Category: Literature
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Lula proclaimed 2024 as the ‘National Year of Fernando Sabino’
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The Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved the law that will declare 2024 as the ‘National Year of Fernando Sabino’. The aim is to celebrate and recognize the significant contribution of the author to Brazilian literature on the centenary of his birth. He would have turned 100 years old on October 12 of…
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Dona Beija
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Legend has it that Dona Beija was one of the most beautiful women of the Brazilian Empire. She enchanted men and infuriated women, became the name of a book, a soap opera character, and gained an almost folkloric status in Brazilian history. 146 years after her death, the story of Dona Beija still captivates those…
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Everything While It Can Still Be
The noun “acontecência” accurately describes what is happening today among us and what we cannot comprehend as a greater reason for our existence. Some of its meanings are worthy of reflection, such as sucedei, ocorrei, decorrei, vinde, sede, sucedei, resultai, sobrevinde, advinde, calhai, existi, havei, transcorrei, intercorrei, sobrechegai, among many others, showing us where we…
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Ailton Krenak is the first indigenous person to join the Brazilian Academy of Letters
With 23 votes, the indigenous writer and environmental activist Ailton Krenak was elected in October to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, or ABL. He is the first indigenous person to occupy a seat in the academy, taking over chair number five, which belonged to José Murilo de Carvalho, who passed away in August of this…
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Halloween Shines a Light on Brazilian Folklore
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Brazilians are celebrating Halloween more than ever. Although the tradition has never been part of Brazilian culture, in recent decades there has been a sort of “cultural embedding” of Halloween in Brazil. On October 31, children go to school dressed in spooky costumes, adults throw macabre-themed parties, and neighbors hand out candy. The Brazilian population…
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The Head Collector: A New Book by Ana Matsusaki
Brazilian author and illustrator Ana Matsusaki visited the United States in October to launch her book “The Head Collector,” translated from Portuguese by Bruna Dantas Lobato. The book explores the delicate and complex cultural aspects of death. Official synopses say: There are all kinds of collections in this world… serious, funny, strange. Imagination knows no…
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“O Arado Torto”: The New Book by Itamar Vieira Junior
Acclaimed as the most important Brazilian novel of the century so far, this best-seller’s unique blend of magic and social realism has earned it three literary awards and global acclaim. ‘I heard our grandmother asking what we were doing. “Say something!”, she demanded, threatening to rip our tongues out. Little did she know that one…
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Witches of the Past, Present, and Halloween
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Today seen as a symbol of evil and represented by frightening images, these women were once considered guardians of life and death, playing an essential role in European peasant communities during the Middle Ages. Witch. What image comes to your mind when you read that word? It is not uncommon to imagine the witch as…
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Grupo Mulheres Do Brasil Nova York Celebrates 5 Years
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The Grupo Mulheres do Brasil New York chapter celebrates five years of existence in September. Under the leadership of advertising professional and career coach Alejandra Merklen and architect Eliane Garcez, the chapter’s mission is to support and develop projects to inspire, inform, and empower Brazilian women living in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT). The…
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UNESCO Reaffirms Partnership to Strengthen Culture in Brazil
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The Brazilian Ministry of Culture (MinC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently celebrated the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development in a meeting that reinforced the importance of respecting Brazil’s diversity, inclusion, and strengthening culture in the country. “Culture is our greatest power; Brazil has a wealth…