gorda, mamãe? (Italy), Anotações durante o incêndio
(France).
Excerpt – Anotações durante o incêndio
«By chance, just by chance, Helena had forgotten that there was more to the world. The pins and
needles in the burgundy velvet pin cushion, thread in thin scribbles of color, the measuring tape rolled
up in a corner of the table, the face-down thimble, everything in order, and sufficient in this organized
world. The scissors clipping on the cloth of little flowers, which was the only thing that moved. The
scissors and the hand that held them, the safe and strong hand of bulging veins and thick joints. It was
noticed for the first time that afternoon, watching the motion of the blades and the fingers that guided
them. The pretty print trembled shyly at the clipping of the scissors; it trembled so, it was noted, not
without some surprise and a little confusion."
Cristóvão Tezza
He was born in Lages, in the state of Santa
Catarina, in 1952. At an early age, his family moved
to Curitiba, where he currently resides and
dedicates himself to literature. In 1975 he wrote his
first book, A cidade inventada, and in 1984 he
began to teach at the Paraná State University
(UFPR). Considered one of the most influential
contemporary Brazilian authors, he published a
number of novels, among which are Trapo,
Aventuras provisórias (Petrobrás Literary Award in
1987), Breve espaço entre cor e sombra (Machado
de Assis Award/Biblioteca Nacional Best Novel
1998), A suavidade do vento, Um erro emocional
and O filho eterno (published in English as The
Eternal Son, 2010), which received the most
important Brazilian literary awards: Bravo! (2008),
Portugal Telecom (2008), Passo Fundo & Bourbon
Literary Award (2009), and the São Paulo Literary
Award (2009).
© Guilherme Pupo
Major works
Breve espaço entre cor e sombra (Rocco, 1998), O fotógrafo (Record, 2004), Trapo (Record, 2007) e
O filho eterno (Record, 2007).
Works published abroad
Um erro emocional (Netherlands), O filho eterno (Spain – Catalan, France, Netherlands, United
States, Italy, Portugal)
Excerpt –The Eternal Son
“All of a sudden, the door opens and two doctors come in, the pediatrician and the obstetrician, and one
of them carries a package. They are amazingly serious, absurdly serious, heavy for such a joyous
moment – military-like. There are ten people in the room, and the mother is awake. It's an abrupt
entrance, even violent – fast-paced, determined, they walk to opposite sides of the bed, which has a tall
headboard: the mother sees her child being deposited in front of her as if it were an offering, but no one
smiles. They arrive as if they were high priests. If these were other times, a dagger belonging to one of
them would descend in a measured stroke gutting that being and stripping it of any future. Five seconds
of silence. Everyone is immobilized – an electrical, sudden, brutal, paralyzing tension traverses all
souls as one of the doctors unwraps the child over the bed.”
Daniel Galera
He was born in 1979 in São Paulo, but spent
most of his life residing in Porto Alegre. As a
writer and translator of contemporary Englishlanguage literature, Galera was one of the
founders of the Livros do Mal publishing house,
where he published his first book, Dentes
guardados (2001) and published the first edition
of Até o dia em que o cão morreu (2003). He is
the author of Mãos de cavalo (2006), which
competed for the 49th Jabuti Award and was one
of the finalists for the Bravo! Literary Award. The
novel Cordilheira (2008) won the Machado de
Assis Novel Award given by the Fundação
Biblioteca Nacional (the National Library
Foundation), and placed third for the Jabuti
Award for Best Novel. He's also the author of
the graphic novel Cachalote (2010), in
partnership with illustrator Rafael Coutinho. The
rights to his works have been sold to England,
the United States, France, Italy, Argentina,
Portugal, Romania and the Netherlands.
© Renato Parada
Major works
Dentes guardados (Livros do Mal, 2001), Até o dia em que o cão morreu (2nd Edition - Companhia das
Letras, 2007), Mãos de cavalo (Companhia das Letras, 2006), Cordilheira (Companhia das Letras,
2008).
Works published abroad
Cachalote (France – Publishing rights sold to: England, United States, France, Italy, Argentina,
Portugal, Romania and the Netherlands) and Cordilheira (Publishing rights sold to: Portugal)
Excerpt – Cordilheira
“I said I wanted to have a baby. Just to mention “the idea of having a baby” made the walls crumble and
we ended up arguing. Next morning I told him we were over. He said I was crazy. I said that it was over
anyway. He said he loved me. I also loved him, but that didn't matter. He said he'd reconsider the baby
idea. It didn't matter. He asked me where I'd go and what I'd do with my life. I said that I didn't quite know,
but for starters I'd like to spend a few days in Buenos Aires.
The taxi driver who took me to the hotel in downtown Buenos Aires was a skinny, bald old man who
smoked all the time while driving. The ashes from his Marlboro flew towards the backseat.”
Daniel Munduruku
Daniel Costa Monteiro was born in 1964 in
Belém do Pará, in the Munduruku tribe. He is an
Indian writer with 43 books published, with a
degree in philosophy, history and psychology
and a PhD in education from the University of
São Paulo. The author is the director of the
Instituto UKA - House of Ancestral Knowledge
and Director of the Brazilian Indigenous Institute
for Intellectual Property, and he is on the
Advisory Board of the Indian Museum of Rio de
Janeiro. He has received several awards in
Brazil and abroad, including the Jabuti Award in
2004 for the book Coisas de índio, the Brazilian
Academy of Letters award, the Eric Vanucci
Mendes Award (given by CNPq) and the
Tolerância Award (given by UNESCO). Many of
his books have received the Highly
Recommended seal of the National Children and
Youth Book Foundation (FNLIJ).
© Divulgação Brinquebook
Major works
Coisas de índio (Editora Kallis, reedição 2005), Coisas de onça (Ed. Mercuryo Jovem, 2011), A onça
e o fogo (Ed. Amarilys, 2009), O banquete dos deuses (Ed. Global, 2009), Karú Tarú - O pequeno
pajé (Ed. Edelbra, 2012),
Excerpt – Coisas de índio
"What we know about the peopling of the Americas is that it all started about 40 thousand years ago.
At that time, the Asian and American continents were joined together by ice at the Bering Strait.
There, according to scholars, the first men crossed. They probably came in search of food. And they
spread across the American continent.
We know that the American man is not the son of America; that is, the traditional Brazilian people
came from elsewhere and moved in here. They adapted to the environment, hunting, raising
animals, planting..."
Eva Furnari
Eva Furnari was born in Rome, Italy in 1948 and
settled in São Paulo in 1950. She is an author of
children's literature, an illustrator, teacher and an
architect. Drawing is the primary expression of
her art, but the inclusion of texts is also part of her
work - as in the comic strip Bruxinha (Little Witch)
that has been published weekly for seven years in
the children's supplement of the newspaper
Folha de S. Paulo. Her work, consisting of more
than 50 titles, is made up of small books with a
playful language built with colored pencils, paints
and crayons, and discusses conflicts, problems
and issues of human experience. Eva Furnari has
received several awards in her career, including
the Jabuti Award for Best Illustration from CBL for
the books Truks (1991), A bruxa Zelda e os 80
docinhos (1996), Anjinho (1998), Circo da lua
(2004), Cacoete (2006) and Felpo Filva (2007) –
© Editora Moderna
this last for Text and Illustration. She won nine
times the National Foundation for Children's and Young Peoples Books Award and received the
Paulista Association of Art Critics Award for career achievement.
Major works
Truks (Ática, 1991), A bruxa Zelda e os 80 docinhos (Editora Ática, 1995), Anjinho (Ática, 1997)
(published in English as The Little Guardian Angel, 1997), Cacoete (Ática, 2006), Felpo Filva
(Moderna, 2007).
Works published abroad
Her work has been published in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia and Italy.
Excerpt – Felpo Filva
"When Felpo finished reading, his right ear (the shorter one) began to tremble. Whenever he got
nervous, his ear trembled uncontrollably. Unfortunately, besides having a short ear, he suffered from
tremulous auralitis.
The letter had left Felpo pretty nervous. A rabbit as famous as him was not used to people who said
right out that they did not like his poem.
Who was that Charlô person who dared to speak to him that way? And what's more, change the ending
of his story? Felpo would not even respond to such insolence."
Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
Comic book artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
were born in São Paulo, 1976. With degrees in
visual arts, they began their career with the
creation of the fanzine 10 paezinhos in 1997. The
brothers' first book, O girassol e a lua, was
published in 2000. In that same year, 10 paezinhos
won the HQ Mix Award for Best Fanzine and they
were seen as rising stars. Since then, their work
has expanded both nationally and abroad: Bá and
Moon have been published in over 11 languages.
In Brazil, they've won nine HQ Mix Awards. Their
first work published in the United States, Roland, in
partnership with screenwriter Shane Amaya, was
a winner of the Xeric Foundation Grant in 1999. In
2008, they won the Jabuti Award in the category of
Educational or Para-educational work directed at
elementary and middle school students for their
comic book adaptation of The Alienist by Machado
de Assis. In 2011, the graphic novel Daytripper
managed to win first place at the New York Times
© J.R. Duran
Paperback Graphic Books chart and won the
Eisner Award for Best Limited Series at the San
Diego Comic-Con. It has already been
published in the United States, United Kingdom,
Spain, Italy, Denmark, Poland, France, Finland,
and Brazil.
Major works
10 paezinhos: o girassol e a lua (Via Lettera,
2000), 10 paezinhos: meu coração, não sei por
quê (Via Lettera, 2001), 10 paezinhos: crítica
(Devir, 2004), 10 paezinhos: fanzine (Devir,
2007), 10 paezinhos: mesa para dois (Devir,
2006), Daytripper (Panini, 2011), O alienista
(Agir, 2007), São Luis – coleção cidades
ilustradas (Casa 21, 2012).
Works published abroad
10 paezinhos: meu coração, não sei por quê
(published as Ursula in the United States and
Italy), the collection De:TALES (United States,
published as Detagli in Italy), the magazine
Rock'n'Roll, in partnership with friends Bruno
D'Angelo and Kako (United States), Daytripper
(France, United States, Italy).
© J.R. Duran
Excerpt – Daytripper
- Life is like a book, son. And all books have an ending. It doesn't matter how much you like the book,
you'll reach the last page and it will end. No book is complete without an ending. And when you get
there, only when you read the last words, you come to realize how good that book is. It seems more
real.
Fernando Gonsales
He was born in 1961 in São Paulo. He is a
veterinarian, biologist and author of comic books.
He also does drawings for advertising and has
written scripts for TV. His most famous character,
the rat Níquel Náusea, began to be published in
the newspaper Folha de São Paulo in 1985 after
the artist won a contest. The comic strip is still
published today. The artist's comics have
appeared in other publications in Brazil and
abroad, such as in Portugal and England, and he
participated in the exhibit Stripdagem haarlem in
the Netherlands and the International Comic
Strip Festival in Beja, Portugal. Since 1986 he
has published his own comic book: Níquel
Náusea. He has received awards for writing and
drawing, and won the HQ Mix trophy twentythree times, as well as the Ângelo Agostini award,
which he won three times.
© Marília Di Lascio
Major works
Níquel Náusea: Em boca fechada não entra mosca (2008), Níquel Náusea: Minha mulher é uma
galinha (2008), Níquel Náusea: Tédio no chiqueiro (2006), Níquel Náusea: Cadê o ratinho do titio?
(2011), all published by Devir.
Works published abroad
Comic strips published in the magazine Jungle Drums (England)
Excerpt – Em boca fechada não entra mosca
“Ribs, green salad and raw fish!”
“Who ordered what?”
Fernando Morais
He was born in Mariana, Minas Gerais in 1946.
