Conceição Evaristo
Brazilian writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brazilian writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maria da Conceição Evaristo de Brito (born 29 November 1946) is a Brazilian writer.[1] Her work is marked by her life experiences as an Afro-Brazilian woman, which she calls escrevivência—a portmanteau of escrita (writing) and vivência (life experience).[2] She was born into a humble family and is the second oldest of 9 siblings, being the first in her household to earn a university degree. She helped her mother and aunt with washing clothes and deliveries, while studying.[3]
Conceição Evaristo | |
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![]() Evaristo in 2013 | |
Born | Maria da Conceição Evaristo de Brito 29 November 1946 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
In the 1970s, she moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she passed a contest, starting to write only in the 1990s.[4] She completed her master's degree in the mid-1990s and her doctorate in the early 2010s.[5][6]
Conceição was born in a favela in the southern area of Belo Horizonte, to a very poor family with nine brothers and her mother.[7]
She had to work as a domestic servant during her youth until she finished her normal course in 1971, at the age of 25. She moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she was approved on a civil service exam to be a teacher and studied Letters at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.[8] In the 1980s, Evaristo got in touch with the Quilombhoje group. She made her debut in literature in 1990, with works published in the series Cadernos Negros, published by the organization.[9]
She earned a master's degree in Brazilian Literature from PUC-Rio in 1996, and a PhD in Comparative Literature from Universidade Federal Fluminense in 2011.[9] Her works, especially the novel Ponciá Vicêncio (2003), address themes such as racial, gender and class discrimination. In 2007, her first novel, Ponciá Vicêncio, became the focus of a Master's thesis in Brazil, the first one on the author.[10] The novel was translated into English and published in the United States also in 2007.[11] She currently teaches at UFMG as a visiting professor.[9]
In 2018, she was nominated for a chair at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, and lost to filmmaker Cacá Diegues by 22 votes to 1.[12] The Caribbean Philosophical Association awarded its 2018 Nicolás Guillén Lifetime Achievement Award to Conceição Evaristo.[13]
She is a corresponding member of the Academia Espírito-santense de Letras, Vitória, Espírito Santo.[14]
Conceição Evaristo is a great exponent of contemporary Brazilian literature. She writes about race, gender and class discrimination, especially of black women.[15]
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