Murilo Mendes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Murilo Mendes
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A portrait of Mendes painted in 1922 by Ismael Nery
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| Born |
Murilo Monteiro Mendes
May 13, 1901 |
| Died | August 13, 1975 (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Poet |
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Notable work
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Poemas, Bumba-Meu-Poeta |
Murilo Monteiro Mendes (born May 13, 1901 – died August 13, 1975) was a famous Brazilian poet. He was a key figure in the Modernist art movement. Many people also see him as one of the first to bring Surrealism to Brazil.
Contents
Life Story of Murilo Mendes
Murilo Mendes was born in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. This city is in the state of Minas Gerais. He was born on May 13, 1901. Later, he moved to Niterói to finish high school. After that, he settled in Rio de Janeiro.
Murilo Mendes said two big events inspired him. One was seeing Halley's Comet in 1910. The other was watching a performance by the Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in 1917. These moments made him want to become a poet.
Early Writings and Awards
Between 1924 and 1929, Mendes started publishing his poems. They appeared in Antropofagia and Verde magazines. These were important magazines for the Modernist movement.
His first book of poems was simply called Poemas. It came out in 1930. This book won the Graça Aranha Prize. Soon after, his second poetry book, Bumba-Meu-Poeta, was released. In 1933, Mendes published another book called História do Brasil.
Friendship and Faith
Since the 1920s, Mendes was very good friends with Ismael Nery. Nery was a Modernist painter. In 1922, Nery painted a portrait of Mendes. Nery also encouraged Mendes to become a Roman Catholic. Before this, Mendes had been an Atheist.
Ismael Nery passed away in 1934. This made Mendes very sad and confused. This sadness, along with his new faith, influenced his writing. He wrote a book called Tempo e Eternidade. He wrote it with Jorge de Lima. It was published in 1935.
Work and Family Life
Until 1935, Murilo Mendes worked as a telegraph operator. He also worked as a bookkeeper. In 1936, he became a school inspector. Later, in 1946, he started working as a scrivener. This job involved writing out documents.
In 1947, he married Maria da Saudade Cortesão. They did not have any children together.
Travels and Later Life
From 1953 onwards, Mendes traveled a lot in Europe. He settled in Italy in 1957. There, he became a teacher of Brazilian literature. He taught at the Sapienza University of Rome. Later, he also taught at the University of Pisa.
During this time, Mendes's books began to be translated. His works were published in Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
He later moved to Portugal. In 1972, he received a special award. It was called the Prémio Internacional de Poesia Etna-Taormina. After a short visit to Brazil, he went back to Europe. He published his last book, Retratos-Relâmpago, in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, Murilo Mendes passed away in Lisbon.
Legacy
After Murilo Mendes died, his wife donated his large library. It had about 2,800 books. This collection went to the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. These books became the main part of the Museu de Arte Murilo Mendes (MAMM). This museum opened in 2005 in Juiz de Fora.
Works
- Poemas (1930)
- Bumba-Meu-Poeta (1930)
- História do Brasil (1933)
- Tempo e Eternidade (1935 — co-written by Jorge de Lima)
- A Poesia em Pânico (1938)
- O Visionário (1941)
- As Metamorfoses (1944)
- O Discípulo de Emaús (1944)
- Mundo-Enigma (1945)
- Poesia-Liberdade (1947)
- Janela do Caos (1948)
- Contemplação de Ouro Preto (1954)
- Tempo Espanhol (1959)
- Poliedro (1962)
- A Idade do Serrote (1968)
- Convergência (1972)
- Retratos-Relâmpago (1973)
See also
In Spanish: Murilo Mendes para niños
