João Ubaldo Ribeiro (January 23, 1941 – July 18, 2014) was a Brazilian writer, journalist, screenwriter and professor. Several of his books and short stories have been turned into movies and TV series in Brazil. Ribeiro was a member of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters, being elected in 1994. At the time of his death many considered him to be Brazil's greatest contemporary novelist.
Biography
Ribeiro was the first of three children of Manoel Ribeiro and Maria Felipa Osório Pimentel. When Ribeiro was two months old, the family moved to
Aracaju
Aracaju () is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the coast, about 350 km (217 mi) north of Salvador, Bahia, Salvador. According to the 2020 estimate, the city has 664,908 inha ...
, in the northeastern state of
Sergipe
Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...
. Early on, he showed an interest in literature. In 1955, he began attending the Colégio da Bahia, along with
Glauber Rocha, with whom he became friends in 1956.
In 1957, Ribeiro began working for local newspapers as a journalist. The following year, he entered the
Federal University of Bahia
The Federal University of Bahia (, UFBA) is a public university located mainly in the city of Salvador. It is the largest university in the state of Bahia.
Students can study there without paying tuition fees, as it is a public university. To j ...
to study law. During this time, he published several magazines and journals with Rocha. In 1959, his anthology of stories from Bahia, ''Lugar e circunstancia'' (''Place and Circumstance''), was published. He married his first wife, Maria Beatriz Moreira Caldas, a fellow student, in 1960. They divorced nine years later. In 1963, he wrote his first novel, ''Setembro não faz sentido.''
In 1964, Ribeiro left the country for political reasons and went to the United States to study
economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
, returning the following year to lecture in political science at the Universidade Federal da Bahia. After six years, he was back on his academic career and returned to journalism. In 1969, he married the historian Monica Maria Roters, with whom he had two daughters: Emilia (born 1970) and Manuela (born 1972).
In 1971, his breakthrough novel ''Sargento Getúlio'' was published, followed three years later by ''Vencecavalo e o outro povo''. In 1980, Ribeiro had his third marriage with Berenice Batella, with whom he had two children, Bento (born 1981) and Francisca (born 1983). In 1981, he took his family to
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
so he could write for the magazine ''Caretta''.
From his return to Brazil until his death, he lived 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 ...
.
Ribeiro lived in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
between 1990/91 as a participant of the Berlin Artists Program of the
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; ), founded in 1925, is a joint organization of German universities and student bodies to foster their international relations. Since 1 January 2020, the president has been Joybrato Mukherjee.
Organisa ...
(Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, or DAAD). He wrote several newspaper articles, some of which recounted his experiences in the city and which later formed the basis of his book ''Um brasileiro em Berlim'' (''A Brazilian in Berlin'').
In 1994, Ribeiro was inducted to the
Academia Brasileira de Letras
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 foundation ...
(Brazilian Academy of Letters), occupying seat 34.
In 2008, Ribeiro received the
Prémio Camões, the most important Portuguese-speaking literary prize. He died at the age of 73 on July 18, 2014, at his home in the
Leblon
Leblon () is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is also the name of the local beach. The neighborhood is located in the South Zone of the city, between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Morro Dois Irmãos and the Jardim de Alah channel, borde ...
neighborhood of
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 ...
. Ubaldo suffered a pulmonary embolism. On July 19, his body was
cremated
Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
.
Awards and recognition
*1971 Prêmio Golfinho de Ouro, do Estado do Rio de Janeiro foir the novel "''Sargento Getúlio".''
*Two
Jabuti Prizes, for ''Sargento Getúlio'' Best Author, 1972) and ''Viva o Povo Brasileiro''" (Novel of the Year,1984)
*1983 Prêmio Altamente Recomendável - Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil,, for "Vida e Paixão de Pandonar, o Cruel"
*1996
Anna Seghers Prize, (Mainz, Germany);
* (Zurich, Switzerland);
*1996-Head of the Chair of Poetik Dozentur,
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
, Germany;
*2006 Lifetime Achievement Award- Brazilian International Press Awards.
*2008 Camões Prize
*2010
São Paulo Prize for Literature — Shortlisted in the Best Book of the Year category for ''O Albatroz Azul''
Partial bibliography
Novels
*
*
*
*''Viva o povo brasileiro (Hail the Brazilian People, s''elf-translated as'' An Invincible Memory) - 1984''
*''O sorriso do lagarto (The Lizard's Smile) - 1989''
*''O feitiço da Ilha do Pavão (The Sorcery of Peacock Island) - 1997''
*''A casa dos Budas ditosos (The House of the Fortunate Buddhas) - 1999''
*''Diário do Farol (The Lighthouse's Diary) - 2002''
*''O Albatroz Azul (The Blue Albatross)'' - 2009
Children's books
*
*
References
External links
InfopleaseA biography in Portuguese*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ribeiro, Joao Ubaldo
1941 births
2014 deaths
Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Federal University of Bahia alumni
People from Itaparica Island
Camões Prize winners
Brazilian male novelists
Brazilian science fiction writers
Brazilian columnists
20th-century Brazilian novelists
International Writing Program alumni
20th-century Brazilian male writers
People from Aracaju