Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen GColSE GCSE GOSE GCIH

Born	6 November 1919 (1919-11-06) Porto, Portugal
Died	2 July 2004(2004-07-02) (aged 84) Lisbon, Portugal
Resting place	National Pantheon
Occupation	Writer, poet
Period	1944-2004
Spouse	Francisco José Carneiro de Sousa Tavares
Children	Miguel Sousa Tavares Isabel Sofia Andresen Sousa Tavares Maria Andresen Sousa Tavares Sofia Andresen Sousa Tavares Xavier Andresen Sousa Tavares
Relatives	Mother: Maria Amélia de Mello Breyner Father: João Henrique Andresen

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (born November 6, 1919 – died July 2, 2004) was a famous Portuguese poet and writer. She is one of Portugal's most important writers. Her body was moved to the National Pantheon in 2014. This is a special place where Portugal's most honored people are laid to rest.

Sophia's Early Life and Career
- Sophia's Later Years
Sophia's Writing Style
Sophia's Legacy
Recording in the Library of Congress
Awards and Honors
- Awards
- Decorations
See also

Sophia's Early Life and Career

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was born in Porto, Portugal, on November 6, 1919. Her parents were Maria Amelia de Mello Breyner and João Henrique Andresen. Her father's family had Danish roots. Her great-grandfather, Jan Andresen, came to Porto as a boy and stayed there.

In 1895, Sophia's grandfather bought a large property called Quinta do Campo Alegre. Today, this place is the Porto Botanical Garden. Sophia grew up in this amazing home. She described it as "a fabulous territory" with a big family and many helpers.

Her mother's father was Tomás de Mello Breyner, a count and a doctor. He was also a friend of King D. Carlos. Sophia started school at the Sacred Heart of Jesus College in Porto. She was part of the very first class there.

Sophia grew up with a mix of wealthy family traditions and old Portuguese noble customs. She also had a strong Christian upbringing. She studied Classical Philology at the University of Lisbon from 1936 to 1939. She never finished her degree.

She wrote for a magazine called "Cadernos de Poesia." There, she became friends with well-known writers like Ruy Cinatti and Jorge de Sena. Sophia became known for her liberal political views. She spoke out against the government of President Salazar. A song called "Cantata da Paz" became famous because of her words: "We see, hear and read. We cannot ignore!"

In 1946, she married Francisco Sousa Tavares. He was a journalist, politician, and lawyer. They had five children together. One of her children, Miguel Sousa Tavares, became a journalist and writer. Her children inspired her to write many books for young readers.

In 1964, Sophia won the Grand Prize of Poetry. This was from the Portuguese Society of Writers for her book Livro Sexto. After a big change in Portugal in 1975, she was chosen to be part of the Constituent Assembly. This group helped create a new constitution for the country.

Sophia was a great storyteller. She wrote Contos Exemplares (Exemplary Tales) and "Histórias da Terra e do Mar" (Stories of Land and Sea). She also wrote many popular children's books. These include A Menina do Mar (The Sea Girl), O Cavaleiro da Dinamarca (The Danish Knight), A Floresta (The Forest), O Rapaz de Bronze (The Bronze Boy), and A Fada Oriana (The Fairy Oriana).

She also published many poetry books. Some of these are Poesia, Dual, Livro Sexto, Coral, and Dia do Mar. In 1999, she made history. She became the first woman to win the Camões Prize. This is the highest award for poetry in the Portuguese language. She also won the Max Jacob Poetry Prize in 2001 and the Spanish Prémio Reina Sofia in 2003.

Besides her own writing, Sophia also translated famous works. She translated books by Dante and Shakespeare into Portuguese.

Sophia's Later Years

A statue of Sophia Andresen at the Botanical Garden of Porto, Portugal. This was once her family home.

Sophia Andresen passed away on July 2, 2004, in Lisbon. She was 84 years old. At first, she was buried in a cemetery. But on February 20, 2014, the Portuguese Parliament decided to honor her. They voted to move her body to the National Pantheon. The special ceremony took place on July 2, 2014.

Sophia's Writing Style

Sophia often wrote about the importance of houses and memories. Her childhood homes had a big impact on her work. She loved describing and remembering the houses and the things inside them.

She once said:

"I have a lot of visual memory and I always remember houses, room by room, furniture by furniture, and I remember many houses that have disappeared from my life... I try to 'represent,' I mean, 'bring back the things I liked,' and that's what goes with houses: I want their memory not to drift, not to be lost."

Sophia also believed that poetry could change things. She often wrote at night. She said: "I cannot write in the morning,... I need that special concentration that is being created at night." Her poems often mention night, like "Night" and "The Moonlight."

She felt that poetry sometimes just "happened" to her. She compared it to what Fernando Pessoa said:

"Fernando Pessoa said: 'A poem has happened to me.' My fundamental writing is very close to this 'happening.' I found poetry before I knew there was literature. I really thought that the poems were not written by anyone, that they existed in themselves, that they were like an element of the natural, that they were suspended immanent. It is difficult to describe the process of writing a poem. There is always a part that I can't distinguish, a part that happens in the area where I don't see it."

