Brazil’s Top Literary Prize Winners Are Revealed

Jabuti, Brazil’s most traditional and important literary award, has announced the names of the winners in the 48th incarnation of the prize. For each of 19 categories there are three finalists.

The best novel award went to Milton Hatoum with Cinzas do Norte (North Ashes) published by Cia das Letras. Domingos Pellegrini and Godofredo de Oliveira Neto tied in second, while Edgard Telles Ribeiro came in third.

With 312 pages, Cinzas do Norte is presented as "a moral tale" of Hatoum’s own generation. The narrative starts with two boys growing up in the 1950s, in Manaus, the capital of Amazon state. Hatoum wrote two other books, which also won a Jabuti: Relato de um Certo Oriente (Tale of a Certain East) and Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers).

In the category of short stories, Marcelino Freire, who wrote Contos Negreiros (Slavery Short Stories) published by Record, got first place. Silviano Santiago came in second and Mário Araújo in third.

Brazil has still great poets, old and younger ones. Veteran poet Affonso Romano de Sant’Anna won first place with Vestí­gios (Vestiges) by Rocco publishing house. Poet Ruy Espinheira Filho and Domingos Pellegrini followed him in second and third places, respectively.

First place in biographies went to biography expert journalist Ruy Castro. He wrote Carmem, Uma Biografia, the life story of Carmem Miranda. Orestes Barbosa came next with Repórter, Cronista e Poeta Carlos Didier. followed by Daniel Piza. who wrote Machado de Assis: Um Gênio Brasileiro, about the life of Brazil’s most important writer.

Among others nominated for the prize were rapper Gabriel O Pensador, who won for best child book: Um garoto chamado Rorbeto (A Boy Called Rorbeto) and translator Mamede Mustafa Jarouche. who for the first time translated directly from the Arab the Livro das Mil e uma Noites (The Book of One Thousand and One Nights).

The selected books were drawn from a list of 2074 works. There were 115 novels, 111 poetry books and 179 books for children. The prizes and the announcement of the winners of Book of the Year (fiction and non-fiction) will happen September 13.

Here are a few of the Jabuti winners:

Novel

1. Cinzas do Norte, by Milton Hatoum

Companhia das Letras

2. Meninos no Poder, by Domingos Pellegrini

Editora Record

Menino Oculto, by Godofredo de Oliveira Neto

Editora Record

3. Olho de Rei, by Edgard Telles Ribeiro

Editora Record

Short Stories

1. Contos Negreiros, by Marcelino Freire

Editora Record

2. Histórias Mal Contadas, by Silviano Santiago

Rocco

3. A Hora Extrema, by Mário Araújo

Editora 7letras

Poetry

1. Vestí­gios, by Affonso Romano de Sant’anna

Rocco

2. Elegia de Agosto, by Ruy Espinheira Filho

Bertrand Brasil

3. Gaiola Aberta, by Domingos Pellegrini

Bertrand Brasil

Biography

1. Carmen – Uma Biografia, by Ruy Castro

Companhia das Letras

2 Orestes Barbosa – Repórter, Cronista e Poeta, by Carlos Didier

Agir Editora

3. Machado de Assis: Um Gênio Brasileiro, by Daniel Piza

Imprensa Oficial

Translation

1. Livro das Mil e Uma Noites, by Mamede Mustafa Jarouche

Editora Globo

2. A Balada do Velho Marinheiro, by Alí­pio Correia de Franca Neto

Ateliê Editorial

3. Ulisses, by Bernardina da Silveira Pinheiro

Editora Objetiva

Essays and Literary Criticism

1. O Local da Diferença, by Márcio Seligmann-Silva

Editora 34

2. Fragmentos de uma Deusa, by Giuliana Ragusa

Editora da Unicamp

3. Clarice Lispector com a Ponta dos Dedos, by Vilma Arêas

Companhia das Letras

Journalistic Work

1. Operação Araguaia – Arquivos Secretos da Guerrilha, by Taí­s Morais e Eumano Silva

Geração Editorial

2. Juí­zes no Banco dos Réus, by Frederico Vasconcelos

Frederico Vasconcelos

3. Já vi este Filme – Reportagem (e polêmicas) sobre Lula e o PT (1984-2005), by Luiz Maklouf Carvalho

Geração Editorial