João Guimarães Rosa
Encyclopedia
João Guimarães Rosa was a Brazil
ian novelist, considered by many to be one of the greatest Brazilian novelists born in the 20th century. His best-known work is the novel Grande Sertão: Veredas (translated as The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
). Some people consider this to be the Brazilian equivalent of Ulysses
.
in the state of Minas Gerais
, the first of six children of Florduardo Pinto Rosa (nicknamed "seu Fulô") and Francisca Guimarães Rosa ("Chiquitinha").
He was self-taught in many areas and from childhood studied many languages, starting with French before he was seven years old, as can be seen in an interview he gave a cousin of his later in life:
Still a child, he moved to his grandparents' house in Belo Horizonte
, where he finished primary school. He began his secondary schooling at the Santo Antônio School in São João del Rei
, but soon returned to Belo Horizonte, where he graduated. In 1925, at only 16, he applied for what was then called the College of Medicine of Minas Gerais University
.
On June 27, 1930, he married Lígia Cabral Penna, a girl of only 16, with whom he had two daughters, Vilma and Agnes. Vilma had a son, João Emílio, who had a daughter, Alice (the only granddaughter of the author). In that same year he graduated and began his medical practice in Itaguara
, then in the municipality of Itaúna
, in Minas Gerais, where he stayed about two years. It is in this town that he had his first contact with elements from the sertão
(semi-arid Brazilian outback), which would serve as reference and inspiration in many of his works.
Back in Itaguara, Guimarães Rosa served as a volunteer doctor of the Public Force (Força Pública) in the Constitutionalist Revolution
of 1932, heading to the so-called Tunel sector in Passa-Quatro
, Minas Gerais, where he came into contact with the future president Juscelino Kubitschek, at that time the chief doctor of the Blood Hospital. Later he became a civil servant through examination. In 1933, he went to Barbacena
in the position of Doctor of the 9th Infantry Battalion (Oficial Médico do 9º Batalhão de Infantaria). Most of his life was spent as a Brazilian diplomat in Europe and Latin America. In 1938 he served as assistant-Consul in Hamburg
, Germany
, where he met his future second wife, the Righteous Among the Nations
Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa
.
In 1963, he was chosen by unanimous vote to enter the Academia Brasileira de Letras
(Brazilian Academy of Letters) in his second candidacy. After postponing for 4 years, he finally assumed his position only in 1967: just three days before passing away in the city of Rio de Janeiro
, victim of a heart attack. His masterpiece is The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
. In this novel, Riobaldo, a jagunço
is torn between two loves: Diadorim, another jagunço, and Otacília, an ordinary beauty from the backlands. Following his own existential quest, he contemplates making a deal with Lucifer
in order to eliminate Hermógenes, his nemesis
. One could say that Sertão (the backlands) represents the whole Universe and the mission of Riobaldo is to pursue its travessia, or crossing, seeking answers for the metaphysical questions faced by mankind. In this sense he is an incarnation of the classical hero
in the Brazilian backlands.
Guimarães Rosa died at the summit of his diplomatic and literary career. He was 59.
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 novelist, considered by many to be one of the greatest Brazilian novelists born in the 20th century. His best-known work is the novel Grande Sertão: Veredas (translated as The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Grande Sertão: Veredas is a novel published in 1956 by the Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa....
). Some people consider this to be the Brazilian equivalent of Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
.
Biography
Guimarães Rosa was born in CordisburgoCordisburgo
Cordisburgo is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil....
in the state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, the first of six children of Florduardo Pinto Rosa (nicknamed "seu Fulô") and Francisca Guimarães Rosa ("Chiquitinha").
He was self-taught in many areas and from childhood studied many languages, starting with French before he was seven years old, as can be seen in an interview he gave a cousin of his later in life:
Still a child, he moved to his grandparents' house in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, where he finished primary school. He began his secondary schooling at the Santo Antônio School in São João del Rei
São João del Rei
São João del-Rei also spelled São João del Rey or São João del Rei is a historical city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.Population: 40,600 inhabitants....
, but soon returned to Belo Horizonte, where he graduated. In 1925, at only 16, he applied for what was then called the College of Medicine of Minas Gerais University
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais is a federal university located in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The students are admitted through yearly exams called vestibular....
