Murilo Monteiro Mendes (May 13, 1901 – August 13, 1975) was a Brazilian

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

poet, considered to be one of the forerunners of the Surrealist movement in Brazil.

Biography

Mendes was born in

Juiz de Fora Juiz de Fora (, '' Outsider Judge''), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2020 estimates the current population is about 57 ...

, in the Brazilian state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, on May 13, 1901. He subsequently moved to Niterói in order to finish his high school, and settled in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

afterwards. Mendes alleges that two happenings of his life inspired him to become a poet: the sighting of

Halley's Comet Halley's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 75–79 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the on ...

in 1910, and a performance of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

dancer

Vaslav Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

he attended in 1917. Between 1924 and 1929, Mendes published his first poems in the

magazines ''Antropofagia'' and ''Verde''. His first poetry book, simply called ''Poemas'', was published in 1930; it won the

Graça Aranha José Pereira da Graça Aranha (June 21, 1868 – January 26, 1931) was a Brazilian writer and diplomat, considered to be a forerunner of the Modernism in Brazil. He was also one of the organizers of the Brazilian Modern Art Week of 1922. He fo ...

Prize. His second poetry book, ''Bumba-Meu-Poeta'', was released shortly afterwards, and in 1933, Mendes published ''História do Brasil''. Since the 1920s Mendes was very close friends with Modernist painter

Ismael Nery Ismael Nery (October 9, 1900 – April 6, 1934) was a Brazilian artist. Biography Background Born in Belém, Pará, of Dutch, Native-Brazilian, and African ancestry, he studied at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes (National School of Fine A ...

; Nery painted a portrait of Mendes in 1922, and also influenced him to convert himself to Roman Catholicism (Mendes was previously an Atheist). Nery died in 1934, leaving Mendes confused and saddened; this, along with his newly found faith, influenced the writing process of his book ''Tempo e Eternidade'', written in conjunction with Jorge de Lima and published in 1935. Until 1935 he worked as a telegrapher and as a bookkeeper. In 1936 he became a school inspector, and in 1946 he became a

scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who could read and write or who wrote letters to court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying written material. This usually indicated secretarial and ad ...

. In 1947 he married Maria da Saudade Cortesão, but they would not have any children. From 1953 onwards Mendes would travel around

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, settling in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1957, where he became a teacher of Brazilian literature in the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

, and later in the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

. Around this time, Mendes' works started to be translated and published in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and Italy. Having moved to Portugal, Mendes received the Prémio Internacional de Poesia Etna-Taormina in 1972, and after a short visit to Brazil, he returned to Europe and published his last book, ''Retratos-Relâmpago'', in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, Mendes died in Lisbon. After his death, Mendes' library of some 2,800 works was donated to the

Federal University of Juiz de Fora The Federal University of Juiz de Fora ( pt, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, UFJF) is a public research university in Brazil. Throughout its over 50 years of existence, the university has undergone significant growth, strengthening the qual ...

by his widow. This forms the basis of the collection of the Museu de Arte Murilo Mendes (MAMM), inaugurated in 2005 in Juiz de Fora.

Works

* ''Poemas'' (1930) * ''Bumba-Meu-Poeta'' (1930) * ''História do Brasil'' (1933) * ''Tempo e Eternidade'' (1935 — co-written by Jorge de Lima) * ''A Poesia em Pânico'' (1938) * ''O Visionário'' (1941) * ''As Metamorfoses'' (1944) * ''O Discípulo de Emaús'' (1944) * ''Mundo-Enigma'' (1945) * ''Poesia-Liberdade'' (1947) * ''Janela do Caos'' (1948) * ''Contemplação de Ouro Preto'' (1954) * ''Tempo Espanhol'' (1959) * ''Poliedro'' (1962) * ''A Idade do Serrote'' (1968) * ''Convergência'' (1972) * ''Retratos-Relâmpago'' (1973)

References

External links

Encyclopædia Britannica Article on Mendes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendes, Murilo 1901 births 1975 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Brazilian Roman Catholics People from Juiz de Fora Brazilian male poets Modernist poets Surrealist poets 20th-century Brazilian poets 20th-century Brazilian male writers