Rachel de Queiroz | |
|---|---|
 Rachel de Queiroz (1971), from the collection of theBrazilian National Archives | |
| Born | (1910-11-17)November 17, 1910 |
| Died | November 4, 2003(2003-11-04) (aged 92) Leblon,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Pen name | Rita de Queiroz |
| Notable works | O Quinze |
| Notable awards | |
Rachel de Queiroz (Brazilian Portuguese:[ʁaˈkɛwdʒiˈkejɾɔs], November 17, 1910 – November 4, 2003) was a Brazilianauthor, translator andjournalist.
Rachel de Queiroz was born on November 17, 1910 inFortaleza, capital of thenortheastern state ofCeará.[1] During her childhood, her family spent a couple of years inRio de Janeiro andBelém before moving back to Fortaleza.[1]
She began her career in journalism in 1927 under thepen name "Rita de Queiroz". She entered the national spotlight with the unexpected success of her debut novelO Quinze in 1930. She published another three novels before moving to Rio in 1939.[2] She was also renowned for herchronicles, short topical newspaper pieces.[3]
De Queiroz joined theBrazilian Communist Party in the1930s; she was arrested by theGetulio Vargas police in 1937;[4] she would break off with the party later that decade. In 1964 she supported theBrazilian military coup d'état.[5]
In 1964 she became Brazil's representative to theUN, and in 1977 she became the first female writer to enter theAcademia Brasileira de Letras. She won theCamões Prize (1993) and thePrêmio Jabuti.[6]
She died of aheart attack in her apartment inLeblon,Rio de Janeiro on November 4, 2003, about two weeks before her 93rd birthday.[2]
The Brazilian Marines' base in the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is named after her.[citation needed][7]
Her election, on November 4, 1977, to seat 5 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, caused some excitement among the feminists of the time. In an interview, she declared:I did not join the ABL because I was a woman. I joined because, regardless of that, I have a work. I have dear friends here. Almost all my friends are men, I don't trust women very much.[citation needed]
Received by Adonias Filho, she was the fifth occupant of the chair whose patron isBernardo Guimarães.[citation needed]
Her novelO Quinze was made into a film in 2004.[8]
On November 17, 2017,Google celebrated her 107th birthday with aGoogle Doodle.[9]
