Sônia Coutinho (1939 – August 24, 2013) was a Brazilian journalist, short story writer and novelist. The daughter of Nathan Coutinho, a poet, she was born in

Itabuna Itabuna is a municipality in Bahia, Brazil. It is the 6th largest city in Bahia by population after Salvador, Feira de Santana, Camaçari, Vitória da Conquista, and Juazeiro. It had an estimated 214,123 residents in 2021. Itabuna covers a total ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

and moved to

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

while still young. She left school at the age of 20, returning later returning to earn a Master's degree in Communication Theory. Her first published short stories appeared in the collections ''Reuniao'' (Reunion) in 1961 and in ''Histórias da Bahia e doze Contistas da Bahia'' (Stories from Bahia and twelve short story writers from Bahia) in 1969. In 1968, she moved to

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 she worked as a translator for

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

and as a contributor to various newspapers. Coutinho also wrote for the magazines ''Nova'' and ''Status''. Her short story ''Cordelia, a caçadora'' (Cordelia the huntress) won the Status Prize for erotic literature. It was later included in the collection ''Os Venenos de Lucrécia'' (Lucretia's poisons) (1978) which was awarded the

Prêmio Jabuti The Prêmio Jabuti (the "Tortoise Prize") is the most traditional literary award in Brazil, given by the . It was conceived by Edgard Cavalheiro in 1959 when he presided over the CBL, with the interest of rewarding authors, editors, illustrators, ...

in 1979. In 1994, she published the critical study ''Rainhas do Crime Otica Feminina no Romance Policial'' (Queens of Crime: the Female point-of-view in the detective novel). Coutinho was Visiting Writer at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

and Writer in Residence (International Writing Program) at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. In 1989, she began working as a translator of English literary works into Spanish. She married the poet and journalist Florisvaldo Mattos; the couple had a daughter but later divorced. She died in Rio de Janeiro of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at the age of 74.

Selected works

* ''Do herói inútil:'' (On the useless hero), short stories (1966) * ''Nascimento de uma mulher'' (Birth of a women), short stories (1971) * ''Uma certa felicidade'' (A certain happiness) (1979) * ''O jogo de Ifá'' (The game of Ifá), novel (1980) * ''O último verão de Copacabana'' (The last Copacabana summer), short stories (1985) * ''Atire em Sofia'' (Shoot Sofia), novel (1989) * ''O Caso Alice'' (The Alice file), novel(1991) * ''Os Seios de Pandora'' (Pandora's breasts), novel (1998), won the Prêmio Jabuti in 1999 * ''Ovelha Negra e Amiga Loura'' (Black sheep and blond friend), short stories (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutinho, Sonia 1939 births 2013 deaths Brazilian women short story writers Brazilian journalists Brazilian women journalists Brazilian women novelists International Writing Program alumni Writers from Salvador, Bahia 20th-century Brazilian novelists 20th-century Brazilian women writers 20th-century Brazilian short story writers People from Itabuna