Rubem Fonseca
Brazilian writer (1925–2020)
Rubem Fonseca (May 11, 1925 – April 15, 2020) was a Brazilian writer. [1] [2]
Life and career
He was born in Juiz de Fora , in the state of Minas Gerais , but he lived most of his life in Rio de Janeiro . In 1952, he started his career as a low-level cop and, later became a police commissioner, one of the highest ranks in the civil police of Brazil. Following the steps of American novelist Thomas Pynchon , a close friend of Fonseca, he refused to give interviews and felt strongly about maintaining his privacy. [3]
His stories are dark and gritty, filled with violence and sexual content, and usually set in an urban environment. He claimed a writer should have the courage to show what most people are afraid to say. His work is considered groundbreaking in Brazilian literature [ by whom? ] , up until then mostly focused on rural settings and usually treating cities with less interest [ dubious – discuss ] . Almost all Brazilian contemporary writers acknowledge Fonseca's importance [ citation needed ] . Authors from the rising generation of Brazilian writers, such as Patrícia Melo or Luiz Ruffato , have stated that Fonseca's writing has influenced their work. [3]
He started his career by writing short stories , considered by some critics as his strongest literary creations. His first popular novel was A Grande Arte (High Art), but "Agosto" is usually considered his best work [ citation needed ] . One recurring character in Fonseca's books is the lawyer-detective Mandrake. [4]
In 2003, he won the Camões Prize , considered to be the most important award in the Portuguese language .
In 2012, he became the first recipient of Chile's Manuel Rojas Ibero-American Narrative Award . [5]
He died in Rio de Janeiro in April 2020 at the age of 94, just 26 days before his 95 th birthday. [6]
Bibliography
Brazilian editions
Novels and novellas
- O Caso Morel (1973)
- A Grande Arte (1983)
- Bufo & Spallanzani (1986)
- Vastas Emoções e Pensamentos Imperfeitos (1988)
- Agosto (1990)
- O Selvagem da Ópera (1994)
- Do Meio do Mundo Prostituto Só Amores Guardei ao Meu Charuto (1997, novella)
- O doente Molière (2000, novella)
- Diário de um Fescenino (2003)
- Mandrake: A Bíblia e a Bengala (2005, novella)
- O Seminarista (2009)
- José (2011)
Short story collections and anthologies
- Os Prisioneiros (1963)
- A Coleira do Cão (1965)
- Lúcia McCartney (1967)
- Feliz Ano Novo (1975)
- O Homem de Fevereiro ou Março (1973)
- O Cobrador (1979)
- Romance Negro e Outras Histórias (1992)
- Contos Reunidos (1994)
- O Buraco na Parede (1995)
- Romance Negro, Feliz Ano Novo e Outras Histórias (1996)
- Histórias de Amor (1997)
- Confraria dos Espadas (1998)
- Secreções, Excreções e Desatinos (2001)
- Pequenas Criaturas (2002)
- 64 Contos de Rubem Fonseca (2004)
- Ela e Outras Mulheres (2006)
- Axilas e Outras Histórias Indecorosas (2011)
- Histórias Curtas (2015)
English translations
- High Art (translation by Ellen Watson, Harper & Row, New York, 1986)
- Bufo & Spallanzani (translation by Clifford E. Landers, Dutton, New York, 1990)
- Vast Emotions and Imperfect Thoughts (translation by Clifford Landers, Ecco Press, New York, 1998)
- The Taker and Other Stories (translation by Clifford E. Landers, Open Letter, New York, 2008)
- Crimes of August (translation by Clifford E. Landers of Agosto , University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, Mass., 2014)
References
-
↑
Wilmington, Michael (October 30, 1991).
"MOVIE REVIEW 'Exposure' Settles for Less Than Tantalizing Potential"
.
Los Angeles Times
. p.
5
. Retrieved
28 April
2011
.
There may be something unconsciously premonitory about the fact that the people who've made a movie out of Rubem Fonseca's fascinating Brazilian thriller ...
- ↑ Polk, James (August 23, 1998). "Blame It on Rio" . New York Times . Retrieved 28 April 2011 .
- 1 2 Tello Garrido, Romeo. Prólogo en Fonseca Rubem, Los mejores relatos. México: Alfaguara, 1998.
- ↑ "Folha Online - Ilustrada - "Mandrake", de Rubem Fonseca, entra na lista dos mais vendidos - 15/08/2005" . www1.folha.uol.com.br . Retrieved 2020-09-03 .
- ↑ García, Javier (28 September 2012). "Fonseca, el policial más duro de Brasil, recibe el premio Manuel Rojas" [ Fonseca, the Toughest Policeman in Brazil, Receives the Manuel Rojas Award ] . La Tercera (in Spanish) . Retrieved 3 September 2018 .
- ↑ "Morre o escritor Rubem Fonseca aos 94 anos" . GaúchaZH . April 15, 2020.
Further reading
Portuguese
- Rubem Fonseca: Proibido e Consagrado / Deonísio da Silva., 1996
- Os Crimes do Texto: Rubem Fonseca e a Ficção Contemporânea / Vera Follain de Figueiredo., 2003
- Acercamientos a Rubem Fonseca / José Bru., 2003
- No Fio do Texto: A Obra de Rubem Fonseca / Maria Antonieta Pereira., 1999
- Roteiro Para um Narrador: Uma Leitura dos Contos de Rubem Fonseca / Ariovaldo José Vidal., 2000
- O Realismo na Ficção de José Cardoso Pires e de Rubem Fonseca / Petar Petrov., 2000
- Literatura e Consumo: O Caso Rubem Fonseca / Ana Cristina Coutinho Viegas., 2002
- "O Mago Artificial", in O Estudante do Coração / Luis Carlos de Morais Junior, 2010
External links
- Writer´s official site
- Short biography , in Portuguese
- Descriptions of Fonseca's books from one distributor , in Portuguese
- Critics , in Spanish
Laureates of the
Camões Prize
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1989–2000 |
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2001–2010 |
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2011–present |
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