José Veiga, known as José J. Veiga (February 2, 1915 – September 19, 1999), was a Brazilian writer. His writings are often classified within the

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

genre, although he denied the label; his books deal with social and political criticism, with lyrical overtones.

Biography

Veiga was born in 1915 at Fazenda Morro Grande, a farm near

Corumbá de Goiás Corumbá de Goiás is a municipality in central Goiás state, Brazil. It is one of the oldest cities in the state and still preserves vestiges of its colonial heritage. The Areias River passes through the municipality. Location and Geography Loc ...

. At age 20, he established himself in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

where, among other jobs, worked as locutor of the currently defunct Rádio Guanabara. In 1941 he graduated in Law at Faculdade Nacional de Direito. From 1945 until 1949 Veiga lived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, as commentator and translator for the Portuguese broadcasts of

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

. Returning to Brazil, he worked as journalist in the newspapers ''

O Globo ''O Globo'' (, ''The Globe'') is a Brazilian newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. ''O Globo'' is the leading daily newspaper in the country and the most prominent print publication in the Grupo Globo media conglomerate. Founded by journalist Ir ...

'' and ''Tribuna da Imprensa''. He was also translator and editor of the Brazilian edition of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' and coordinated the publishing department of the

Getúlio Vargas Foundation Getúlio may refer to: * Getulio Agostini (1943-1990), Venezuelan botanist * Getulio Alviani (1939-2018), Italian painter * Getúlio Côrtes (born 1938), Brazilian singer * Getúlio (footballer, 1947-2008), Getúlio Pedro da Cruz, Brazilian foot ...

. Veiga affirmed to have chosen his literary name thanks to the help of

João Guimarães Rosa João Guimarães Rosa (; 27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet and diplomat. Rosa only wrote one novel, '' Grande Sertão: Veredas'' (known in English as ''The Devil to Pay in the Backlands''), a ...

who suggested it to him to add a "J", from "Jacinto", Veiga's mother surname, shortly before the publication in 1959 of ''Os cavalinhos of Platiplanto'', his first book edited. The same year, the book won the Fábio Prado Award. His works have been published in the United States, England, Mexico, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Portugal. In 1997, he won the Machado of Assis Prize for lifetime achievement, awarded by the

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

. He died in

in 1999 from pancreatic cancer and complications caused by

anemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...

Works

* ''Os Cavalinhos de Platiplanto'' (1959); * ''A Hora dos Ruminantes'' (1966); **English translation:''The Three Trials of Manirema'' (translated by Pamela G. Bird);

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

, 1970. * ''A Máquina Extraviada'' (1967); **English translation:''The Misplaced Machine and other Stories''; Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. * ''Sombras de Reis Barbudos'' (1972); * ''Os Pecados da Tribo'' (1976); * ''O Professor Burim e as Quatro Calamidades'' (1978); * ''De Jogos e Festas'' (1980); * ''Aquele Mundo de Vasabarros'' (1982); * ''Torvelinho Dia e Noite'' (1985); * ''A Casca da Serpente'' (1989); * ''Os melhores contos de J. J. Veiga'' (1989); * ''O Almanach de Piumhy - Restaurado por José J. Veiga'' (1989); * ''O Risonho Cavalo do Príncipe'' (1993); * ''O Relógio Belizário'' (1995); * ''Tajá e Sua Gente'' (1997); * ''Objetos Turbulentos'' (1997).

References

External links

José J. Veiga profile on Villas-Boas & Moss agency

José J. Veiga profile at Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural (in Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veiga, Jose J. 1999 deaths 1915 births 20th-century Brazilian novelists 20th-century Brazilian male writers Brazilian male novelists Brazilian expatriates in the United Kingdom Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Brazil