Osman Lins (July 5, 1924 – July 8, 1978) was a Brazilian novelist and short story writer. He is considered to be one of the leading innovators of Brazilian literature in the mid 20th century. Lins was born in

Vitória de Santo Antão Vitória de Santo Antão is a city in Pernambuco State, Brazil, 46 kilometers west of Recife. Its territorial area is 335,942 km², 5,717 km² of which lies within the urban perimeter. In 2021, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and S ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

. He graduated from the

University of Recife Federal University of Pernambuco ( pt, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE) is a public university in Recife, Brazil, established in 1946. UFPE has 70 undergraduate courses and 175 postgraduate courses. , UFPE had 35,000 students and 2,000 ...

in 1946 with a degree in economics and finance, and held a position as bank clerk from 1943 until 1970. From 1970 to 1976 he taught literature. His first novel, ''O Visitante'' ("The Visitor"), was published in 1955. His later publications would bring him international recognition and establish his reputation—''Nove, Novena'' (1966; "Nine, Ninth"), a collection of short stories, ''Avalovara'' (1973), a novel, and ''A Rainha dos Cárceres da Grécia'' (1976; "The Queen of the Grecian Jails"), a novel/essay.(April 1, 1995). ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature''. Merriam-Webster. . p. 684. Lins was the recipient of three major Brazilian literary awards, which included the Coelho Neto Prize of the

Brazilian Academy of Letters The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...

. 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 ...

at the age of 54 from widespread cancer, the result of a belatedly diagnosed melanoma.

Notes

1924 births 1978 deaths Federal University of Pernambuco alumni Brazilian male short story writers Brazilian male novelists 20th-century Brazilian novelists People from Vitória de Santo Antão 20th-century Brazilian short story writers 20th-century Brazilian male writers {{Brazil-writer-stub