He has been a journalist since 1961. He worked
in the newsrooms of the Jornal da Tarde, Veja,
Folha de S. Paulo and TV Cultura. He has
received the Esso Prize three times and the
Abril Journalism Award four times. He was a
state representative (1978-1986), Secretary of
Culture (1988-1991) and of Secretary of
Education (1991-1993) for the State of São
Paulo. He wrote the screenplay for the
documentary miniseries,
Cinco dias que
abalaram o Brasil, about the suicide of
President Getúlio Vargas, broadcast on the
GNT/Globosat channel. He wrote Os últimos
soldados da guerra fria, Transamazônica (out
of print), A ilha, Olga, Chatô, o rei do Brasil, Cem
quilos de ouro, Corações sujos (Jabuti Award,
© Janete Longo
2001), Toca dos leões, Montenegro and O mago (biography of author Paulo Coelho, translated into
dozens of languages).
Major works
Olga (Companhia das Letras, 1993) (published in English as Olga: Revolutionary and Martyr, 2004),
Chatô (Companhia das Letras, 1994), Corações sujos (Companhia das Letras, 2000), Montenegro
(Planeta, 2003), A ilha (Companhia das Letras, new edition, 2011), O mago (Planeta, 2008) (published
in English as Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life, 2009).
Works published abroad
Olga (England, Italy, Portugal, USA, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, France, Germany, among others), O mago
(Australia, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, UK, USA, among others), A ilha (Germany, Mexico,
Puerto Rico).
Excerpt – Corações sujos
"With so much complication ahead, it was understandable that the police left unnoticed the convulsion
that shook the Japanese community. Without the DOPS (Department of Political and Social Order)
realizing it, the colony had been flooded by fraud, intimidation and falsification of documents.
Threatening notes written in Japanese were left in the houses of the 'defeatists', the makegumi who
insisted that Japan had lost the war. If in the capital the threats were slipped under the house doors,
outside the city they were done with more sophistication: the Shindo Renmei painted the enemy's
name on a sotob, or ihai (the piece of wood that is placed on the Buddhist altar at funerals, with the
name of the dead inscribed) and stuck the sinister threat at the door of the defeatist's house.
Fernando Vilela
The artist, designer, professor, writer and
illustrator was born in Sao Paulo in 1973.
His debut book, the children's title Ivan
filho-de-boi (2004), written by Marina
Tenório, won him the 2004 National
Children's Book Foundation (FNLIJ) Best
New Illustrator Award. He has illustrated
over 60 books for children and young
adults, for both Brazilian and foreign
publishers, 13 of which he also wrote.
Highlighted among these are Lampião e
Lancelote (2006), which received two
Jabuti awards, four FNLIJ awards, an
honorable mention in the 2007
© Divulgação Cosac Naify
International Bologna Salon New Horizons Award and was included in the White Ravens catalog of the
Munich International Library. In 2005, he participated in the Bratislava International Illustration Biennial
in Slovakia. As an artist, he has exhibited his work in countries like Belgium, France and the United
States.
Major works
Ivan filho-de-boi (Cosac Naify, 2004), Lampião e Lancelote (Cosac Naify, 2006), A toalha vermelha
(Brinque Book, 2007), Comilança (DCL, 2008), Seringal (Scipione, 2010).
Works published abroad
Transes (Canada), Le chemin (France), We are all born free (England), Los espejos de Anaclara
(Mexico), Arroz con leche (Canada).
Excerpt – Lampião e Lancelote
"Now I present to you
Another great knight
Born in Brazil
A loyal and good companion
For some he was a criminal
For others a vigilante
Raised in dry lands
A hardworking cowboy
He took care of scant cattle
With courage and valor"
Ferréz
Reginaldo Ferreira da Silva, better known as
Ferréz, was born in 1975 in São Paulo. He is a
writer, poet, singer and composer, has written
screenplays for movies and TV series and was a
short-essay writer for the magazine Caros
Amigos. His first book of poetry, Fortaleza da
desilusão, was released in 1997. However, his
first publishing success came in 2000 with the
novel Capão pecado (2000), whose first printing
sold out in a month. In 2002 he received the Best
Project award of 2001 from the Paulista
Association of Art Critics for the magazine
Literatura Marginal, which later gave rise to the
anthology Literatura marginal: Talentos da
escrita periférica (2005). In 2006, he published
his first book of short stories, Ninguém é
inocente em São Paulo, which was nominated in
2007 for the Jabuti Award and was a finalist in
the Short Story category at the Portugal
Telecom award. In 2005, he published the YA
book Amanhecer esmeralda and in 2006, the
comic book Os inimigos não mandam flores.
© Divulgação
Major works
Manual prático do ódio (Objetiva, 2003), Capão pecado (Objetiva, 2005), Amanhecer esmeralda
(Objetiva, 2005), Ninguém é inocente em São Paulo (Objetiva, 2006), Os inimigos não mandam flores
(Ediouro, 2006), Deus foi almoçar (Planeta do Brasil, 2012).
Works published abroad
Manual prático do ódio (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, France, Mexico), Capão pecado (Portugal).
Excerpt – Capão pecado
"Valo Velho is the name that was on the birth certificate. He did not know the meaning of the name of his
neighborhood, but admired the field where the bigger kids played soccer every day. He was unhappy
about it, but had no choice, and moved to the new place where his father was able to buy a little shack. It
was very small. As before, he did not understand the name of the place; Capão Redondo was a very
strange name, and what had been explained to him was that the name was taken from an Indian
artifact, because the Indians made a big round straw basket that was called a "capão", and seeing this
area from afar gave the impression of it being like a basket. They named it Capão Redondo, or 'a large,
round basket.' "
Flora Süssekind
Maria Flora Süssekind was born in the city of Rio
de Janeiro in 1955 and is a literary critic,
university professor and researcher. She has
been a researcher at the philology sector of the
Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation Research
Center since 1981. Among her activities in the
area of criticism, the weekly collaboration for the
Caderno B of the Jornal do Brasil (JB), in the
theater section, from 1979 to 1985, and a
monthly column in the Ideas section, also for JB
from 1995 to 2000, stand out. In addition to
organizing several books of literary theory and
fiction, she has written many essays on Brazilian
literature.
Major works
Tal Brasil, qual romance? (Achiamé, 1984), As
© Acervo da Autora
revistas de ano e a invenção do Rio de Janeiro (Nova Fronteira, 1986), Cinematógrafo de letras
(Companhia das Letras, 1987) (published in English as Cinematograph of Words, 1997), Papéis
colados. (Ed. UFRJ, 1993), Até segunda ordem não me risque nada (7Letras, 1995).
Works published abroad
Ensaios críticos sobre a cultura brasileira (Argentina), Cinematógrafo de letras (United States).
Excerpt – Cinematograph of Words
“From the literary point of view, one would at least expect a consequence: doing away with a concern
too marked with the registry of orality, considering that the processes of recording have proven capable
of preserving this registry, and yes, with the necessary fidelity, of both regional dialects and scholastic
oratory, or the everyday language. Maybe that's why Godofredo Rangel, in the beautiful thematization
of the provincial universe of the Life of Leisure, at a certain time took on the description of an
irretrievably broken gramophone. As if to suggest that, in his novel, it was not a 'mechanical' mimic of
hillbilly talk or something like that, but was to understand other possible ways of perceiving time or
telling stories, many of which were then so dominant."
Francisco Alvim
Francisco Soares Alvim Neto was born in Araxá,
Minas Gerais, in 1938. He has since lived in Belo
Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, where he settled.
He began his literary career in 1968 with the book
Sol dos cegos, and then became part of the group
Frenesi, to create what would be called marginal
poetry. In 1978, he published Dia sim dia não,
with Eudoro Augusto, and in 1981, Festa and
Lago, montanha. His books were published in
small print runs until 1981, when the publisher
Brasiliense released Passatempo e outros
poemas. In 1988, the collection Poesias reunidas
earned the Jabuti Award. In 2000, after twelve
years, he published Elefante (Companhia das
Letras), a book that caused quite a stir and put
him definitively among the best Brazilian poets.
The latest book by Francisco Alvim is called O
metro nenhum (Companhia das Letras, 2011).
© Divulgação Cosac Naify
Major works
Poesias reunidas (Duas cidades, 1988), Passatempo e outros poemas (Brasiliense, 1981),
Elefante (Companhia das Letras, 2000)
Works published abroad
Poemas (Peru), Elefante (Portugal),
Excerpt – Poesias reunidas
“Nothing
Nothing holds
Nothing in this finished body of yours
the tenuous neck
halo of the dawn
the brown hair
where air alights
The blackest black
retains the look
of the black mountain
the fingers of the look
welcomes the shoulder
Nothing
the bare shoulder"
Ignácio de Loyola Brandão
He was born in 1936 in Araraquara, in the state of
São Paulo and he worked as a journalist at several
magazines and newspapers of the state. One of
the most acclaimed writers of the 70s generation,
his first published short story, O menino que
vendia palavras (1965), derived from his
fascination with dictionaries, and years later
became a prize-winning novel. One of his major
works, the novel Zero (1975) (published in English
as Zero, 2003), won the Best Fiction Award, by the
Fundação Cultural do Distrito Federal, in 1976.
The novel Não verás país nenhum (1981)
(published in English as And Still the Earth, 1985)
won the IILA Award of the Italian-Latin-American
Institute, and O ganhador (1987) won the Pedro
Nava Award, awarded by the Academia Brasileira
de Letras and the Association of Art Critics of São
Paulo for Best Novel. In 2000, Brandão received
the Jabuti Award for Best Short Story Book for O
homem que odiava a segunda-feira. In 2008, the
children's novel O menino que vendia palavras
won the Jabuti Award for Best Fiction.
© André Brandão
Major works
Bebel que a cidade comeu (Brasiliense, 1968), Zero (Global, 2001), Não verás país nenhum (Codecri,
1981), O verde violentou o muro (Global, 1984); O Menino que Vendia Palavras (Objetiva, 2007).
Works published abroad
Zero (Germany, South Korea, Spain, Hungary, United States, Italy), Não verás país nenhum
(Germany, United States, Italy); O homem que espalhou o deserto (Mexico), Dentes ao sol (United
States, published as Teeth Under the Sun, 2007) and Cadeira proibida (Italy).
Excerpt - And Still the Earth
“Fetid. The stench is from the dead bodies, the garbage and the feces that pile up beyond the Officially
Permitted Circles, past the Extremely Pauper Camps. May no one hear me call one of such places by
one of their popularly common names. I can't even imagine what would happen to me. Isolation, I
guess. They tried everything in order to eliminate the smell of death and decomposition that constantly
afflicts us. Have they really tried? They weren't successful. The trucks, painted in joyous tones of
yellow and green, dispose of the dead night and day. We know because such things are always known.
That's how it is.”
João Almino
He was born in Mossoró, in the state of Rio
Grande do Norte, in 1950. Almino received his
doctoral degree in Paris under the orientation of
philosopher Claude Lefort and taught at UNAM
(Mexico), the University of Brasília (UnB), the
Instituto Rio Branco, Berkeley, Stanford and the
University of Chicago. This writer, diplomat and
scholar is the author of five fictional and ten nonfictional works. Critics acclaimed Almino for his
novels Ideias para onde passar o fim do mundo
(Candango Literature Award), As cinco estações
do amor (Casa de las Américas 2003 Award) and,
more recently, Cidade livre (the Passo Fundo
Zaffari & Bourbon Literary Award 2011). This last
title was also one of the finalists for the Jabuti and
Portugal Telecom Awards. It is the author's fifth
novel about Brasília, where he depicts the story of
the foundation of Brazil's capital city.
© Editora Record
Major works
Ideias para onde passar o fim do mundo (Record, 1987), As cinco estações do amor (Record, 2001)
(published in English as The Five Seasons of Love, 2008), O livro das emoções (Record, 2008)
(published in English as The book of emotions, 2011) and Cidade livre (Record, 2010).
