Lêdo Ivo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lêdo Ivo
From the collection of the Brazilian National Archives
Born	18 February 1924 Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
Died	23 December 2012 (aged 88) Seville, Spain
Occupation	Poet novelist essayist journalist

Lêdo Ivo (born February 18, 1924 – died December 23, 2012) was a famous writer from Brazil. He wrote many different kinds of books, including poems, novels, and essays. He was also a journalist, which means he wrote for newspapers and magazines. In 1986, he became a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, a very important group for writers in Brazil.

About Lêdo Ivo

Early Life and Career

Lêdo Ivo was born in 1924 in Maceió, a city in northeastern Brazil. In 1940, he moved to Recife to finish his studies. A few years later, in 1943, he moved to Rio de Janeiro. There, he started law school and worked as a journalist, writing for special literary sections of newspapers. He married Leda Maria Sarmento Ivo de Medeiros, and they had three children together.

Important Books and Awards

Lêdo Ivo's first book, As imaginações (The Imaginations), was a collection of poems published in 1944. The next year, he released Ode e Elegia (Ode and Elegy). This book won the Olavo Bilac Prize from the Brazilian Academy of Letters. It was a very important book for Brazilian poetry at the time.

His first novel, As Alianças (The Alliances), came out in 1947. It won the Graça Aranha Foundation Prize. He wrote other novels like O Caminho sem Adventura (The Road Without Adventure) in 1948. One of his most famous novels was Ninho de cobras (Snake's Nest), published in 1973. This book was a story that showed how a government could have too much control over people.

In 1949, Lêdo Ivo gave a talk at the Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo. He spoke about "The Generation of 1945," a group of writers from his time. Even though he earned a law degree that same year, he chose to focus on writing and journalism instead of practicing law.

Later Life and Legacy

Lêdo Ivo traveled a lot. In 1953, he visited several countries in Europe. In 1963, he spent two months in universities in the USA, invited by the American government.

In 1986, he was chosen to be a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. This is a great honor for writers in Brazil. In 2009, he received the Premio Casa de las Américas, another important award for his work.

Lêdo Ivo also translated books from other languages into Portuguese. He translated works by famous authors like Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He wrote two books about his own life, called memoirs. These were Confissões de um Poeta (Confessions of a Poet) in 1979 and O Aluno Relapso (The Negligent Student) in 1991.

His Books and Writings

See also

In Spanish: Lêdo Ivo para niños