Many people say that Sophia's own life and memories inspired her poetry. She "speaks of herself through her poetry."

Early Writings

Sophia's love for poetry began when she was very young. At age three, her nanny Laura taught her a long poem called "A Nau Catrineta."

She remembered:

There was a maid in my house named Laura, whom I liked very much. She was a young, blonde woman, very beautiful. Laura taught me "A Nau Catrineta" because there was an older cousin of mine who had been taught a poem to say at Christmas and she didn't want me to be left behind… I was a phenomenon, reciting the entire "Nau Catrineta." But there are more encounters, fundamental encounters with poetry: the recitation of the "Magnífica" on thunderstorms, for example. When we were a little older, we had a housekeeper who on those nights burned rosemary, lit a candle and prayed. It was a mixed environment of religion and magic… And in a way on those thunderstorms, many things were born. Even a certain social and human concern, or my first awareness of the harshness of the lives of others, because this housekeeper said: "Now fishermen walk in the sea, let us pray that they will reach the land" (...). "

Sophia often wrote about her childhood and youth. These times were a special place for her. She wrote poems like "The Garden and the House" and "White House."

Later Work

Being close to nature also deeply influenced her work. Nature was a symbol of freedom, beauty, and mystery for her. You can see this in her poems about trees, birds, moonlight, beaches, shells, and waves.

The Sea is a very important idea in Sophia's writing. She wrote: "From the Shore / Where It All Started Intact on the First Day of Me." The sea inspired many poems, like "Men by the Sea" and "Women by the Sea."

She said about this inspiration:

"These poems have to do with the Granja mornings, the beach mornings. And also with a painting by Picasso. There is a painting by Picasso called "Women by the Sea." No one will say that Picasso's painting and Lorca's poetry have had a tremendous influence on my poetry, especially in the time of the Choral ... And one of Picasso's influences on me was that I moved the images."

The sea in her poems shows her deep love for it. It represents life, change, and even death.

The city is another common theme in her work. But for Sophia, the city was often a negative place. It felt cold, fake, and unfriendly. It was the opposite of nature and safety.

Time is also a key topic in her poems. She wrote about "divided time" and "absolute time." Divided time was about loneliness and fear. Absolute time was eternal and about moral values.

Sophia admired classical literature, especially from Ancient Greece. Her poems sometimes use old words. This shows her love for Greek culture and traditions. She also shared many ideas with another famous Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa. They both were influenced by Plato and wrote about childhood memories.

Main Themes in Sophia's Work

Sophia's writing covered many important ideas. Here are some of the main themes you can find in her work:

Searching for fairness, balance, and good values.
Being aware of the times we live in.
Nature and the Sea – places that bring joy and are important for people.
The idea of "home" or "the house."
Love.
Life versus death.
Memories from childhood.
Values from ancient times, like Greek naturalism.
Belief in Messianic and Sebastianist ideas (hope for a hero to save the country).
Separation.

Sophia's language style was very precise and clear. She used many symbols and allegories (stories with a hidden meaning). Her words often had a musical rhythm. Critics praised her talent. They said her understanding was "deeper than just knowing."

Sophia's Legacy

Since 2005, the Lisbon Oceanarium has displayed some of Sophia's poems. These poems, which are about the sea, are placed in resting areas. Visitors can read her bold words while surrounded by the ocean environment.

Sophia explained what poetry meant to her: "Poetry is my understanding of the universe, my way of relating to things, my participation in reality, my encounter with voices and images." She said her poems were about real life. They were about "the angle of a window, the resonance of streets, cities and rooms, the shadow cast by a wall, a sudden face, the silence, distance and brightness of the stars, the night’s breath, the scent of linden and of oregano." The sea is truly the most important theme in her poetry. She also often wrote about Ancient Greece, freedom, and justice.

Her poetry has been translated into many languages. These include English, by translators like Ruth Fainlight and Richard Zenith. A short film about Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was made in 1969. It was directed by João César Monteiro.

Recording in the Library of Congress

You can listen to Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen reading her own work from 1985 here: [1].

Awards and Honors

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen received many important awards and honors for her writing.

Awards

In 1964: Grand Prize for Poetry for her book Livro Sexto.
In 1977: Teixeira de Pascoaes Prize for her book O Nome das Coisas.
In 1983: Critics' Prize from the International Association of Critics for all her work.
In 1989: King Diniz Prize for her book Ilhas (Islands).
In 1990: Grand Prize for Poetry from Inasset/Inapa and Pen Club for Ilhas.
In 1992: Calouste Gulbenkian's Grand Prize for Literature for Children for all her children's books.
In 1994: "Vida Literária" (Literary Life) Prize.
In 1995: Honour Plaque of the Petrarca Prize.
In 1998: Luís Miguel Nava Foundation Prize for her book O Búzio de Cós e Outros Poemas.
In 1999: the Camões Prize for Portuguese language literature. She was the first woman to win this award.
In 2003: the Reina Sofia Prize for writers from Portugal, Spain, and Latin America.