João Cabral de Melo Neto
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João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920-1999) was born in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and is considered one of the greatest Brazilian poets of all time.
He is often quoted saying "I try not to perfume the flower". His works are said to be dry, devoid of exaggerated emotions that is usually associated with poetry, sticking usually to images and actions and physical descriptions rather than feelings. The image of an engineer designing a building is often used to describe his poetry. It usually follows a strict meter and assonant rhymes.
He worked as a diplomat for most of his life.
In 1990, he won the Camões Prize, the greatest prize in literature of the Portuguese language. In 1992, João Cabral received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, that some consider to be almost as prestigious as the Nobel Prize.
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[edit] Works
Melo Neto's most famous poems are:
- "Morte e Vida Severina" (translated in part by Elizabeth Bishop as "Death and Life of a Severino"), his most famous work, is a very long narrative poem (in most editions it goes over 80 pages) that describes the life of a poor country man in the dry northeastern part of Brazil.
- "Uma Faca só Lâmina" (A Knife All Blade) is also considered to be one of his best works, and was translated to English in 1980. The poem is about the many ways to describe "that sorrowful absence in a man".
- "Cão sem Plumas" (A Dog Without Feathers) describes the Capibaribe river of Pernambuco, and the poverty-stricken community that surrounds it.
[edit] Poetry
- Pedra do Sono [Rock of the Sleep] (1942)
- Os Três Mal-Amados [The Three Bad Beloved] (1943)
- O Engenheiro [The Engineer] (1945)
- Psicologia da Composição com a Fábula de Anfion e Antiode (1947)
- O Cão Sem Plumas [The Dog Without Feathers](1950)
- O Rio ou Relação da Viagem que Faz o Capibaribe de Sua Nascente à Cidade do Recife [The Rio or Reveletion about the trip that does Capibaribe of Your Source until The Town of Recife](1954)
- Dois Parlamentos [Two Parliaments](1960)
- Quaderna (1960)
- A Educação pela Pedra [The Education through the Rock] (1966)
- Museu de Tudo [Museum of Everything] (1975)
- A Escola das Facas [The School of the Knives] (1980)
- Auto do Frade (1984)
- Agrestes (1985)
- Crime na Calle Relator (1987)
- Primeiros Poemas [First Poems] (1990)
- Sevilha Andando [Walking Sevilla] (1990)
[edit] Further reading
English
- Education by stone : selected poems / João Cabral de Melo Neto; Richard Zenith., 2005
- Selected poetry, 1937-1990 / João Cabral de Melo Neto; Djelal Kadir., 1994
- The aesthetics of the object in the poetry of João Cabral de Melo Neto / Marta Peixoto., 1977
- The poem and the canvas: pictorial implications in the works of João Cabral de Melo Neto / Danilo Pinto Lôbo., 1972
- João Cabral de Melo Neto / Benedito Nunes., 1971
Portuguese
- João Cabral de Melo Neto : o homem sem alma ; Diário de tudo / José Castello., 2006
- Os signos de uma educação : a água e a pedra na poética de João Cabral de Melo Neto / Walter Filho., 2003
- O poeta e a mídia : Carlos Drummond de Andrade e João Cabral de Melo Neto / Fábio Lucas., 2002
- O poema no sistema : a peculiaridade do antilírico João Cabral na poesia brasileira / Homero Araújo., 2002
- João Cabral e o poema dramático, Auto do frade / Níobe Abreu Peixoto., 2001
- João Cabral de Melo Neto / João Alexandre Barbosa., 2001
- A poesia crítica de João Cabral de Melo Neto / Helton Gonçalves de Souza., 1999
- João Cabral : a poesia do menos e outros ensaios cabralinos / Antonio Carlos Secchin., 1999
- João Cabral de Melo Neto : o homem sem alma / José Castello., 1996
- A bailadora andaluza : a explosão do sagrado na poesia de João Cabral / Waldecy Tenório., 1996
- João Cabral em perspectiva / Maria do Carmo Campos., 1995
- Lira e antilira : Mário, Drummond, Cabral / Luiz Costa Lima., 1995
- Manuel e João : dois poetas pernambucanos / Assis Brasil., 1990
Spanish
- Piedra fundamental : poesia y prosa / João Cabral de Melo Neto., 2002
- Idéias fixas de João Cabral de Melo Neto / Félix de Athayde., 1998
- A la medida de la mano / Angel Crespo., 1994