.
On June 27, 1930, he married Lígia Cabral Penna, a girl of only 16, with whom he had two daughters, Vilma and Agnes. Vilma had a son, João Emílio, who had a daughter, Alice (the only granddaughter of the author). In that same year he graduated and began his medical practice in Itaguara
Itaguara
Itaguara is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...
, then in the municipality of Itaúna
Itaúna
Itaúna is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, in Minas Gerais, where he stayed about two years. It is in this town that he had his first contact with elements from the sertão
Sertão
In Portuguese, the word sertão first referred to the vast hinterlands of Asia that Lusitanian explorers encountered. In Brazil, the geographical term referred to backlands away from the Atlantic coastal regions where the Portuguese first settled in South America in the early sixteenth century...
(semi-arid Brazilian outback), which would serve as reference and inspiration in many of his works.
Back in Itaguara, Guimarães Rosa served as a volunteer doctor of the Public Force (Força Pública) in the Constitutionalist Revolution
Constitutionalist Revolution
The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 is the name given to the uprising of the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo against the 1930 coup d'état whereby Getúlio Vargas assumed the nation's Presidency; Vargas was supported by the military and the political elites of Minas Gerais, Rio...
of 1932, heading to the so-called Tunel sector in Passa-Quatro
Passa-Quatro
Passa-Quatro is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2000 was 14,485, and 15,300 in 2003. The population density is 55.23/km² and the area is 277 km²...
, Minas Gerais, where he came into contact with the future president Juscelino Kubitschek, at that time the chief doctor of the Blood Hospital. Later he became a civil servant through examination. In 1933, he went to Barbacena
Barbacena
Barbacena is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2006, the municipality had 124,601 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788 km²....
in the position of Doctor of the 9th Infantry Battalion (Oficial Médico do 9º Batalhão de Infantaria). Most of his life was spent as a Brazilian diplomat in Europe and Latin America. In 1938 he served as assistant-Consul in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he met his future second wife, the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa
Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa
Aracy de Carvalho Guimarães Rosa, née Aracy Moebius de Carvalho, was a Brazilian diplomatic clerk who has been recognized with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.-Early life:...
.
In 1963, he was chosen by unanimous vote to enter the Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896, with the statutes being...
(Brazilian Academy of Letters) in his second candidacy. After postponing for 4 years, he finally assumed his position only in 1967: just three days before passing away in the city of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, victim of a heart attack. His masterpiece is The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Grande Sertão: Veredas is a novel published in 1956 by the Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa....
. In this novel, Riobaldo, a jagunço
Jagunço
Jagunço, from the Portuguese zarguncho was the name applied to armed hands or bodyguards, usually hired by farmers and "colonels" in the backlands of the Northeast of Brazil...
is torn between two loves: Diadorim, another jagunço, and Otacília, an ordinary beauty from the backlands. Following his own existential quest, he contemplates making a deal with Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
in order to eliminate Hermógenes, his nemesis
Archenemy
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
. One could say that Sertão (the backlands) represents the whole Universe and the mission of Riobaldo is to pursue its travessia, or crossing, seeking answers for the metaphysical questions faced by mankind. In this sense he is an incarnation of the classical hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
in the Brazilian backlands.
Guimarães Rosa died at the summit of his diplomatic and literary career. He was 59.
Selected bibliography
- Caçador de camurças, Chronos Kai Anagke, O mistério de Highmore Hall e Makiné (1929)
- Magma (1936)
- Sagarana (Sagarana, 1946)
- Com o Vaqueiro Mariano (With the cowboy Mariano, 1947)
- Corpo de Baile (1956)
- Grande Sertão: Veredas (The Devil to Pay in the BacklandsThe Devil to Pay in the BacklandsGrande Sertão: Veredas is a novel published in 1956 by the Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa....
) (1956) - Primeiras Estórias (First Stories, 1962, made into a movie called A Terceira Margem do Rio)
- Tutaméia ? Terceiras Estórias (1967)
- Em Memória de João Guimarães Rosa (1968, posthumous)
- Estas Estórias (1969, posthumous)
- Ave, Palavra (1970, posthumous)
- Buriti (short story in "Corpo de Baile")