Works published abroad
Cidade livre (France), As cinco estações do amor (Italy) and O livro das emoções (United States)
(published in English as The Book of Emotions, 2011).
Excerpt – Cidade Livre
“ 'Brasília is a story to be told', a quote that I took from one of the many notebooks buried by Moacyr
Ribeiro, my father, inside a box on the day following the city's inauguration, was pronounced in an era in
which my father collected sayings from visitors who came to see the city under construction. The cover
of the notebook displayed a green, yellow and blue landscape, the word 'Forward' in red ink cut across
it, a few beautiful palm trees, and five boys eagerly exploring the territory while knowing where they
were going. They all wore felt hats, a red neckerchief, knee-high socks, shirts with long sleeves rolled
up to above their elbows, thick belts, each one carrying their own water canteen, and the one in the
middle held up the Brazilian flag on a pointed staff, ready to plant it on the future…”
João Gilberto Noll
He was born in Porto Alegre in 1946 and is the
author of thirteen books, including O cego e a
dançarina, A fúria do corpo, Bandoleiros and
Lorde. He has received numerous awards,
including the Jabuti Award on five occasions:
in 1981, 1994, 1997, 2004 and 2005. His
novel, Harmada, is on the list of the 100
essential Brazilian books of any genre and of
all time, according to Bravo! magazine. His
books have been adapted for film and theater,
and have been published in Argentina,
England and Italy. According to the author,
literature not only mirrors more immediate
social issues, but also takes the reader to a
ritualistic horizon, and liturgy is a matter of
concern in his work. His book, Acenos e
afagos, received the Portugal Telecom Award
for best novel in 2009.
© Editora Record
Major works
Harmada (Editora Francis, 2003), A céu aberto (new edition, Record), O cego e a dançarina
(2008, Record), Acenos e afagos (Record, 2008).
Works published abroad
A céu aberto (Argentina, Italy), Harmada (Argentina), Lorde (Argentina), Bandoleiros
(Argentina), O cego e a bailarina (Italy).
Excerpt – A Céu Aberto
"Still half dazed by the jolt that yanked me from my nap, I was looking at that February sky... when
one more strand of my thinning hair fell. Not that I had seen this strand of hair fall, but almost,
almost, because for sure something was leaving me then on a sultry afternoon in February,
something smooth, slightly curved at the end, very thin, and I know that because I wanted it to be
so, something smooth and curved at the end, very thin, exactly how I wanted it to be. Do you see?
Only that, I wanted nothing more than that, and that is exactly how it was, a smooth, golden
strand did fall from my hairline, and floated, fluttered until it got lost for good in the grass where I
stepped in front of my brother's house, this house I watched so he could go, unconcerned, on
summer vacation with his family... "
João Ubaldo Ribeiro
João Ubaldo Ribeiro, one of the most important
contemporary Brazilian writers, was born in
Itaparica, Bahia, in 1941. He began his career in
journalism in 1957, five years before completing law
school at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
(UFBA). In 1962, he began a master's in Public
Administration and Political Science at the
University of Southern California and returned to
Brazil in 1965 as a UFBA professor. His debut in
literature occurred in 1968, with the publication of
Setembro não tem sentido. When he moved to Rio
de Janeiro in 1981, he published Política and Livro
de histórias, two collections of short stories. In the
same year, he began to write short weekly
chronicles for O Globo newspaper and, beginning in
1991, also for O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper. He
was the author of classics like Viva o povo
© Bruno Veiga
brasileiro, was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1991 and wrote more than 15 books which
have been translated in 16 countries.
Major works
Setembro não tem sentido (1968), Sargento Getúlio (1971) (published in English as Sergeant Getulio,
1984), Vila Real (1979), Viva o povo brasileiro (1984) (published in English as An Invincible Memory,
1989), A casa dos budas ditosos (1999) (published in English as House of the Fortunate Buddhas, 2011),
O sorriso do lagarto (1989) (published in English as The Lizard's Smile, 1994), all published by Objetiva.
Works published abroad
Sargento Getúlio (Sweden, Germany, Denmark, France, Israel, United States, Slovenia), Viva o povo
brasileiro (Germany, France, Spain, England), O sorriso do lagarto (Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark,
England), Vila Real (Spain), A casa dos budas ditosos (Spain, France, Holland), O diário do farol
(Holland).
Excerpt – An Invincible Memory
“As he spoke among the coils of smoke, Dandão got bigger, much bigger, taller than the house he was in;
he turned all colors and expressions, even transparent, became wet as a woman does between her legs,
and wise like a tree root; he became an entire landscape. And then he let go of the cover, which went back
to swinging until finding its position, and he began to draw out secrets, one after another, each greater than
the one before; some claim many spirits were released, and also ways of being, diligent inspirations,
papers one couldn't look at with both eyes so as not to go blind, ethereal influences, the truth behind what
one hears, inalterable suggestions, realities as clear as the imperative to live and raise children.”
Joca Reiners Terron
He was born in Cuiabá in 1968 and lives in
São Paulo. A poet, prose writer and graphic
designer, he was the editor and founder of the
publishing house Ciência do Acidente,
through which he published the novel Não há
nada lá and the book of poems Animal
anônimo. His short stories were published in
several national anthologies, like Geração 90:
os transgressores (2003), Os cem menores
contos brasileiros do século (2004), Dentro de
um livro (2005), A literatura latino-americana
do século XXI (2005), Contos cruéis: as
narrativas mais violentas da literatura
brasileira contemporânea (2006), Na virada
do século – poesia de invenção do Brasil
(2002), published in the the USA (2002), and
Tse-tsé, published in Argentina (2000), among
others. He is also author of Hotel Hell, Curva
de rio sujo and Sonho interrompido por
guilhotina, all of which are books of short
© Renato Parada
stories, as well as Do fundo do poço se vê a lua, winner of the Machado de Assis award in the Novel
category and nominated for the 2011 São Paulo Literature award for Best Book of the Year.
Major works
Animal anônimo (Ciência do Acidente, 2002) Curva de rio sujo (Planeta, 2004), Sonho interrompido
por guilhotina (Casa da Palavra, 2006), Do fundo do poço se vê a lua (Companhia das Letras, 2010),
Não há nada lá (Companhia das Letras, new edition, 2011).
Excerpt – Do fundo do poço se vê a lua
“I was not sure that the card would reach its recipient, although I could still imagine him living in
apartment 14 where we had spent our childhood. The initial signed at the end of the message was
erased: the urgency was such that there had not even been time to decide which name to use. That
would make no difference at all because, whatever name was chosen, it would already be too late for
rescue or redemption. On his arrival in Cairo my brother would not find anyone; it was easy to guess.
My hope was that, upon failing to find me, by strange paths he would find himself. In contrast to what
they say, however, there are things that die only after the last hope disappears. And it would not mean
much if, upon receiving the postcard, my brother spluttered the name by which he knew me."
José Miguel Soares Wisnik
He was born in São Vicente, São Paulo in 1948.
He is a composer, musician, essayist and
teacher. He published O coro dos contrários – a
música em torno da semana de 22 (Duas
Cidades, 1977 – Jabuti Award), Música: O
nacional e o popular na cultura brasileira
(Brasiliense, 1982), O som e o sentido
(Companhia das Letras, 1989), Veneno
remédio: O futebol e o Brasil (Companhia das
Letras, 2008) , Machado Maxixe: O caso
pestana (Publifolha, 2008), and participated in
the collections Os sentidos da paixão, O olhar e
ética (Companhia das Letras, 1987, 1988 and
992) and livro de partituras (Gryphus, 2004). He
also composed the soundtrack of Terra
Estrangeira, by Walter Salles and Daniela
Thomas, and the albums Parabelo, in 1997,
together with Tom Zé; Onqotô, in 2005, with
Caetano Veloso; and Sem Mim, in 2011, with
Carlos Nuñez, based on songs by Martín Codax.
© Renato Stockler
Major works
O coro dos contrários – a música em torno da semana de 22 (Duas Cidades, 1978 – Sold out), Música:
O nacional e o popular na cultura brasileira (Brasiliense, 1983), O som e o sentido (Companhia Das
Letras, 1999), Sem receita: Ensaios e canções (Publifolha, 2004), Veneno remédio: O futebol e o
Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 2008).
Works published abroad
Veneno remédio: o futebol e o Brasil (USA, Argentina)
Excerpt – Veneno remédio: O futebol e o Brasil
"In Brazil, the inability to combine passion and criticism became a recurring feature, largely dominating
the public stage that was always invaded by soccer: it is as if we are required to be very attached to the
phenomenon or very distant from it, as if we were certainly frivolous or serious, to use here Brás Cubas'
famous definition for the 'two maximum columns of opinion'. An overwhelming soccer focus multiplied
by the media and made even more euphoric by advertising has as its almost obligatory counterpoint
soaring voices that arise in what appears to be the thinking position and whose mark is minimizing
soccer itself, depriving it of any cultural relevance."
José Murilo de Carvalho
He was born in Minas Gerais in 1939. He has a
PhD in political science from Stanford
University, and was a researcher and visiting
professor at several foreign universities. He
is a tenured professor in the History
Department at UFRJ and a member of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2004, the
same year that his book Cidadania no Brasil:
O longo caminho won the Casa de las
Américas Award. Along with the jurist and
professor Celso Lafer, he is the only Brazilian
to be a member of both the Academy of Letters
and also the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
In 1991 he won the Jabuti Award for the book A
formação das almas: O imaginário da
república no Brasil (Companhia das Letras,
1990).
© Divulgação Editora Zahar
Major works
A construção da ordem: A elite imperial (Campus, 1980), A formação das almas: O imaginário da
república no Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 1990) (published in English as The Formation of Souls:
Imagery of the Republic in Brazil, 2012), Forças armadas e política no Brasil (Jorge Zahar Editor,
2005), Cidadania no Brasil: O longo caminho (Civilização Brasileira, 2002), Histórias que Cecília
contava (Editora UFMG, 2008).
Works published abroad
A formação das almas: O imaginário da república no Brasil (USA, Argentina), Cidadania no Brasil: O
longo caminho (Cuba), Desenvolvimento da cidadania no Brasil (México), Teatro de sombras: A
política no Brasil (France).
Excerpt – Cidadania no Brasil: O longo caminho
"As in 1935, the coup failed and gave the government opportunity to complete the purge of the armed
forces. The government's victory made the nature of the regime clear. It was not fascism or Nazism,
which resorted to large mass mobilizations. The New State would not hear of people on the streets. It
was closest to the Portuguese Salazar regime, which blended repression with paternalism, without
looking to interfere excessively in people's private lives. It was an authoritarian regime, not totalitarian
like fascism, Nazism or communism."
Marcelo Lelis
The illustrator and cartoonist Marcelo Eduardo Lelis
de Oliveira, known publicly as Lelis, was born in 1967
in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. He began his career
by publishing cartoons and illustrations in
newspapers in his state. Currently, he also illustrates
books and comics aimed at children and teens.
Taking the roles of both illustrator and author, in 2001
he published his first anthology, Saino a percurá,
which depicts stories set in northern Minas Gerais
and translates local culture and folklore. His comic
book adaptation of Clara dos anjos, by Brazilian
author Lima Barreto, earned him the HQMix 2012
Best Adaptation Award and the title of Best National
Illustrator. His work is popular among European
publishing companies where he debuted in 2002 with
Dernières cartouches. Lelis distinguishes himself by
using watercolor in his work.
© Acervo do Autor
Major works
Cidades do ouro, (Casa 21, 2005), Dernières cartouches (Casterman, 2009), Clara dos anjos
(Companhia das Letras, 2011), Saino a percurá (Zarabatana, 2011).
Works published abroad
Gueules noires and Dernières cartouches (France), Saino a percurá (Spain). He also collaborated in
the anthologies The Anthology Project (Canada) and Stripolis (Serbia).
