The Carioca writer Nélida Piñon died today (17) in Lisbon, aged 85. A member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) since 1989, she was the first woman to chair the entity. She held the post between 1996 and 1997.
In a note, ABL highlighted the importance of Nélida Piñon. The cause of death has not been reported. The entity announced that the burial will be in her mausoleum, but did not disclose the date. A Saudade Session is confirmed for March 2, 2023, at Salão Nobre. ABL informed that this is a traditional ceremony, in which the Members will express their feelings and thoughts about the honored colleague. The Câmara Brasileira do Livro (CBL) also lamented the loss of “one of the most brilliant Brazilian writers”.
Descendant of Galicians, Nélida Piñon was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1937 and graduated in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. She debuted in literature with the novel Guia-map by Gabriel Arcanjo, published in 1961, which has as its themes sin, forgiveness and the relationship between mortals and God.
In 1984, he released one of his most outstanding works: A República dos Sonhos. In the novel, based on the story of a family of Galician immigrants, she reflects on Galicia, Spain and Brazil.
His writings have been translated in more than 30 countries and include novels, short stories, essays, speeches, chronicles and memoirs, which yielded important achievements, including the Jabuti Prize, the most traditional literary recognition in Brazil. She received the honor in the 2005 edition with the novel Vozes do Deserto. Nélida Piñon has received over 40 national and international awards throughout her career.
In academia, she was a professor at the Faculty of Letters of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and obtained the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in educational institutions in different countries. In 1998, she was the first woman to achieve this feat at the University of Santiago de Compostela, in the Galicia region of Spain.
His death was mourned by friends on social media. “An unbelievable silence forms in the soul of those who love literature. My dear friend of so many years, Nélida Piñon, left us a little while ago in Lisbon. She sent me this photo last week, promising to be in Rio today for lunch. Immense sadness “, wrote the journalist, writer and cultural manager Afonso Borges. Along with the post, he shared an image of the writer stroking her pet dog in her lap.
Sociologist Sérgio Abranches also expressed his regret. “I am devastated by the death of my dear friend, Nélida Piñon. She was unsurpassedly sweet and kind. A strong writer. A self-determined woman. A loss for Brazil and for literature. A personal loss. We spoke shortly before she left for Spain and Portugal,” he wrote.
*Material amended at 5:58 pm to add a note from the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
