João Guimarães Rosa
João Guimarães Rosa (Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w ɡimɐˈɾɐ̃jz ˈʁɔzɐ, ˈʒwɐ̃w -]; 27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet and diplomat.
João Guimarães Rosa | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Academic of the 2nd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters | |
| In office 16 November 1963 – 19 November 1967 | |
| Preceded by | João Neves da Fontoura |
| Succeeded by | Mário Palmério |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 June 1908 Cordisburgo, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Died | 19 November 1967 (aged 59) Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Minas Gerais |
| Occupation | Author, novelist, short story writer |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Rosa only wrote one novel, Grande Sertão: Veredas (known in English as The Devil to Pay in the Backlands), a revolutionary text for its blend of archaic and colloquial prose and frequent use of neologisms, taking inspiration from the spoken language of the Brazilian backlands. For its profoundly philosophical themes, the critic Antonio Candido described the book as a "metaphysical novel". It is often considered to be the Brazilian equivalent of James Joyce's Ulysses.In a 2002, poll by the Bokklubben World Library, "Grande Sertão: Veredas" was named among the best 100 books of all time. Rosa also published four books of short stories in his lifetime, all of them revolving around the life in the sertão, but also addressing themes of universal literature and of existential nature. He died in 1967 — the year he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature —, victim of a heart attack.