Décio Pignatari (August 20, 1927 – December 2, 2012) was a Brazilian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

Early life and education

Born in Jundiaí in 1927, Pignatari began conducting experiments with poetic language, incorporating visuals elements and the fragmentation of words in the 1950s. Such verbal adventures culminated in concretism, aesthetic movement that he co-founded with Augusto and

Haroldo de Campos Haroldo Eurico Browne de Campos (19 August 1929 – 16 August 2003) was a Brazilian poet, critic, professor and translator. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Brazilian literature since 1950. Biography He did his secon ...

, with whom he edited the journals ''Noigandres'' and ''Invention'' and published the ''Theory of Concrete Poetry'' (1965).

Career

As a theorist of

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

and

semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...

, Pignatari translated works of

Marshall McLuhan Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his ...

and published the essay ''Information, Language and Communication'' (1968). His poetic work can also be read in ''Poesia Pois é Poesia'' (''Poetry because it's Poetry'') (1977). Pignatari published translations of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, among others, gathered in ''Portrait of Love when Young'' (1990) and ''231 poems''. He also published a volume of stories ''The Face of Memory'' (1988) and the novel ''Panteros'' (1992), as well as a work for

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

, ''Céu de Lona'' (''Sailcloth Sky''). He died in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

of a respiratory illness on December 2, 2012.

References

External links

Official site (in Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pignatari, Decio 1927 births 2012 deaths Brazilian male poets Semioticians People from Jundiaí University of São Paulo alumni Academic staff of the University of São Paulo Tropicália Translators to Portuguese 20th-century Brazilian poets 20th-century translators 20th-century Brazilian male writers Translators of Dante Alighieri Translators of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Translators of William Shakespeare Visual poets