Excerpt – Saino a percurá
«The first place to have it will be the house of Julieta the Plump, wife of Tuca the Obnoxious, niece of
Colonel Tião the Nasty. Then, the people say, everyone will have one so they can watch the men inside
of it reporting the news and doing this thing called a soap opera.»
Lilia Moritz Schwarcz
Born in 1957 in São Paulo, Schwarcz is a
historian, anthropologist, writer, translator and
editor. She is recognized for her work in race and
social issues and in the history of the Empire and
Old Republic in Brazil. She won the Jabuti Award
for Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 1999 with As
barbas do Imperador - D. Pedro II, um monarca
nos trópicos (1998). In 2009, she won again the
same award in the Biography category for O sol
do Brasil: Nicolas-Antoine Taunay e seus
trópicos difíceis (2008). The following year, the
work Um enigma chamado Brasil (2009), coauthored with Andrew Botelho, took third place in
the Prêmio Jabuti Humanities category. As an
editor, she organized, together with Ricardo
Benzaquem, the commemorative edition of the
© Divulgação Companhia das Letras
70th publishing anniversary of Raízes do Brasil, by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda.
Major works
O espetáculo das raças (Companhia das Letras, 1993) (published in English as The Spectacle of
the Races, 1999), As barbas do Imperador - D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos (Companhia
das Letras, 1998) (published in English as The Emperor's Beard - D. Pedro II and his Tropical
Monarchy in Brazil, 2004), O sol do Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 2008), Um enigma chamado
Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 2009), Nem preto nem branco, muito pelo contrário (Companhia
das Letras, 2013).
Works published abroad
As Barbas do Imperador – D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos (United States), Espetáculo das
Raças (United States).
Excerpt – The Emperor's Beard - D. Pedro II and his Tropical Monarchy in Brazil
"Besides the princes of the ruling elite in Africa, the allegorical kings lived in Brazil of the African
congada parades, cavalcades and drumming, which, in the short space of the festivities, represented
the highest existing authority, to say nothing of the tribal chiefs. This coexistence of so many kings imaginary or not - allowed the emergence of different ways of understanding royalty and even of a
certain positive reception of the monarchy. João José Reis writes: 'There was a monarchist mindset, so
to speak, circulating among blacks, that seems to have been a recreation of African leadership
conceptions, reinforced in a colony and then a country ruled by crowned heads. Moreover, the
popularity of Dom Pedro II is known among black Rio natives [...] The view of the king as the source of
justice [...] also existed in America, including among the slaves.' "
Lourenço Mutarelli
He was born in 1964 in São Paulo. A
writer, graphic artist, screenwriter and
actor, he published several volumes of
comic books which today are prized by
fans of this genre. O cheiro do ralo, his
first novel, came out in 2002, followed by
O natimorto and Jesus Kid. Mutarelli also
wrote plays and acted in short films and in
the film adaptation of O cheiro do ralo,
directed by Heitor Dhalia. Comic books,
and also film, influence his novels, in
which dialogues and visual appeal
predominate. His stories explore the
characters' psychology and critique to
city life with humor. In 2009, his book, A
arte de produzir efeito sem causa, won
the Portugal Telecom Best Novel Award.
© Bel Pedrosa
Major works
O cheiro do ralo (Devir, 2002), Jesus Kid (Devir, 2004), A arte de produzir efeito sem causa (Cia das
Letras, 2008), O natimorto (Cia das Letras, 2009).
Excerpt – A arte de produzir efeito sem causa
“The subway is empty. It's after eleven. Junior has an expression of disillusionment and a small
suitcase. He breathes with difficulty through his mouth. His face looks like a mask. A mask of
disappointment. Or of deception? The driver or a recording announce the next station. Junior could
never figure out who announced the stations. He got up with difficulty and exited. He walked
lethargically, mechanically, as if something pushed him, making an effort. He carries a small suitcase
and forty-three years of bad sleep. The escalators are already turned off. Junior chooses the stairs.
With every step of his, it seems another step in the stairs appears. Junior gets halfway up the staircase
and gives up. He sits down. He breathes through his mouth. A guard suddenly appears and warns that
sitting on the stairs is not allowed. Junior extends his hand. The man, dressed in black, helps him."
Luiz Costa Lima
He was born in São Luís do Maranhão in 1937.
He is an emeritus professor at PUC-RJ and has
taught at other universities in and outside of
Brazil. Globally recognized as one of the most
important theorists and critics of contemporary
literature, he has published over 20 titles, with
works translated into English and German. In
2004, he received an award for foreign
researcher of the year in the humanities from the
German institution Alexander von HumboldtStiftung. In 2011, the University of Queensland in
Australia held the symposium "Mimesis and
culture", dedicated to his work. The work O
controle do imaginário & a afirmação do romance
(2009) received essay awards from the National
Library and the Brazilian Academy of Letters, and
also won the Jabuti Award (second place) in the
© Bel Pedrosa
category Theory/Literary Criticism, in 2010. He
also won this award for História. Ficção. Literatura in 2007, this time earning first place.
Major works
Mímesis: desafio ao pensamento (Civilização Brasileira, 2000), Mímesis e modernidade (Graal,
2003), História. Ficção. Literatura (Companhia das Letras, 2006), O controle do imaginário & a
afirmação do romance (Companhia das Letras, 2009), A ficção e o poema (Companhia das Letras,
2012), Teoria da cultura de massa (Paz e Terra, 2011).
Works published abroad
Mímesis: desafio ao pensamento (Germany)
Excerpt – História. Ficção. Literatura
“The investigation now beginning is based on the assumption that literature has borders which are
much more fluid than fiction. If, from the point of view of their respective organizing principles, history
and fiction are different discursive formations, the problem sharpens when we deal not with two, but
with three terms. In short, it's as a literary theorist that I pose to myself the question of the writing of
history. This is the first sign of the odd man out being present here."
Luiz Ruffato
The short story writer, novelist and poet was born
in Cataguases, Minas Gerais in 1961. He
graduated with a degree in communication from
the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in 1981,
worked at the Jornal da Tarde newspaper and
debuted with the collection of stories Histórias de
remorsos e rancores (1988). He published two
books of poetry and eight novels, including the
acclaimed Eles eram muitos cavalos, which
received the Paulista Art Critics Association
award and the Machado de Assis award from the
Brazilian National Library. With the novel, he
reaches the maturity needed to write his greatest
project, centered on the history of Brazilian
laborers from 1950 to 2002 - the pentalogy
Inferno provisório – composed of the novels
Mamma, son tanto felice (2005), O mundo
inimigo (2005), Vista parcial da noite (2006), O
livro das impossibilidades (2008) and Domingo
sem Deus (2011).
© Adriana Vichi
Major works
Eles eram muitos cavalos (Boitempo, 2001), Mamma, son tanto felice – Inferno provisório: volume I
(Record, 2005), O mundo inimigo – Inferno provisório: volume II (Record, 2005), Vista parcial da noite
– Inferno provisório: volume III (Record, 2006), O livro das impossibilidades – Inferno provisório:
volume IV (Record, 2008), Estive em Lisboa e lembrei de você (Companhia das Letras, 2009),
Domingo sem Deus – Inferno provisório: volume V (Record, 2011).
Works published abroad
Eles eram muitos cavalos (Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Argentina, Colombia), Estive em Lisboa e
lembrei de você (Portugal, Italy, Argentina), Mamma, son tanto felice (France, Mexico), O mundo
inimigo (Mexico, France).
Excerpt – Eles eram muitos cavalos
"Mr. Aprígio might've remembered the day and month that the Indian came here for the first time, but he
died yesterday, rotted by a horrible throat cancer, and they say it was a cigarette sickness, a booze
disease, but I don't believe it, he never drank anything except soda, and as for smoking, he couldn't
even stand the smoke, God rest his soul! And so all anyone knows is that late one afternoon, the injun
appeared at the bar, leaned his bare belly against the greasy red formica counter, ordered a rum in his
pidgin language, someone was amused by that and paid his bill, and the savage was up all night, a jolly
drunk, and went to dance in the middle of the road..."
Manuela Carneiro da Cunha
Maria Carneiro da Cunha was born in Cascais,
Portugal on July 16, 1943 and moved with her
family to São Paulo at the age of eleven. She
graduated in pure mathematics at the Faculté
des Sciences, Paris, in 1967, and then for three
years attended Claude Lévi-Strauss’ seminars.
Since 1978, she has been involved in the
defense of indigenous rights in Brazil. She was
the first president of the Pro-Indian Commission
of São Paulo from 1979 to 1981. She has been a
professor at the Department of Social
Anthropology at USP since 1984, and in 1990
she founded the Center for Indigenous History
and Indigeneity. She received the Érico Vanucci
Mendes Award in 1992, the Médaille de Vermeil
of the French Academy (1993), the Ordem do
Mérito Científico (2002), and in 2007, along with
Mauro W. B. de Almeida, the Chico Mendes do
Acre Award. Since 2002, she has been a
member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
© Luiza Sigulem
Major works
Mortos e outros (Hucitec, 1978), Negros, estrangeiros: Os escravos libertos e sua volta à África
(Brasiliense, 1985), Direitos dos índios (Brasiliense, 1987), História dos índios no Brasil
(Companhia das Letras, 1992).
Works published abroad
"Culture" and Culture: Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Rights (USA) Savoirs autochtones:
quelle nature, quels dumbbells? (France), Savoirs traditionnel, droits intellectuels et dialectique de
la culture (France).
Excerpt – Negros, estrangeiros: Os escravos libertos e sua volta à África
"The existence of an appreciable population of free men of color was once regarded as an index of
the relative quality of a slave society. It was one of the criteria used by Frank Tannenbaum and thanks
to him, Brazil maintained for some time his complacent image of a slave society, yes, but a goodnatured one. This evaluative discussion of slavery is flawed at its very base, as Finley (1980) and
Gorender (1978) argued. Slavery is a hierarchical production system, and its specific aspects are
clarified by reference to the system. In particular, as any hierarchical system, it has in itself loci of
violence and oppression that will eventually be placed at different points in different societies, but
they cannot cease to exist."
Marçal Aquino
The novelist, journalist and screenwriter was
born in Amparo, in the state of São Paulo, in
1958. As a child, he had a lot of contact rural
areas narratives, which later influenced his
work. He graduated in journalism from the
Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas in
1983. The following year, he made his literary
debut with the book of poems A depilação da
noiva no dia do casamento. He moved to São
Paulo in 1985 and worked at the Gazeta
Esportiva, O Estado de S. Paulo and Jornal da
Tarde newspapers. He published, among other
books, Faroestes and Cabeça a prêmio. He
worked as a screenwriter for Os matadores,
Ação entre amigos, O invasor, Nina and Crime
delicado. He received various awards for his
literary work, including first place in the short
story category at the 5th Nestlé Literature
Biennial (1990) for As fomes de setembro and
the Prêmio Jabuti Award (2000) for the book O
amor e outros objetos pontiagudos.
© Lucila Wroblewski
Major works
A depilação da noiva no dia do casamento (independently published, 1984), As fomes de setembro
(Estação Liberdade, 1991), O amor e outros objetos pontiagudos (Geração Editorial, 1999), Faroestes
(Ciência do Acidente, 1999), Eu receberia as piores notícias dos seus lindos lábios (Companhia das
Letras, 2005), Cabeça a prêmio (Cosac Naify, 2003).
Works published abroad
Eu receberia as piores notícias dos seus lindos lábios (Germany and France).
