Rubem Alves facts for kids

Rubem Azevedo Alves (born September 15, 1933 – died July 19, 2014) was a very important Brazilian thinker. He was a theologian (someone who studies religion), a philosopher (someone who thinks deeply about life), an educator, a writer, and a psychoanalyst (someone who helps people understand their minds).

Rubem Alves was also one of the people who started something called Latin American liberation theology. This idea focused on helping people who were poor or treated unfairly, especially in Latin America.

Life Story

Rubem Alves was born in Boa Esperança, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This was on September 15, 1933.

He studied a lot! He earned his first degree in theology in Brazil in 1957. Then, he went to New York City in the United States and got another degree in theology in 1964.

When he came back to Brazil, things were difficult. The military had taken control of the government. They were looking for people they thought were against them. To protect themselves, some church leaders gave the military a few names, and Rubem Alves was one of them.

Because of this, Alves had to hide. But with help from friends and another church group, he secretly went back to the United States. He was invited to study for his doctorate degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Alves found his studies at Princeton hard. He missed Brazil very much. He felt like he had to write his papers in a way that pleased his professors, even if he didn't like it. He said he wrote "without smiles or poetry." He finished his main paper, called Toward a Theology of Liberation, in 1968. He got the lowest possible grade, but it was enough to earn his PhD.

Later, Alves thought that some parts of liberation theology focused too much on big social problems. He felt it didn't always help people with their personal sadness. He said it wasn't comforting to tell a grieving parent that things would be better in a future, fair society. He believed it needed to offer comfort for personal pain too.

Working as a Professor

Rubem Alves had a busy career teaching and studying.

• He trained to be a psychoanalyst in São Paulo, Brazil. This means he learned how to help people understand their thoughts and feelings.
• In 1969, he became a professor of social philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Rio Claro.
• In 1974, he started teaching philosophy at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He later became a full professor there.

Writing Career

Besides teaching, Rubem Alves was a very active writer. He wrote many books and articles for newspapers and magazines. His topics included education, psychology, and everyday life.

From 1986, he wrote a regular column for Correio Popular, a big newspaper in his hometown of Campinas. He wrote over 40 books! Many of his books were translated into other languages like German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish.

He worked with other famous thinkers like Paulo Freire. His book, The Poet, The Warrior, The Prophet, is an important book about how poetry and religion connect.

In his later years, Rubem Alves also wrote several books especially for children. He passed away on July 19, 2014, in Campinas, Brazil.

His Impact

Rubem Alves is sometimes called an "unsung hero." This means he did great things but isn't always as famous as others in his field. He is sometimes left out when people talk briefly about liberation theology, even though he was very important to it.

See also

In Spanish: Rubem Alves para niños