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Lygia Fagundes Telles

リジア・ファグンデス・テレス

Lygia Fagundes Telles

Pen Names: Lygia de Azevedo Fagundesbirth name

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1918-04-19 (São Paulo, Brazil)
Died
2022-04-03 (São Paulo, Brazil) age 103
Nationality
Brazilian
Languages
Portuguese
Residence History
Various towns in São Paulo state (Apiaí, Assis, Itatinga, Sertãozinho, etc.) → Rio de Janeiro (childhood) → São Paulo (main residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, Lawyer
Active Years
1938-2022
Affiliations
Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras), Institute of Providence, State of São Paulo (place of employment)
Memberships
Brazilian Academy of Letters (Chair 16)
Influenced By
Machado de Assis, Postmodern literature
Influenced
Generations of contemporary Brazilian and women writers

Education

University of São Paulo (Law School, Faculdade de Direito do Largo de São Francisco)
Law School / Law
Degree: 法学士
Period: 1939–1945
Year of Graduation: 1945
Country: Brazil
Completed pre-law and physical education studies in 1939; obtained law degree in 1945.

Awards

Afonso Arinos award
1949
Work: O Cacto Vermelho
Organization: Brazilian Academy of Letters
Result: 受賞
Jabuti Prize
1965
Work: Verão no Aquário
Organization: Jabuti Prize (Brazil)
Result: 受賞
Jabuti Prize
2001
Work: Invenção e Memória
Organization: Jabuti Prize (Brazil)
Result: 受賞
Camões Prize
2005
Work: Body of work
Organization: Camões Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Order of Rio Branco (Commander)
1985
Organization: Government of Brazil
Result: 叙勲
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier)
1998
Organization: French Ministry of Culture
Result: 叙勲
Gabriela Mistral Order of Educational and Cultural Merit (Grand Officer)
Organization: Government of Chile
Result: 叙勲
Nobel Prize in Literature (nomination)
2016
Work: Body of work
Organization: Brazilian Writers' Union (nominated)
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Porões e Sobrados

1938 Short story collection

Early collection of short stories published at the beginning of her career.

early workfamilysocial settings
Translations
  • Some stories translated into English, Spanish, etc.

Praia Viva

1944 Short story collection

Collection of short stories from the 1940s showcasing her developing voice.

youthinterpersonal relationships

O Cacto Vermelho

1948 Short story collection

Short story collection awarded by the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1949.

human psychologyloneliness

Ciranda de Pedra

1954 Novel

A major mid-career novel dealing with women's sexuality and coming of age; reprinted and adapted for screen/TV.

female sexualitycoming of agefamily relationships
Adaptations
  • [Television drama] Ciranda de Pedra (TV adaptation)
Translations
  • Translated into English and other languages

Antes do Baile Verde

1970 Short story collection

Collection of short stories exploring female perspectives and psychology; won a Cannes prize for foreign women writers.

womenpsychologysocial critique

As Meninas

1973 Novel

Her most acclaimed novel telling the story of three young women during the early 1970s under Brazil's military dictatorship; received multiple national awards.

political repressionfriendshipcoming-of-age turmoil
Translations
  • English translations (e.g. The Girl in the Photograph)

A Disciplina do Amor

1980 Short stories/novel

Work dealing with love and relationships; winner of a Jabuti Prize.

loverelationships

As Horas Nuas

1989 Short story collection

Published in 1989; won Book of the Year and other honors.

everyday lifeloneliness

Bibliography

  • Porões e Sobrados (1938)
  • Praia Viva (1944)
  • O Cacto Vermelho (1948)
  • Ciranda de Pedra (1954)
  • Verão no Aquário (1963)
  • Antes do Baile Verde (1970)
  • As Meninas (1973)
  • Seminário dos Ratos (1977)
  • A Disciplina do Amor (1980)
  • As Horas Nuas (1989)
  • Invenção e Memória (2001)
  • Passaporte para a China (2011)

Adaptations

  • Ciranda de Pedra (TV adaptations, multiple versions)
  • Antes do Baile Verde (film/short film adaptations)

Translations of Works

  • As Meninas translated into English and other languages (e.g. The Girl in the Photograph)
  • Major stories translated into English, French, German, Spanish, etc.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Postmodern elementsDetailed psychological描写Interplay of reality and fantasy
Recurring Motifs
deathlovefearmadnessfemale perspective

Legacy

Lygia Fagundes Telles is regarded as one of the most important Brazilian writers of the 20th century, honored domestically and internationally (including the Camões Prize) and a prominent member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, leaving a lasting contribution to Portuguese-language literature.

Academic Societies

  • Brazilian Academy of Letters

In Popular Culture

  • Several works have been adapted for television and film, becoming cultural reference points in Brazil.

Trivia

  • Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 (reported as nominated at age 98; sources vary regarding reported age at death).
  • Published from 1938 and maintained a long literary career across decades.
  • Elected to Chair 16 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, one of the early female members of the academy.