Excerpt – Eu receberia as piores notícias dos seus lindos lábios
“It's no use explaining. You wouldn't understand. Sometimes, as if in a dream, I see the day I die. It's
sort of spiritual, a flash. And although the woman doesn't appear, I know it's because of her that they're
killing me. And I've known that the outcome of our story doesn't make me unhappy. It will have been
worth it. Today the moon is transiting your favorite astrological house. Cancer. A child born today will
have a calm and sensible personality. So he/she will be a good person. He/she will suffer in a place like
this. There's a breeze from the river and the night is silent, with a smell of lady-of-the-night flowers so
intense as to be cloying. It's still hot. In the afternoon, I saw birds flying in formation heading north. It
won't be long before the cold comes. But not here, of course. "
Marcelino Freire
He was born in 1967 in the backlands of
Pernambuco and currently lives in Sao
Paulo. He is a writer and editor and also
organizes literary events such as the
Balada Literária. Many of his stories have
been published in magazines,
newspapers and national anthologies and
also in Portugal, Germany, Italy and
Argentina. Others have been adapted for
theater, TV and film. Marcelino published
his first two books independently AcRústico (1995) and EraOdito (1998). In
2003, after the release of BaléRalé
(2003), he received much praise from
authors like Moacyr Scliar and Marçal
Aquino. In 2006, the book Contos
© Mario Miranda Filho
negreiros won the Jabuti Award in the category Short Stories and Essays. Among his works are: Angu
de sangue (2000), Rassif: Mar que arrebenta (2008) and Amar é crime (2011), published by the
cooperative Edith, to which the author belongs.
Major works
BaléRalé (Ateliê Editorial, 2004), Angu de sangue (Ateliê Editorial, 2000), eraOdito (Ateliê Editorial,
2000), Contos negreiros (Record, 2005), Rassif: Mar que arrebenta (Record, 2008), Amar é crime
(Edith, 2011).
Works published abroad
Contos negreiros (Argentina).
Excerpt - Contos negreiros
Story: "Mansion of the princes"
"Four black men and a black woman stopped in front of this building.
The doorman's first message was 'Oh my God!' The second: 'What do you want?' or 'What apartment?'
Or 'Why haven't they repaired the service elevator yet?'
'We're making a movie,' we responded.
Caroline argued: 'A documentary'. I don't know what that is, dunno, I don't know. We each show our IDs
and that's it.
'We're filming'.
Filming? That's what a robber does when he wants to kidnap someone. He observes the day-to-day
habits, what time the victim leaves for work. The building has a bank manager, a doctor, a lawyer. But
no condo president. The president is never here."
Maria Esther Maciel
She was born in 1963 in Pato de Minas, Minas
Gerais. She is a poet, essayist and fiction
writer. She has been writing since the 70s, a
period in which she published texts in
newspapers and magazines and founded and
edited the Correio Estudantil. She is a
professor of Literary Theory and Comparative
Literature at UFMG. She has had poems
published in various national media outlets, as
well as essays published in Brazil, Argentina,
Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, USA, England,
Scotland and Denmark. She released her first
book of poems, Dos haveres do corpo, in 1984.
She has also dedicated herself to writing
© Acervo da Autora
essays, resulting in the publications Voo transversa: Poesia, modernidade e fim do século XX (1999)
and A memória das coisas – Ensaios de literatura, cinema e artes plásticas (2004). In 2004, she
published her first fiction book: O livro de Zenóbia (2004). In 2009, she was a finalist in the Best Novel
category at the São Paulo Literature Award for O livro dos nomes. In 2011 and 2012, she was on the
Portugal Telecom Award jury.
Major works
Dos haveres do corpo (Editora Terra, 1984), As vertigens da lucidez – Poesia e crítica em Octavio Paz
(Experimento, 1995), Triz (Orobó Edições, 1999), O livro de Zenóbia (Lamparina, 2004), A memória
das coisas – Ensaios de literatura, cinema e artes plásticas (Lamparina, 2004), O livro dos nomes
(Companhia das Letras, 2008).
Excerpt – O livro dos nomes
“Three years from now Anthony will die. For now, he doesn't know that he was born old and that soon he
will exhaust the humanity he still has. He feeds the illusion that there is always something to see and
thinks that living is to specialize in error. He recognizes that he married the wrong woman, lost almost
everything in unfortunate mishaps and gave more to others than they deserved. But he insists on being
good, since nothing is more dreadful to him than the supposed hell that comes after."
Maria Rita Kehl
Born in 1951 in Campinas, São Paulo, Maria
Rita Kehl is a psychoanalyst and writer. She
began her writing career early as the editor of
the Jornal Movimento, an alternative press
journal published during Brazil's military
dictatorship. She has been treating patients
in her private practice since 1981, in addition
to writing various books, essays, short
stories, poetry, and collaborating constantly
with a number of communication channels. In
2010, she won the Human Rights Award in
the category for Media and Human Rights
given by the Brazilian Federal Government.
In that same year, her book O tempo e o cão:
A atualidade das depressões, based on her
experiences and reflections on her work with
patients with depression, won the Jabuti
Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, and first
place in the category Education, Psychology
and Psychoanalysis.
© Divulgação Boitempo Editorial
Major works
O tempo e o cão: A atualidade das depressões (Boitempo, 2009), 18 crônicas e mais algumas
(Boitempo, 2011), Sobre ética e psicanálise (Companhia das Letras, 2002), Processos e
deslocamentos do feminino: A mulher freudiana na passagem para a modernidade (Imago Editora,
1998).
Excerpt – O tempo e o cão: A atualidade das depressões
“The path of psychoanalytical comprehension always begins with clinical investigation, where
formations of the unconscious are expressed in the singularities of each subject; but the clinical
experience can also, following Freud's example, contribute to clarifying the suffering that is expressed
through the symptoms of social life. The direction of the construction of theory goes from the private to
the social, never the other way around. In the office, we treat the depressed one by one, based on the
tenets of psychoanalysis. From that, maybe we can also listen to what they can teach us about the
contemporary forms of discomfort, a phenomenon that neither they - nor any other talking being - are
excluded from.”
Marina Colasanti
She was born in Asmara, Ethiopia, lived in Italy for
11 years, and moved to Brazil in 1948, when her
family settled in Rio de Janeiro. In 1968, she
began her literary career with the book Eu
sozinha. She has over 30 published titles, which
include poetry, essays, short stories and books for
children and young adults. She worked at
magazines, newspapers, in television and as an
illustrator, illustrating her own books. Among other
awards, she won the Jabuti for Best Poetry for
Rota de colisão and the Jabuti in the Children or
Young Adults category for Ana Z, aonde vai
você?, as well as awards from the National
Children and Youth Book Foundation, the
Brazilian Chamber of Books, the Latin American
Children's Stories Contest, sponsored by
FUNCEC/UNICEF, and the Latin American
Norma-Fundalectura Award. In 2011, she
received the Portugal Telecom Best Novel Award
for Minha guerra alheia.
© Editora Record
Major works
Rota de colisão (Rocco, 1993), Ana Z, aonde vai você? (Ática, 1993), Doze reis e a moça no labirinto
do vento (Global, new edition, 1999), Uma ideia toda azul (Global, new edition, 2003), Passageira em
trânsito (Record, 2009), Classificados e nem tanto (Record, 2010), Minha guerra alheia (Record,
2010).
Works published abroad
Coletânea de contos dos livros Uma ideia toda azul e Doze reis e a moça no labirinto do vento (Spain)
Excerpt – Minha guerra alheia
«The first thing you learn in war, or at least one of the first that I used to build my childhood learning of
survival, is replacement. When something we had considered irreplaceable starts to lack, we put
something else in its place, which then becomes irreplaceable until, in turn, it is also replaced. Thank
heaven there's a replacement. And in place of the word irreplaceable, we put the word desirable. (...)
Fake plant wool, that didn't keep you warm, was used, because all the real wool was needed to make
military uniforms. For the civilian population, beyond the broom shrubs, there were rabbits left. I don't
think that need can be considered a fashionable trend, but the fact is that soon everyone was wearing
angora sweaters, which, though warm, light and soft, are always stretching out."
Mary Del Priore
Born in 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, she studied history
at the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP),
and taught history at the University of São Paulo,
the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, as well
as at Salgado de Oliveira University. She did her
postgraduate studies at the École des Hautes
Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. During her
career, she wrote, edited collaborated in almost
forty books and has written essays and articles for
various publications in Brazil and abroad. She has
received numerous prestigious awards, such as
the "Casa Grande & Senzala" Award, presented
by the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation for História as
Mulheres no Brasil (1998) and for História das
Crianças no Brasil (2000). História das Mulheres
no Brasil was also recognized in 1998 with the
© Bel Pedrosa
Jabuti Award.
Main works
História das crianças no Brasil (Contexto, 1999), Esquecidos por Deus (Companhia das Letras, 2000),
O Mal sobre a terra: uma história do terremoto de Lisboa (Topbooks, 2003), História das mulheres no
Brasil (Unesp, 1997), O Príncipe Maldito - Traição e Loucura na Família Imperial (Objetiva, 2007),
Histórias Íntimas - Sexualidade e Erotismo na História do Brasil (Planeta, 2011).
Excerpt – História das mulheres no Brasil
“In the early days of colonization, men and women thought disease was a divine warning. God was, for
them, an angry and stern father, who threatened to harm their bodies, hoping to move His children and
make them repent for sins, thus saving their souls.”
Maurício de Sousa
The writer, graphic artist and member of the
Academia Paulista de Letras (Academy of Letters
of the State of São Paulo) was born in Santa
Isabel, São Paulo in 1935. In 1959, he created his
first character, the dog Bidu. Since then,
Cebolinha, Cascão, Magali, Mônica, Chico Bento
and over 200 other children's characters were
created. In 1970, he launched the comic book
Mônica, soon followed by other titles. After having
his work published by Abril and Globo, in 2007 he
settled with Panini – the editing house that, with a
monthly print run of 3 million copies based solely
on Maurício's characters, holds today 86% of the
comic book market in Brazil. The author already
© Regis Filho
reached the astounding mark of one billion comic books and novels published in Brazil and abroad.
Maurício de Sousa has received various honors, including the title of Children's Writer awarded by
Unicef. Mônica was the first fictional character on the planet to be nominated a Unicef Ambassador.
Major works
Comics: Mônica (since 1970), Cebolinha (since 1973), Chico Bento (since 1982), Cascão (since
1982), Magali (since 1989), Turma da Mônica Jovem (since 2008) and over 40 other titles.
Books: Coleção educação divertida I e II and Coleção alegria de ler (Melhoramentos); Mônica e
Cebolinha no mundo de Romeu e Julieta (Panini); Turma da Mônica em contos de Andersen, Grimm e
Perrault (Girassol); Atlas geográfico and Atlas da fauna (FTD).
Works published abroad
Coleção eu sou (Portugal, Indonesia); O gênio e as rosas, unindo Mauricio a Paulo Coelho (Portugal);
Turma da Mônica em 3-D (Germany); Saiba mais (China, Vietnam); Turma da Mônica em contos
clássicos (China, where it received the 2011 Bing Xin Award for Children's Literature); Magazines and
comic books of the Ronaldinho-based character published in 30 languages, among others.
Excerpt – Revista da Mônica
Michel Laub
The writer and journalist Michel Laub was born
in Porto Alegre in 1973. He has published five
novels: Música anterior (2001), Longe da água
(2004), which was also published in Argentina,
O segundo tempo (2006), O gato diz adeus
(2009) and Diário da queda (2011), which will
be released in Germany, Spain, United States,
France, Holland, England, Italy, Israel and
Portugal. The film rights to it have also been
sold. Laub has received the Brasilia Biennial
(2012), Bravo! Prime (2011) and Érico
Veríssimo (2001) awards, and was a finalist in
the Portugal Telecom (2005, 2007 and 2012),
Zaffari & Bourbon (2005 and 2012), Jabuti
(2007) and São Paulo Literature (2012)
awards. He is one of the authors featured in the
"best young Brazilian writers" edition of the
British magazine Granta.
