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Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida

ジャイミリア・ペレイラ・デ・アルメイダ

Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1982-01-01 (Luanda, Angola)
Nationality
Portugal
Languages
Portuguese
Residence History
Luanda, Angola (birthplace) → Near Lisbon, Portugal (grew up) → Lisbon, Portugal (residence)

Career

Occupations
novelist, essayist, academic, consultant
Active Years
2006-
Affiliations
Civil House of the President (consultant), Disquiet International (faculty/participant)

Education

New University of Lisbon (Universidade NOVA)
Portuguese Studies
Degree: 学士
Country: Portugal
New University of Lisbon (Universidade NOVA)
Portuguese Studies (MA)
Degree: 修士
Period: 2004–2006
Year of Graduation: 2006
Country: Portugal
Master's dissertation 'Amadores'. The dissertation received the Primeiras Teses Prize in 2010.
University of Lisbon (Universidade de Lisboa)
Theory of Literature
Degree: 博士(文学)
Period: 2009–2012
Year of Graduation: 2012
Country: Portugal
PhD in Theory of Literature.

Awards

Primeiras Teses Prize
2010
Work: Amadores (master's dissertation)
Organization: Centro de Literatura Portuguesa da Universidade de Coimbra
Result: 受賞
Fundação Inês de Castro Literary Prize
2018
Work: Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso
Organization: Fundação Inês de Castro
Result: 受賞
Fundação Eça de Queiroz Literary Prize
2019
Work: Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso
Organization: Fundação Eça de Queiroz
Result: 受賞
Oceanos Prize
2019
Work: Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso
Organization: Associação Oceanos
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

That Hair

2015 memoir/essay/fiction hybrid

A hybrid of memoir, essay and fiction exploring the experiences of a Black, curly‑haired girl from Angola growing up in Portuguese society in the mid-1980s; themes of hair, identity and belonging.

identityraceembodimentbelonging
Translations
  • English translation (translated by Eric M. B. Becker): 'That Hair' (2020)

Ajudar a cair

2017 short writing/essays

A collection of short texts in varied forms that capture social relations and subtle everyday moments.

relationshipsfragments of everyday life

Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso

2018 novel

A novel set between Angola and Portugal that examines migration, colonial legacies, urban life and memory through intertwined family and social narratives.

migrationcolonial legacyurban lifememory

Pintado com o pé

2019 essays/short pieces

A collection of light, experimental short pieces exploring language and modes of expression.

formal experimentationeveryday life

A Visão das Plantas

2019 essays/meditations

Texts that meditate on plants and vision, using observation to question ways of seeing the world.

observationnature and perspective

Bibliography

  • 2015: Esse Cabelo (That Hair)
  • 2017: Esse Cabelo (reissue)
  • 2017: Ajudar a cair
  • 2018: Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso
  • 2019: Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso (Brazil edition)
  • 2019: Pintado com o pé
  • 2019: A Visão das Plantas

Translations of Works

  • Esse Cabelo → English translation 'That Hair' (translator: Eric M. B. Becker, 2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
hybrid prose blending essay and fictionanalytical writing informed by academic backgrounduse of fragmentary and repetitive motifs
Recurring Motifs
hairrace and the bodymigration and homelandmemory and the city

Legacy

Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida is regarded as a prominent voice among a new generation of Lusophone writers. Her work, which links personal experience with theoretical reflection, has contributed to debates on migration, race and the body. She has received multiple literary prizes and has been translated internationally.

Trivia

  • Her master's dissertation 'Amadores' received the Primeiras Teses Prize in 2010.
  • 'Esse Cabelo' was translated into English and published as 'That Hair' (translated by Eric M. B. Becker) in 2020.
  • 'Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso' won several literary prizes in 2019, including the Oceanos Prize.
  • In March 2021 she was appointed as a consultant to the Civil House of the President of the Republic of Portugal.