Created to praise literary manifestations in all Portuguese-speaking countries and spread the richness and diversity of the language, Brasília met on Wednesday night (21) the winners of the first edition of the Candango Literature Prize. “The figure of Candango, chosen as a symbol of this initiative, was born from the confluence of cultures that met in Brasília for the construction of the new capital. The union of these experiences created this identity, which historically traces ties with other Portuguese-speaking peoples such as Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, East Timor, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea”, highlighted the Secretary of Culture and Creative Economy of the Federal District.
Among almost 2 thousand subscribers, only eight were awarded. The announcement of the winners took place at the Plínio Marcos Theater of the Ibero-American Cultural Hub, in Brasília. The night had a show by singer Lenine, accompanied by his son Bruno Giorgi, with the show Rizoma.
In the Romance category, Marcílio Godoi won, with Etelvine. In the category that awarded the Best Poetry Book, Alexei Bueno won, with The Sleep of the Humble. Boys Plots, by João Anzanello Carrascosa, won in the Book of Stories category. The work copper tangent, by Alexandre Pilati, was the winner in the Brasilia Award category. Gláucio Ramos Gomes, with Reading on the Cornerwas awarded the Prize for Incentive to Reading, In the same category, but with a focus on encouraging reading for people with disabilities, the writer Gisela Maria de Castro Teixeira, with The Book of Capitalswas the winner.
The award for the best Graphic Design went to Mom: design studio, by Beatriz Mom, for the book Poetry is a Bag, by Nicolas Behr. Finally, in the Cover category, Jéssica Iancoski Guimarães Ramos took with the book Alice Mazela’s Orangesby Géssica Menino.
Chosen by a jury made up of names such as Antonio Carlos Secchin, Claufe Rodrigues, Cida Pedrosa, Regina Dalcastagnè and Raimundo Carreiro, the winners received prizes between R$30,000 and R$12,000, depending on the category.
“I firmly believe in that definition given by Monteiro Lobato, according to which a country is made with men – and women, of course – and books. Almost a century has passed since then, but in the current reality, if we can exchange a pistol for a book, we will already be advancing”, said Bartolomeu Rodrigues, Secretary of Culture of the Federal District about the event, which was managed by the Cultural Institute Authors House.