© Renato Parada
Major works
Música anterior (2001), Longe da água (2004), O segundo tempo (2006), O gato diz adeus (2009),
Diário da queda (2011), all published by Companhia das Letras.
Works published abroad
Diário da queda (Germany, USA, England, Holland, Spain, Italy, Israel, Portugal, France), Longe da
água (Argentina).
Excerpt – Diário da queda
1. My grandfather did not like to talk about the past. Which is not surprising, at least in relation to what's
of interest: the fact that he was Jewish, arrived in Brazil in one of those crowded ships, the cattle for
whom history seems to have ended at the age of twenty or thirty or forty, it doesn't matter, and there is
only one type of memory that comes back and can be an even worse prison than the one where you've
been.
2. In my grandfather's notebooks there is no mention of this trip. I do not know where he boarded, if he
had any documents before leaving, if he had money or some indication of what he would find in Brazil. I
don't know how many days the crossing took, if there was a lot of wind, if there was a storm at night and
if he would have cared if the ship were to sink and he were to go in such an ironic way, in a dark tumult of
ice and no chance of being part of any memory beyond a statistic."
Miguel Nicolelis
He was born in 1961 in São Paulo, has a medical
degree from the University of São Paulo and is a
physician, neuroscientist and professor. His
research has been published in numerous
scientific journals, including Nature and Science.
He was elected by Scientific American magazine
one of the twenty greatest scientists in the world
of the past decade. In 2009 he was considered
one of the 100 most influential Brazilians of the
year by magazine Época. In 2010, he received
two awards from the United States National
Institute of Health: the Pioneer and the
Transformative R01 Awards. In 2011, Muito além
do nosso eu, presenting results and predictions
based on his human brain research, was
published. The book placed third on the bestseller list at the bookstore Livraria da Vila, the
official store of the Paraty International Literary
Festival. Along with fellow physician Dráuzio
Varella, he published Prazer em conhecer: A
© Divulgação Companhia das Letras
aventura da ciência e da educação (2008).
Major works
Prazer em conhecer: A aventura da ciência e da educação (Papirus 7 Mares, 2008), Muito além do
nosso eu (Companhia das Letras, 2011) (published in English as Beyond Boundaries: The New
Neuroscience of Connecting Brains with Machines - and How It Will Change Our Lives, 2012).
Excerpt – Beyond Boundaries
“In this new world, focused exclusively on the power of brain flashes, our motor, perceptual and
cognitive skills will extend to the point at which human thoughts can be translated efficiently and
accurately into motor commands that can control both the precise operation of a nano-tool, as well as
complex maneuvers of a sophisticated industrial robot. In that future, sitting on the porch of your beach
house, facing your favorite ocean, you may one day talk to a crowd, physically located anywhere on the
planet, through a new version of the Internet (the "brainet") without the need to type or speak a single
word. There are no muscle contractions involved. It is all through your thinking."
Nelida Piñon
The writer was born in May 1937 in Rio de
Janeiro. She graduated in journalism from the
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in
1957. Her first novel, Guia mapa de Gabriel
Arcanjo, was published in 1961. She wrote to
various literary journals and magazines and, in
1972, released one of her best novels, A casa da
paixão, which won the Mário de Andrade Award.
Among the awards she won during that same
period, are the Juan Rulfo International Prize for
Latin American and Caribbean Literature in 1995,
the Nestlé Biennial in the novel category in 1991,
the São Paulo Association of Art Critics and the
Pen Club Fiction awards, both in 1985. In 1990,
she became the fourth woman to enter the
Brazilian Academy of Letters and the first to
preside over the institution. Nelida Piñon is a
reference in Brazilian literature. Her works have
been published in more than 20 countries.
© Divulgação Editora Record
Major works
Guia mapa de Gabriel Arcanjo (1961), A casa da paixão (1972), Madeira feito cruz (1963), Fundador
(1969), Sala de armas (1973), Tebas do meu coração (1974), A força do destino (1977), A república
dos sonhos (1984) (published in English as Republic of Dreams, 1994), A doce canção de Caetana
(1987) (published in English as Caetana's Sweet Song, 1992), all published by Record.
Works published abroad
Tempo das frutas (France, Germany), Fundador (Spain, Poland, France), A casa da paixão (France,
Germany), Sala de armas (Spain, Cuba), A força do destino (Spain, France), A república dos sonhos
(United States, France, Colombia, Portugal), A doce canção de Caetana (Colombia, Russia, United
States).
Excerpt - A casa da paixão
"My useless conversions, because I always converted myself into trees, shadows, the memory of a
revered body of sacrifices to the sun, the sun scorching my loin, peeling my skin, such roughness that I
turn to water in a dish, I accept the form that it gives me, I am the meat it leaves nude, and the passion of
my flesh, finally decided by the force of the rays, is similar to those intended to kill, I wanted death, for
the pleasure, the agony of depriving with rough stones, worked with the tongue by religious creatures,
so much that they destroyed them, as if the stone were the drawing invented to serve their gods, when
they, demanding, invoke miracles at the altar."
Nicolas Behr
Nikolaus von Behr was born in Cuiabá, Mato
Grosso in 1958, and moved to Brasília in 1974.
In 1977, he released his first book, Iogurte com
farinha, in mimeograph, and distributed most
of the editions by hand. By 1980, he had
published ten other mimeographed booklets.
In 2012, he started worked as a copywriter in
advertising agencies. In 1982, he helped
found MOVE (Movimento Ecológico de
Brasília), the first environmental NGO in the
capital. He went back to publishing his books
in 1993, with Porque construí Braxília. In
2008, his book Laranja seleta – Poesia
escolhida: 1977 – 2007 (Língua Geral) was a
finalist for the Portugal Telecom Prize for
Literature. His last work was Meio seio,
published in 2012 by Editora Língua Geral.
© Divulgação Editora Língua Geral
Major works
Iogurte com farinha (1977), Caroço da goiaba (1978), Porque construí Braxília (1993), Laranja
seleta – Poesia escolhida: 1977 – 2007 (Língua Geral, 2008), Meio seio (Língua Geral, 2012).
Excerpt – Laranja seleta
"Inácio was Indian and my best friend
rejected by other whites
Inácio swam with me fished with me
we did our lesson together
did we learn the lesson?
I never forgot Inácio
Inácio I'm sure
never forgot me
Inácio where are you?
where am I?"
Nuno Ramos
Nuno Ramos was born in 1960 in São Paulo,
where he lives and works. He has a degree in
philosophy from the University of São Paulo, is an
artist involved in painting, drawing and sculpture,
a writer, filmmaker, set designer and composer.
He started painting in 1984 when he was part of
the artists' group of the Casa 7 studio. Since then
he has regularly exhibited in Brazil and abroad.
He participated in the 1995 Venice Biennale,
where the artist was a representative in the
Brazilian pavilion, and at the São Paulo
International Biennials in 1985, 1989, 1994 and
2010. In 2006, he received, for career
achievement, the Grant Award from the American
Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation. As a
writer, he published O mau vidraceiro (2010), Ó
(2008, for which he received the Portugal
© Iluminuras
Telecom Literature award), Ensaio geral (2007),
O pão do corvo (2001) and Cujo (1993). As a filmmaker, he wrote and co-directed with Clima in 2002
the short films Luz negra (ParaNelson 1) and Duas horas (ParaNelson 1), and in 2004 he wrote and
directed the short film Alvorada.
Major works
O mau vidraceiro (Editora Globo, 2010), Ó (Editora Iluminuras, 2008), Ensaio geral: Projetos, roteiros,
ensaios, memórias (Editora Globo, 2007), O pão do corvo (Editora 34, 2001), Cujo (Editora 34, 1993) e
Junco (Editora Iluminuras, 2011).
Works published abroad
Ó (To be published in Argentina in 2014).
Excerpt – Ó
“By carrying fruits and stones in the stomach (like the wolf of the story) and walking on the ashes of the
feet made of gray ash, the ashes of the soles, of the asphalt, the ashes of the leaves, by tasting the gray
powder on everything, then something like singing comes from something like a mouth, something like
an "a", an "o", a huge "o", taking first the ears and then extending down the back, to the down of the
belly, like a pretty wreck, a dry shipwreck, a handful of rice thrown into the air, it's our voice in the distant
call of a bell, I sing, surprising myself..."
Patrícia Melo
Born in 1962 in Assis, São Paulo, the author,
screenwriter and playwright currently lives in
Switzerland. Her debut in literature was in 1994
with the novel Acqua toffana. After that, she
published O matador (1995), which later became
the film O homem do ano (The Man of the Year,
2003), and earned her a nomination for the
French literary award Prix Femina as well as the
Deux Océans Award. Elogio da mentira (1998),
her third novel, won the Deutscher Krimi Preis
(Criminal Fiction Prize) in Germany. In 2001,
Patrícia received the Jabuti Award for her novel
Inferno (2000). Aside from that, Valsa negra
(2003) and Mundo perdido (2006) entered the
longlist of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary
Award. As a playwright, she began her career in
2000 with Duas mulheres e um cadáver, a play
that has been staged in Hamburg, Germany.
© Editora Rocco
Major works
Acqua toffana (Rocco, 2009), O matador (Rocco, 2009) (published in the United States as The Killer,
1998), Elogio da mentira (Rocco, 2010) (published in the United States as In Praise of Lies, 2000),
Inferno (Rocco, 2010) (published in the United States with the same title in 2003), Valsa negra (Rocco,
2010) (published in the United States as Black Waltz, 2004), Mundo perdido (Rocco, 2010) (published
in the United States as Lost World, 2009), Escrevendo no escuro (Rocco, 2011).
Works published abroad
Acqua toffana (Germany, Portugal), O matador (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, England,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and United States as The Killer, 1998), Elogio da mentira (England,
Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, China, Spain, Portugal, France and United States as In Praise of
Lies, 2000), among others.
Excerpt – The Killer
“I've always seen myself as an ugly man. There are too many curves on my face, too much flesh too, I
never liked that. My froglike eyes, my round nose, I've always avoided mirrors. On that day it was
different. I was admiring the image of that human being that was not me, a blond man, an unfamiliar
person, a stranger. It wasn't just the hair that was now lighter. The skin, the eyes, everything bore a
light, a frame of light. Suddenly, all my features became harmonious, the mouth that had always hung
down still hung, the nose was still round, the eyelids bloated, however, all of that was nonsense
because there was something larger, more important, the frame.”
tPaulo Coelho
He was born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. He has
worked as a director and playwright, journalist and
composer. His works have been translated into 69
languages and are present in over 150 countries.
He has written lyrics for some of the most famous
artists of Brazilian popular music, like Raul
Seixas, Elis Regina and Rita Lee. His first book,
Arquivos do inferno, was published by the author
himself in 1982. In 1988, he published his most
successful book: O alquimista. The work got to the
first place on the bestseller list in 18 countries and
entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2008 as
the most translated book in the world. According
to UNESCO, the author is the most translated
Portuguese-language author. In 2001, he
received the Bambi Cultural Personality of the
Year award in Germany. The following year, he
was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
He has earned over 60 awards and prizes.
© Emanuele Scorcelletti - GAMMA
Major works
As valkírias (Planeta do Brasil, 2006) (published in English as The Valkyries), O aleph (Sextante, 2010)
(published in English as Aleph), O alquimista (Sextante, 2012) (published in English as The Alchemist),
O diário de um mago (Sextante, 2012) (published in English as The Pilgrimage), Onze minutos
(Sextante, 2012) (published in English as Eleven Minutes), O zahir (Sextante, 2012) (published in
English as The Zahir), O demônio e a srta. Prym (Benvirá, 2010) (published in English as The Devil and
Miss Prym), O monte cinco (Planeta do Brasil, 2006) (published in English as The Fifth Mountain),
Veronika decide morrer (Sextante, 2012) (published in English as Veronika Decides to Die).
