Hilda Hilst
Encyclopedia
Hilda de Almeida Prado Hilst, more widely known as Hilda Hilst (1930–2004) was a Brazil
ian poet, playwright and novelist, whose fiction
and poetry
were generally based upon delicate intimacy and often insanity
and supernatural
events. Particularly her late works belong to the tradition of magic realism
.
, Brazil
. In 1948 she enrolled in the Law Course at Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
(Largo São Francisco), finishing it in 1952. There she met her best friend, the writer Lygia Fagundes Telles
. In 1966, Hilda moved to Casa do Sol (Sunhouse), a country seat next to Campinas
, where she hosted a lot of writers and artists for several years. Living there, she dedicated all her time to literary creation.
She died on February 4, 2004 in Campinas
.
From 1982 the writer joined the Programa do Artista Residente, of Universidade Estadual de Campinas
- UNICAMP.
In several of her writings the author tackled polemic issues, as lesbianism and homosexuality
.
Since 1995 her personal files are in IEL-UNICAMP and are available to researchers worldwide.
Some of her texts were translated from Portuguese
to French
, English
, Italian
and German
. In March 1997, her works Com meus olhos de cão and A obscena senhora D were published by Editora Gallimard, Maryvonne Lapouge translation.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian poet, playwright and novelist, whose fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
were generally based upon delicate intimacy and often insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
and supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
events. Particularly her late works belong to the tradition of magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
.
Early life and studies
Hilst was born on April 21, 1930, in JaúJaú
Jaú is a municipality in the center of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The population in 2008 was 133,333 and the area is 690.18 km². The elevation is 522 m...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In 1948 she enrolled in the Law Course at Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo is an institution of higher education and research in the field of Law located in São Paulo, Brazil...
(Largo São Francisco), finishing it in 1952. There she met her best friend, the writer Lygia Fagundes Telles
Lygia Fagundes Telles
Lygia Fagundes Telles is a Brazilian novelist and short-story writer. She was born in São Paulo and is one of Brazil's most important living writers....
. In 1966, Hilda moved to Casa do Sol (Sunhouse), a country seat next to Campinas
Campinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
, where she hosted a lot of writers and artists for several years. Living there, she dedicated all her time to literary creation.
She died on February 4, 2004 in Campinas
Campinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
.
Career
Hilda Hilst wrote for almost 50 years, and collected the most important Brazilian literary prizes. In 1962 she won the Prêmio PEN Clube of São Paulo, for Sete Cantos do Poeta para o Anjo (Massao Ohno Editor, 1962). In 1969, the play O Verdugo took the Prêmio Anchieta, one of the most important in the country at the time. The Associação Brasileira de Críticos de Arte (APCA Prize) deemed Ficções (Edições Quíron, 1977) the best book of the year. In 1981, Hilda Hilst got the Grande Prêmio da Crítica para o Conjunto da Obra, by the same Associação Brasileira de Críticos de Arte. In 1984, the Câmara Brasileira do Livro gives her the Jabuti Prize to Cantares de Perda e Predileção, and, in the next year, the same book claimed the rêmio Cassiano Ricardo (Clube de Poesia de São Paulo). Rútilo Nada, published in 1993, took the Jabuti Prize for best short story, and finally, on August 9, 2002, she was awarded at the 47th edition of Prêmio Moinho Santista in the poetry category.From 1982 the writer joined the Programa do Artista Residente, of Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Universidade Estadual de Campinas is one of the three public universities of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, along both USP and UNESP....
- UNICAMP.
In several of her writings the author tackled polemic issues, as lesbianism and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
.
Since 1995 her personal files are in IEL-UNICAMP and are available to researchers worldwide.
Some of her texts were translated from Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
to French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. In March 1997, her works Com meus olhos de cão and A obscena senhora D were published by Editora Gallimard, Maryvonne Lapouge translation.
Further reading
- Querioz, V. (2000). Hilda Hilst: três leituras. Editora Mulheres. ISBN 8586501220
- Bueno, M. A., & Hilst, H. (1996). Quatro mulheres e um destino: Hilda Hilst, Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro, Eliane Duarte. Rio de Janeiro, UAPE. ISBN 858566617X
External links
- Bio details, Releituras.com - in Portuguese