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Dalton Jérson Trevisan

ダルトン・ジェルソン・トレヴィザン

Dalton Jerson Trevisan

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1925-06-14 （Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil）
Died
2024-12-09 （Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil） age 99
Nationality
Brazil
Languages
Portuguese
Residence History
Curitiba (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short story writer
Active Years
1940-2024
Influenced By
James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Franz Kafka

Education

Federal University of Paraná
Legal studies
Degree: Law degree
Country: Brazil
Studied law but seldom practiced as a lawyer.

Awards

Prêmio Machado de Assis
2011
Organization: Brazilian National Library Foundation
Result: 受賞
Camões Prize
2012
Organization: Instituto Camões and Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (awarding bodies)
Result: 受賞
Prêmio Jabuti
1959
Work: Novelas nada Exemplares
Organization: Prêmio Jabuti (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Prêmio Jabuti
1964
Work: Cemitério de Elefantes
Organization: Prêmio Jabuti (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Prêmio Jabuti
2010
Work: Desgracida
Organization: Prêmio Jabuti (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Fernando Chinaglia Prize
1964
Work: Cemitério de Elefantes
Result: 受賞
Luís Cláudio de Sousa Prize
1964
Work: Morte na Praça
Result: 受賞
Prêmio Ministério da Cultura de Literatura
1996
Result: 受賞
Prêmio Portugal Telecom (co-winner)
2003
Work: Pico na Veia
Result: 共同受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Novelas nada Exemplares

1959 Short story collection

Trevisan's debut short story collection, featuring numerous concise stories portraying everyday life in Curitiba; it established his reputation.

Middle-class ethicsViolenceLoneliness
Translations
  • English translation by Gregory Rabassa (1972)

Cemitério de Elefantes

1964 Short story collection

A collection of terse stories that examine middle-class contradictions and violence; recipient of literary prizes.

Contradictions of the middle classViolenceInverted morality

O Vampiro de Curitiba

1965 Short story collection

One of his signature collections; the title story gave rise to his nickname 'The Vampire of Curitiba.'

MarginalityBlack humorViolence
Translations
  • English translation by Gregory Rabassa (1972)

Morte na Praça

1964 Short story collection

A collection noted for its condensed stories; awarded the Luís Cláudio de Sousa Prize.

Everyday violenceMoral dilemmas

Ah, É?

1994 Short story collection (mini-stories)

Considered influential in popularizing the mini-story in Brazil; extremely condensed narratives with dark humor.

Mini-story formCondensed narrationBlack humor

Pico na Veia

2002 Short story collection

A later short story collection; co-winner of the Portugal Telecom Award for Brazilian Literature.

Urban lifeMoral collapse

Desgracida

2010 Short story collection

A prominent recent collection; awarded the Prêmio Jabuti.

IsolationCycle of violence

A Polaquinha

1985 Novel

A novel published during his mature period, though Trevisan is primarily known for short stories.

Character studyMiddle-class society

Bibliography

  • Abismo de Rosas (1976)
  • Ah, É? (1994)
  • A Faca No Coração (1975)
  • A Guerra Conjugal (1969)
  • A Polaquinha (1985)
  • Arara Bêbada (2004)
  • A Trombeta do Anjo Vingador (1977)
  • Capitu Sou Eu (2003)
  • Cemitério de Elefantes (1964)
  • 111 Ais (2000)
  • Chorinho Brejeiro (1981)
  • Contos Eróticos (1984)
  • Crimes de Paixão (1978)
  • Desgracida (2010)
  • Desastres do Amor (1968)
  • Dinorá – Novos Mistérios (1994)
  • 234 (1997)
  • Em Busca de Curitiba Perdida (1992)
  • Essas Malditas Mulheres (1982)
  • Gente Em Conflito (with Antônio de Alcântara Machado) (2004)
  • Lincha Tarado (1980)
  • Macho não ganha flor (2006)
  • Meu Querido Assassino (1983)
  • Morte na Praça (1964)
  • Mistérios de Curitiba (1968)
  • Novelas nada Exemplares (1959)
  • O Vampiro de Curitiba (1965)
  • Pão e Sangue (1988)
  • Pico na Veia (2002)
  • Primeiro Livro de Contos (1979)
  • Quem tem medo de vampiro? (1998)
  • Vinte Contos Menores (1979)
  • Virgem Louca, Loucos Beijos (1979)
  • Vozes do Retrato – Quinze Histórias de Mentiras e Verdades (1998)

Adaptations

  • Guerra Conjugal (film adaptation, 1974)

Translations of Works

  • Novelas nada Exemplares — English translation by Gregory Rabassa (1972)
  • O Vampiro de Curitiba — English translation by Gregory Rabassa (1972)
  • Selected stories included in the Oxford Anthology of the Brazilian Short Story (English)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Extremely concise short stories and mini-storiesClinical, observational narrationBlack humor and irony
Recurring Motifs
Collapse of middle-class ethics and sexual moresDomestic violenceLoneliness and alienationUrban marginality

Legacy

Regarded as a master of the Brazilian short story, Trevisan influenced the mini-story form and is noted for his clinical social depictions. He received major awards domestically and internationally and was known for his reclusive life and the nickname 'The Vampire of Curitiba.'

Archives

  • Public Library of Paraná (holdings related to Joaquim magazine and local archives)

In Popular Culture

  • Nickname 'The Vampire of Curitiba'

Quotes

  • “inverted moral fables”
    Source: Oxford Anthology of the Brazilian Short Story (introduction) (2006)
  • “blood-soaked violence”
    Source: World Literature Today (review) (1990)

Trivia

  • Lived most of his adult life in the same house in Curitiba and moved to an apartment in 2021.
  • Reclusive; rarely attended award ceremonies or gave interviews.
  • Published more than thirty collections of short stories.
  • Won the Prêmio Machado de Assis (2011) and the Camões Prize (2012).
  • Died on December 9, 2024, aged 99.