Works published abroad
O alquimista (published in 78 languages), Manuscrito encontrado em Accra (published in 31
languages), O aleph (published in 35 languages), O zahir (published in 71 languages), Veronika decide
morrer (published in 44 languages), Onze minutos (published in 45 languages), among others.
Excerpt - The Alchemist
"The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned
church. The roof had fallen in long ago and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the
sacristy had once stood.
He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate and
then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no
wolves in the region, but an animal had once strayed during the night."
Paulo Henriques Britto
He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1951 and is a
poet, short story writer, essayist, professor and
one of the main Brazilian translators of the English
language. He has a degree in Portuguese and
English from the Pontifical Catholic University of
Rio de Janeiro, where he is professor of
translation, literary creation and Brazilian
literature. In the early 1970s he studied film in San
Francisco (USA). As a poet, he debuted in 1982
with Liturgia da matéria. Later, he wrote Mínima
lírica (1989), Trovar claro (Alphonsus de
Guimaraens Award, of the Fundação Biblioteca
Nacional, 1997), Macau (Portugal Telecom
Award, 2004) and Tarde (2007). He has also
published short stories Paraísos artificiais (2004)
and Eu quero é botar meu bloco na rua (2009). He
© Bel Pedrosa
has translated about a hundred books and was awarded the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional Paulo
Rónai Award (1995) for translating A mecânica das águas, by E. L. Doctorow. In 2012, he won the
Bravo! Award for best book for the novel Formas do nada.
Major works
Mínima lírica (new edition, 2008), Trovar claro (1997), Macau (2003) Paraísos artificiais (2004) and
Formas do nada (2012), all published by Companhia das Letras.
Excerpt – Formas do nada
Lorem ipsum
"Come," he says, "I offer you
synaereses, caesuras, hemistichs
and much more, and in return I ask only
sufferable simulacra of meaning.
Come, the night is solid and solicitous,
and awaits just the right moment
to serve us the supreme delight,
like an ordinary and hieratic waiter."
But with such appeal, so mellifluous,
they attract like faceless masks,
empty shells and insignificant scribbles.
Paulo Lins
He was born in 1958 in Rio de Janeiro.
He has a BA in literature from the Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and
is a poet, writer and screenwriter. He was
part of the group Cooperativa de Poetas
in the 80s and in 1986 released his first
book of poetry Sobre o sol, published by
the UFRJ publisher. He is especially
known for the bestseller Cidade de Deus
(1997), a title that refers to the housing
development where the author lived and
conducted extensive anthropological
research that served as the basis for the
book. The work inspired the film of the
same name, directed by Fernando
Meirelles and released in 2002; it earned
© Divulgação
four Oscar nominations in 2004. In 2011, he released his second novel, Desde que o samba é samba,
about the creation of the first samba school in Rio de Janeiro. He was the screenwriter of the feature
film Quase 2 irmãos, along with Lucia Murat. It won an award from the São Paulo Association of Art
Critics in 2005.
Major works
Cidade de Deus (2012) (published in English as City of God: A Novel, 2006), Desde que o samba é
samba (2012), both published by Planeta do Brasil.
Works published abroad
Cidade de Deus (Sweden, Holland), Desde que o samba é samba (Portugal, Germany).
Excerpt – City of God: A Novel
"The City of God gave its voice to the ghosts of abandoned houses, made fauna and flora scarce,
remapped Little Portugal and renamed the bog: Up Top, Out Front, Down Below, There Across the
River and The Apartments.
Even today, the sky turns blue and stars appear in the world, the forests green the earth, the clouds
lighten the views and man innovates reddening the river. Here now a slum, the neo-slum of cement,
armed mouths of alleys, sinister silences, with cries of despair, running through narrow streets and
crossroads of indecision."
Pedro Bandeira
He was born in the city of Santos, São
Paulo in 1942. He is the most successful
author of children's literature in Brazil. He
wrote his first book, O dinossauro que
fazia au-au, a children's book, in 1976,
but has also worked in theater, television,
journalism, advertising, education and
research. In 1983 he began to devote
himself mainly to literature. Bandeira
became known especially by teenagers
with his books on the adventures of the
group of boys “Karas”, characters in A
droga da obediência (1984), Pântano de
sangue (1987), Anjo da morte (1988), A
© Editora Moderna
droga do amor (1993) and Droga de
americana (1999). He has won awards related to the world of the press and literature. In 1986 he
received the Jabuti Award for Best Children's Book for O fantástico mistério da Feiurinha (1986), which
in 2002 was adapted for theater.
Major works
O fantástico mistério da Feiurinha (1986), A droga da obediência (2009), Pântano de sangue (2009),
Anjo da morte (2009), A droga do amor (2009) and Droga de americana (2009), all published by
Editora Moderna.
Works published abroad
A droga da obediência (Spain, Greece, Chile), O fantástico mistério da Feiurinha (Serbia), Sonho de
carnaval (Chile), A baleiazinha (Mexico), Papo de sapato (Mexico).
Excerpt – A droga da obediência
"He was in the Karas secret hideout: all the vast inside of the huge Elite School locker room, illuminated
in the center by some glass roof tiles which let the daylight through, leaving the rest in darkness. Right
in the middle of the small illuminated area was Miguel, sitting on his heels. Ahead of him, scattered on
the floor, there were several copies of newspaper articles. Next to him, Skull and Calu waited in silence.
Magri closed the trap door and crouched down next to his friends without a word."
Roger Mello
He was born in 1965 in Brasilia and later moved
to Rio de Janeiro, where he studied industrial
design and graphic design. Today he is an
illustrator and writer, and also works in film and
theater. He is among the most creative and
versatile writers of children's literature. Over the
past 20 years, Roger Mello illustrated more than
100 books, mainly for young readers; among
them are 20 books which he also wrote. He was
awarded the Swiss Espace-enfants in 2002, and
the same year won the Jabuti Award in the
Children's Literature and Illustration categories
with Meninos do mangue. Having won several
awards, he became hors-concours of the
National Children and Youth Book Foundation
(FNLIJ) awards. For his work as an illustrator, he
was nominated for the 2010 Hans Christian
Andersen award, considered the Nobel of
© Editora Moderna
children's literature.
Major works
Meninos do mangue (2001), Vizinho, vizinha (2002), João por um fio (2006), Zubair e os labirintos
(2007) and Carvoeirinhos (2009), all published by Companhia das Letras. Cavalhadas de Pirenópolis
(Agir, 2010).
Works published abroad
Zubair e os labirintos, Meninos do mangue, João por um fio, Cavalhadas de Pirenópolis (all rights sold
to China).
Excerpt – Meninos do mangue
"I became dazed from crying, so I washed and rinsed the crab several times, but Merthiolate has a red
ink that will not come off. When I noticed, Josimar was far away, he and eleven other boys. The gang
ran after the biggest boy, who found a toy robot in the garbage heap. A supersonic robot, the little light
goes on and everything! Josimar ran, the happiest of all.
The result: I let the aratu go loose.
Aratus and boys, covered in mud and having a ball.
In the afternoon full of mosquitoes, Miss Thingy yells to Josimar to not be long.
Then she closes the window and stretches."
Ronaldo Correia de Brito
He was born in 1951 in the town of
Saboeiro, Ceará. At 17, he began to
study medicine in Recife,
Pernambuco, where he still lives. He
always split his time between his
work as a doctor and artistic
activities. In 2008, he released his
first novel, Galileia, the story of three
cousins ​who cross the backlands of
Ceará to visit their grandfather. The
novel, which received critical
acclaim, won the São Paulo
Literature Prize. He is the author of
© Jorge Clésio
Faca (2003) and Livro dos homens (2005), both of which are collections of short stories. In 2004,
together with Assis Lima, he published O pavão misterioso, for which he won the 2007 Zilka Sallaberry
Award for Children's Theater. In partnership with Assis Lima, Horácio Carelli and Antonio Madureira,
Brito released the theatrical project Trilogia das festas brasileiras, which included O baile do menino
Deus (1987), Bandeira de São João (1989) and Arlequim (1990). The project involves the production
of shows, records and books.
Major works
Faca (Cosac Naify, 2003), O pavão misterioso (Cosac Naify, 2004), Galileia (Alfaguara, 2008), Livro
dos homens (new edition – Cosac Naify, 2010), and Estive lá fora (Alfaguara, 2012).
Works published abroad
Galileia (France, Argentina and Israel), Faca (France).
Excerpt - Galileia
"We heard the news of grandfather Raimundo Caetano well before crossing the Inhamuns. His health
worsened, and the birthday party might not happen. I think of going back to Recife, to heed the
forebodings of doom, fears that invade me at all family gatherings. David and Ismael consult me ​with
their eyes; they fear that I will decide against the trip. They don't depend on me to continue, but I am the
one who intervenes in the disputes between them, ever since we used to herd flocks of sheep and I hurt
my heel on an afternoon like this.
Everything resembles the past, even the repeated paths and silence of the dead, ghosts who walked
like I walk, anxious and in a depressed mood. For some time I drive the car alone. The cousins ​got into
the back of the truck, exposing themselves to the late afternoon sun and dust in December, with signs
of rain. Such beauty is a trap.”
Ruth Rocha
She was born in 1931 in São Paulo and is one of
the leading children's literature writers in Brazil,
with over a hundred books published, both in
Brazil and abroad. She graduated with a degree
in sociology and has worked as a guidance
counselor and editor. In the 60s, she began
writing educational articles and children's stories
for magazines. In 1976, she released her first
book Palavras, muitas palavras (1976). In 1990,
she won the Jabuti Award in the Children's
Literature category for Uma história de rabos
presos (1989). In 2002, she won an award, along
with Anna Flora, in the elementary and
secondary school Didactic category for Escrever
e criar: Uma nova proposta! (2001). She also
received awards from the National Children's
Book Foundation, Câmara Brasileira do Livro,
João de Barro Award, among others. Marcelo,
marmelo, martelo (1999), one of her most
famous works, has sold over a million copies.
© Editora Moderna
Major works
Marcelo, marmelo, martelo (Salamandra, 2011), Ruth Rocha conta a odisséia (Salamandra, 2011),
Uma história de rabos presos (Salamandra, 2012), Almanaque Ruth Rocha (Salamandra, 2011),
Palavras, muitas palavras (Quinteto Editorial, 1998).
Works published abroad
Uma história com mil macacos (Spain - in Spanish, Catalan and Basque - and Wales), Pra que serve?
(Spain - in Catalan and Basque - and Germany), Marcelo, marmelo, martelo (Spain), Azul e lindo:
Planeta Terra, nossa casa (England) (published in English as Blue and Beautiful: Planet Earth, Our
Home), Declaração universal dos direitos humanos (England) (published in English as Universal
Declaration of Human Rights), Borba, o gato (Spain - Spanish and Catalan), Elefante? (Spain),
Excerpt – Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo
"Once, Marcelo was fixated on the name of things:
- Mommy, why am I called Marcelo?
- Well, Marcelo was the name your father and I chose.
- And why didn't you choose hammer?
- Well, son, hammer isn't a name! It's the name of a tool...»
Ruy Castro
He was born in 1948 in Caratinga, Minas
Gerais and is an Honorary Citizen of Rio de
Janeiro. The journalist, writer and
translator began his career in 1967 as a
Correio da Manhã newspaper reporter, and
then worked for several other papers and
magazines, like Jornal do Brasil,
Manchete, IstoÉ and Veja. Beginning in the
90s, he began to devote himself to the
career of writing, becoming known for his
biographies and historical reenactments.
