Mia Couto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mia Couto
Couto at Fronteiras do Pensamento (2014)
Born	António Emílio Leite Couto 5 July 1955 Beira, Mozambique
Occupation	Biologist and writer
Nationality	Mozambican
Period	Colonial & Post-colonial Africa
Genre	Animist realism, historical fiction

Mia Couto, whose real name is António Emílio Leite Couto, is a famous writer from Mozambique. He was born on July 5, 1955. He has won some of the biggest awards for writers who write in Portuguese. These include the Camões Prize in 2013 and the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2014.

Life Story

Growing Up in Mozambique

Mia Couto was born on July 5, 1955, in Beira, Mozambique. This is the third-largest city in Mozambique. He grew up and went to school there. His parents were from Portugal and moved to Mozambique in the 1950s. At that time, Mozambique was a Portuguese colony.

When he was 14, some of his poems were printed in a local newspaper. Three years later, in 1971, he moved to the capital city, Lourenço Marques (now called Maputo). He started studying medicine at the University of Lourenço Marques. During this time, a group called FRELIMO was fighting for Mozambique to become free from Portuguese rule.

After Mozambique Became Independent

In April 1974, there was a big change in Portugal called the Carnation Revolution. This led to the end of the old government. Soon after, Mozambique was going to become an independent country.

In 1974, FRELIMO asked Mia Couto to stop his studies for a year. They wanted him to work as a journalist for a newspaper called Tribuna. After that, he became the director of the new Mozambique Information Agency (AIM). He also ran Tempo magazine until 1981.

His first book of poems, Raiz de Orvalho, came out in 1983. These poems were different from the usual political messages of the time. Mia Couto kept working for the newspaper Notícias until 1985. Then, he left to finish his studies in biology.

His Books and Awards

Mia Couto is seen as one of the most important writers in Mozambique. His books have been published in over 20 countries and in many different languages.

In his writing, he often mixes the Portuguese language with words and ways of speaking from Mozambique. This creates a unique style for African stories. His writing style is also like "magical realism." This is a type of writing popular in Latin American literature where magical things happen in a real world. He is known for making up his own proverbs, which are like wise sayings. He also uses riddles, legends, and metaphors. This makes his work feel very poetic.

His first novel, Sleepwalking Land, was chosen as one of the best 12 African books of the 20th century. This was decided by a group at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. In 2007, he was the first African writer to win the important Latin Union literary prize. This award has been given out every year in Italy since 1990. Mia Couto was only the fourth writer in the Portuguese language to win it.

In 1998, Mia Couto was chosen to be part of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He was the first African writer to receive this special honor. Today, he works as a biologist at the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. He also continues to write new books.

Awards and Honors

Mia Couto has received many important awards for his writing:

• 2007: Latin Union Prize
• 2013: Camões Prize
• 2014: Neustadt International Prize for Literature
• 2020: Jan Michalski Prize for Literature
• 2024: FIL de Literatura en Lenguas Romances
• 2025: PEN/Nabokov Award for International Literature

His Books

Mia Couto has written many different kinds of books, including poetry, short stories, and novels. Here are some of his works:

• Raiz do Orvalho (poetry, 1983)
• Vozes Anoitecidas (short stories, 1986). This book was translated into English as Voices Made Night.
• Cada Homem É uma Raça (short stories, 1990)
• Terra Sonâmbula (novel, 1992). This was translated as Sleepwalking Land.
• Estórias Abensonhadas (short stories, 1994). Some of these stories are in Rain and Other Stories.
• A Varanda do Frangipani (novel, 1996). This was translated as Under the Frangipani.
• O Último Voo do Flamingo (novel, 2000). This was translated as The Last Flight of the Flamingo.
• O Gato e o Escuro (children's book, 2001)
• A Confissão da Leoa (novel, 2012). This was translated as Confession of the Lioness.
• As Areias do Imperador (Sands of the Emperor) is a trilogy of novels:
  • Mulheres de cinzas (2015), translated as Woman of the Ashes
  • A Espada e a Azagaia (2016), translated as The Sword and the Spear
  • O Bebedor de Horizontes (2018), translated as The Drinker of Horizons

See also

In Spanish: Mia Couto para niños