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| Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian Academy of Letters |
| Native name | Academia Brasileira de Letras |
| Abbreviation | ABL |
| Formation | 20 July 1897 |
| Type | Literary society |
| Headquarters | Rio de Janeiro |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Leader title | President |
Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) is a prestigious cultural institution founded in the late 19th century that shaped the literary life of Brazil by consolidating authors, intellectuals, and public figures around the promotion of the Portuguese language and national letters. Modeled on the Académie française, it brought together writers, statesmen, jurists, and scholars from cities such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Salvador to codify literary standards and recognize distinguished contributions to Brazilian letters. Over decades it has involved figures connected to movements like Romanticism (Brazil), Realism (literature), and Modernism (Brazilian literature), and it has maintained relations with institutions such as the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and the National Library of Brazil.
The Academy was established on 20 July 1897 by a cohort including Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Raimundo Correia, Araripe Júnior, Olavo Bilac, and Gonçalves Dias's intellectual heirs, following debates influenced by international precedents like the Académie française and the Royal Spanish Academy. Its founding occurred during the republican transition after the Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil) and amid cultural initiatives tied to figures such as Getúlio Vargas and periods including the First Brazilian Republic. Early statutes and seat allocations drew on models practiced by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, while its public ceremonies intersected with events like commemorations for Dom Pedro II and literary tributes to José de Alencar. The Academy navigated ideological currents from the Abolition of Slavery in Brazil era to the Semana de Arte Moderna (1922), incorporating members associated with Mário de Andrade, Oswald de Andrade, and later Carlos Drummond de Andrade. During the 20th century, the institution adapted to political shifts involving Vargas era policies, the Military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1985), and the re-democratization period linked to figures such as Tancredo Neves. Its long trajectory also intersected with international engagements with the Latin American Writers Congress and bilateral exchanges with the Portuguese Academy of Sciences.
The Academy is organized into forty chairs, each associated with a patron drawn from Brazil’s literary past, and seats are occupied by elected lifetime members, a structure inspired by the Académie française. Notable occupants have included Machado de Assis, Joaquim Nabuco, Euclides da Cunha, Aluísio Azevedo, Cecília Meireles, Graciliano Ramos, Joaquim Nabuco, and Afonso Arinos. Elections for vacant chairs attract candidates from cultural circles tied to institutions such as the Federal University of Minas Gerais, the University of São Paulo, and the State University of Rio de Janeiro. The Academy’s governing body comprises a president, secretary, and treasurer; past presidents have included figures associated with Getúlio Vargas era intellectual life and cultural policymakers who liaised with the Ministry of Culture (Brazil). Honorary members and corresponding members include international literati like those from the Académie française, the Royal Spanish Academy, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The Academy’s declared mission emphasizes the preservation and cultivation of the Portuguese language in Brazil, the promotion of literature, and the recognition of writers and scholars through prizes and lectures. It organizes conferences, public readings, and colloquia linked to subjects such as the works of Machado de Assis, Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado, and José Saramago. Collaborations have taken place with cultural foundations like the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, the Instituto Moreira Salles, and the Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa. The Academy has run educational outreach, archival projects associated with the papers of Manuel Bandeira and Carlos Drummond de Andrade, and language standardization initiatives comparable to efforts by the Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement (1990) signatories.
The Academy is headquartered in the historic Flamengo palace known as the Petit Trianon–influenced mansion near landmarks such as the Flamengo Park and the National Museum of Fine Arts (Brazil). Its building houses ornate meeting halls, an auditorium used for lectures and ceremonies, and a specialized library containing manuscripts, first editions, and archives of members including Machado de Assis, Raimundo Correia, and Olavo Bilac. The premises have hosted exhibitions in partnership with the National Library of Brazil and the Museu Histórico Nacional (Brazil), and they function as a venue for state visits by delegations from the Académie française, the Royal Spanish Academy, and cultural missions from Portugal and other Lusophone nations.
The Academy publishes collections of memoirs, critical studies, and proceedings of its sessions; periodicals produced under its auspices have featured essays on authors like Graciliano Ramos, Jorge Luis Borges, Clarice Lispector, and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. It confers prizes and honors for literary achievement and scholarly contribution, comparable in prestige to awards such as the Camões Prize and involving juries connected to the Brazilian Writers Union and academic presses like the Editora Universidade de São Paulo. The Academy’s publishing output includes annotated editions, lexicographical work, and commemorative volumes on patrons such as José de Alencar and Castro Alves, and it has periodically sponsored translations of Brazilian authors into languages of recipients from the Goncourt Academy-linked networks.
The institution has faced criticism concerning perceived elitism and conservatism, with critics comparing its gatekeeping to controversies surrounding bodies like the Académie française and public debates involving the Semana de Arte Moderna (1922). Disputes have arisen over seat elections involving figures from different political milieus, tensions during the Military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1985) regarding cultural autonomy, and debates over inclusivity that reference the trajectories of authors such as Clarice Lispector and Joaquim Nabuco. Calls for broader representation have highlighted underrepresentation of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous voices linked to movements represented by activists in the Black Movement (Brazil) and Indigenous advocacy groups, prompting public dialogues with institutions like the Ministry of Culture (Brazil) and the National Council for Cultural Policies.
Category:Culture of Brazil