He debuted in literature with the first
volume of a trilogy, O melhor do mau humor
(1989). He won the Nestlé Literature award
© Divulgação Companhia das Letras
in 1994 for O anjo pornográfico – A vida de Nelson Rodrigues (1992). He has received three Jabuti
awards: Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 1996 for Estrela solitária – Um brasileiro chamado Garrincha
(1995) and in 2006 for Carmen: uma biografia (2005), in the categories Non-Fiction Book of the Year
and Biography.
Major works
Mau humor – Uma antologia definitiva de frases venenosas (2002), Chega de saudade – A história e
as histórias da bossa nova (1990) (published in English as Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian
Music That Seduced the World, 2003), O anjo pornográfico – A vida de Nelson Rodrigues (1992),
Estrela solitária – Um brasileiro chamado Garrincha (1995) (published in English as Garrincha: The
Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero, 2004), Carmen: uma biografia (2005), all
published by Companhia das Letras.
Works published abroad
Carnaval no fogo (England, Italy and Turkey), Chega de saudade – A história e as histórias da bossa
nova (Germany, Japan and Spain), Estrela solitária – Um brasileiro chamado Garrincha (Germany), A
onda que se ergueu no mar (Japan).
Excerpt – Garrincha: The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero
“Before history could repeat itself, they convinced Garrincha to collect all the money he had at home to
invest in stocks under the guidance of Zé Luiz. Garrincha agreed. On the appointed day, accompanied
by two officials of the National Bank, there went to Pau Grande to get whatever he could find.
They found money in drawers, in the fruit basket, stuffed in old books, under other mattresses and even
behind the stove. There were Brazilian cruzeiros, pounds, francs, lira, pesetas, Swedish kronor, Dutch
guilders, coins from everywhere the Botafogo team had played in recent years, and soles and bolivars
which were no longer worth anything."
Sérgio Sant'Anna
He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1941. The
short-story writer, novelist, poet and professor
joined the Law School of the Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais, graduating in 1966.
He began his writing career in 1969 with the
stories in O Sobrevivente, a book that led him to
participate in the International Writing Program
at the University of Iowa in the United States. He
returned to Rio de Janeiro in 1977, the year in
which he became a faculty member at the
School of Communication of the Universidade
Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where he
remained until 1990. From then on, he began to
devote himself to literature, still working as a
columnist in various media outlets. He twice
received the Jabuti Award: in 1998, for Best
Novel for Um crime delicado, and in 2003, for
the stories in O voo da madrugada, which also
© Bel Pedrosa
received the Paulista Association of Art Critics award and was the first runner-up in the Portugal
Telecom literature award.
Major works
O sobrevivente (Minas Gráfica, 1969), Amazona (Nova Fronteira, 1986), A tragédia brasileira
(Companhia das Letras, 1987), Um crime delicado (Companhia das Letras, 1997), O voo da
madrugada (Companhia das Letras, 2003), O livro de Praga (Companhia das Letras, 2011).
Works published abroad
Amazona (Germany, Italy), Um crime delicado (Germany, Argentina).
Excerpt – Um crime delicado
"What a feeling of power when I mold here not only the body of a woman inside an intimate twilight
setting, but also the emotion itself of having that body in my arms. What force could be greater than this,
if it weren't also for the knowledge that, in this work, I am both author and also mere actor, in view of
Vitório Brancatti's presence backstage and of other obscure characters who feel like directors inside
and outside of me. Anyway, I fervently assume my part.
In actual events, however, a sensation is a slave of time, even when surrounded by a Vitório Brancatti
installation. I had just gotten back to normal after the consummation of that amorous rapture, when I
realized that Inês was crying. I got off of her, sat on the edge of the divan and tried to caress her.”
Silviano Santiago
He was born in Formiga, in the state of Minas
Gerais, in 1936, but spent his adolescence in
Belo Horizonte. He graduated with a degree in
romance languages and literature from the
​Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and
earned a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris. A
writer, poet, professor, literary critic and essayist,
he is a three-time winner of the Jabuti Award for
Em liberdade (novel, 1982), Uma história de
família (novel, 1993) and Keith Jarrett no Blue
Note (short stories, 1997). His most recent novel,
Heranças, received the 2009 Brazilian Academy
of Letters Fiction Award and was among the
finalists of the Jabuti and Portugal Telecom
Awards. His works have been translated into
English, French and Spanish. He has taught in
Canada, the United States and France. Today he
lives in Rio de Janeiro, has retired from the
Universidade Federal Fluminense, and writes to major Brazilian publications.
© Editora Rocco
Major works
Em liberdade (1982), Uma história de família (1993), Keith Jarrett no Blue Note (1997), Herança
(2008), all published by Rocco.
Titles published abroad
Em liberdade (Argentina)
Excerpt – Heranças
“I escaped from the proverb that says: 'When God gives no children, the devil gives nephews/nieces.' I
did not have children. I have nephews/nieces. I had many lovers. Many came from various traditional
neighborhoods of the Minas Gerais capital. Given the solid cultural background they had, I was
attracted and then knocked out by the lure of beauty. Usually they had metropolitan experience,
although they came from the countryside. There were good schools for girls and young ladies outside
the urban areas. Occasionally, I was caressed by beautiful, daring girls, imported by Minas brothel
madams from poor areas of São Paulo and the South. Those sold in nightlife retail were far less
important in my life. (...) "
Teixeira Coelho
Born in 1944 in Bauru, São Paulo, Coelho is a
writer, a museologist, an art critic, and a cultural
policies specialist. He has also worked as a
professor for several universities. He is currently
the curator and coordinator of the São Paulo Art
Museum. In 2007, he won the Portugal Telecom
Award with the novel História Natural da
Ditadura (2006). In 2010, he was a member of
the Brazilian delegation at the 2nd International
Literary Festival of Buenos Aires. He has
published several books on culture and art, such
as the essays Guerras Culturais (2000) e A
Cultura e seu Contrário (2008), as well as
fictional works such as As Fúrias da Mente
(1998) e Niemeyer, um romance (1994).
© Acervo do Autor
Main works
Niemeyer, um romance (2001), As Fúrias da Mente (1998), Guerras Culturais (2000), História Natural
da Ditadura (2010), A Cultura e Seu Contrário (2009), O Homem que vive – uma jornada sentimental
(2010), Dicionário Crítico de Política Cultural (2012), all published by Editora Iluminuras.
Works published abroad
Dicionário Crítico de Política Cultural (Mexico and Spain).
Excerpt - A Cultura e Seu contrário
"So the universalist conception of culture preached by Anthropology is not practical when it comes to
studying the culture itself, and it is certainly not practical from the perspective of those who work with
culture and through culture – like in cultural policy. If everything is culture – fashion, manners, football,
expression, film, advertising – nothing is culture. And more importantly: if everything has the same
value in culture, if everything is culturally the same, when one says or believes that everything equally
contributes to the cultural means, then, everything becomes useless."
Veronica Stigger
A PhD in art history, an art critic and a professor,
Veronica Stigger was born in Porto Alegre in
1973, but has lived in São Paulo since 2001. Her
first book, the collection of short stories O trágico
e outras comédias, was published in Portugal in
2003 and was released in Brazil the following
year. Through Cosac Naify, she published Gran
cabaret demenzial (2007) and Os anões (2010),
both of which are books of short stories. Also in
2010, she debuted in children's literature with
Dora e o sol. In 2011, she published
Massamorda, her most recent work, composed
of a play, a short story in fragments and a poem.
Veronica is also a columnist for the TV Cultura
program “Entrelinhas”.
Major works
© Divulgação Cosac Naify
O trágico e outras comédias (7Letras, 2007 [2nd edition.]), Gran cabaret demenzial (Cosac Naify,
2007), Os anões (Cosac Naify, 2010), Dora e o sol (34, 2010), Massamorda (Dobra, 2011).
Works published abroad
The short stories Os anões, 200 m², Tatuagem, Os anões and Na escada rolante were all published in
collections in Germany.
Excerpt – Os anões
"He was the height of a pygmy, and she was only up to his waist. The two were so small they barely
reached the top of the candy counter. She jumped to try to see what they had that looked good. He,
more circumspect, stretched his neck, pointed his nose up and breathed deeply, as if he could, by
smell, identify the goodies that he couldn't quite see. The two were quite cute together. They weren't
deformed, nor did they have that sickly appearance of some dwarves. They merely seemed to have
been designed on a smaller scale."
Walnice Nogueira Galvão
She is a cultural and literary critic, especially
dedicated to the study of the authors Guimarães
Rosa and Euclides da Cunha. During many years
she was a professor of literary theory and
comparative literature at the University of São
Paulo. She has published over thirty books, as
well as essays, articles and contributions to
newspapers and magazines. She was also a
director and advisor to several cultural
magazines. In 2008, she was guest of honor and
speaker at the Symposium on Guimarães Rosa
in celebration of his 100th birthday, organized by
the Free University of Berlin. In the same year,
she received the Biblioteca Nacional award for
Mínima mímica - Ensaios sobre Guimarães
Rosa. In 2010, Euclidiana - Ensaios sobre
Euclides da Cunha received an award from the
© Divulgação
Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Major works
As formas do falso – Um estudo sobre a ambiguidade no Grande Sertão (Perspectiva, 1972), Mínima
mímica – Ensaios sobre Guimarães Rosa (Companhia das Letras, 2008), Euclidiana - Ensaios sobre
Euclides da Cunha (Companhia das Letras, 2009).
Excerpt from Mínima mímica – Ensaios sobre Guimarães Rosa
"Leave these delicate discoveries to the anthropologists, who understood them, but do not omit the
difficulty brought by Guimarães Rosa in using the Tupi language to express things that, according to
Lévi-Strauss, are more typically of the Jê people. Gonçalves Dias, in I-Juca Pirama, also put the Tupi
language in the mouths of the Timbira, who are part of the Jê people. What matters in this case, given
the much greater dimension of the Jê and Tupi-Guarani at hand, is to see how ‘My uncle of the Iauaretê
people’, far from being a mere werewolf story or fable of lycanthropy, is a profound reflection about
nature and culture, which is, after all, the theme of Lévi-Strauss' whole work."
Ziraldo
He was born in 1932, in Caratinga, Minas
Gerais. He is a journalist, painter, playwright,
cartoonist, caricaturist and writer. He began his
career in the 50s, publishing in newspapers and
magazines. His first cartoon came out in the
publication A Cigarra in 1949. In the 60s, A
turma do Pererê was released, presenting one
of the artist's first characters. Around the same
time, in 1969, he was one of the founders of the
famous newspaper opposing the dictatorship,
O Pasquim. Also in '69, he published his first
book: Flicts. Since then, he has focused on
work for children. In 1980, he released O
menino maluquinho, which would become
highly successful. In 1988, he received the
Jabuti Literary Personality of the Year Award
and in 1990, won the same award in the
© Acervo Pessoal
Children/Young Adults category for the
Dicionário Aurélio infantil de língua portuguesa ilustrado. In 2008, he received the VI IberoAmerican Quevedos Graphic Humor Award.
Major works
O menino maluquinho (Melhoramentos, 2005), Turma do Pererê: 50 anos (Globo, 2010), O
bichinho da maçã (Melhoramentos, 2011), Flicts (Melhoramentos, 2012), Uma professora muito
maluquinha (Melhoramentos, 2011).
Works published abroad
Flicts (Germany, France, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Italy, Japan, Korea, Colombia, Belgium,
Switzerland), O menino maluquinho (Colombia, South Korea, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay,
Japan), O bichinho da maçã (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Korea), Uma professora muito
maluquinha (Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay), Como ir ao mundo da lua (Argentina and Chile), O
bichinho que queria crescer (Chile, Guatemala). Works translated for more than 10 countries.
Excerpt - O menino maluquinho
"It was tough, it's true.
And it's also true that few people understood the Nutty Boy's nutty theory
but
he laughed softly when he felt the longing because he realized
that
longing was the side of one of the sides of life that was coming."