Dear Language Enthusiast, Welcome to the Portuguese Monthly, the Internet newsletter from Transparent Language. This is the final issue in our three-part series looking back on some of the most notable people, events, and accomplishments of the 20th century. This month, we take a look at Latin American artists, writers, and filmmakers who helped shape our view of the 20th century. Sincerely, Transparent Language www.transparent.com Em português: O boletim deste mês faz uma retrospectiva sobre algumas das personalidades do mundo da literatura, das artes e do cinema na América Latina do século XX. Embora não seja totalmente abrangente, espero que você ache esse boletim informativo e interessante. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) é uma das mais famosas artistas mexicanas. Ela era conhecida pelos seus auto-retratos, que eram ao mesmo tempo surpreendentemente precisos e surreais. Seu trabalho foi exibido no México, nos Estados Unidos e na Europa enquanto ela ainda era viva. Seu marido, Diego Rivera (1886-1957) era outro artista famoso do México. Seu trabalho inclui vários murais, pintados nos Estados Unidos e México, que incorporam temas da Revolução Mexicana. O chileno Pablo Neruda é considerado um dos maiores poetas românticos do mundo. Seu nome verdadeiro era Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Especula-se que ele escreveu e publicou sob o pseudônimo de Pablo Neruda (nome legalmente adotado por ele em 1946) para evitar as críticas de seu pai, que sempre o desencorajou a escrever. Ele ganhou o Prêmio Nobel da Literatura em 1971. Sua compatriota Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) foi a primeira mulher latino- americana a ganhar o Prêmio Nobel de Literatura em 1945. Seus poemas eram centrados em torno de seus interesses humanitários, nas crianças e nos atormentados por casos de amor trágicos. Ela foi também ministra da cultura no Chile e diplomata em vários países europeus. Jorge Luis Borges e Gabriel García Márquez são talvez os dois escritores que tornaram a literatura latino-americana mundialmente famosa. Borges (1899-1986) era da Argentina e é mais conhecido pela maneira como trata o tempo em seus textos. Borges descrevia um mundo de sonhos, entrelaçando diferentes aspectos do tempo e espaço e favorecendo a noção de tempo circular sobre a de tempo linear. Márquez (nascido em 1928) começou sua carreira como jornalista na Colômbia e desde então estabeleceu-se como romancista e contista. Ele é mais conhecido por seu estilo, o realismo mágico, no qual combina realidade e fantasia. Márquez recebeu o Prêmio Nobel de Literatura em 1982. O romancista brasileiro Jorge Amado (nascido em 1912) começou sua careira aos vinte anos. Seus romances burlescos sobre a vida na Bahia incorporam sua ideologia comunista. Grande parte do seu trabalho satiriza o governo brasileiro, que o pôs na prisão em 1935 e interditou seus livros por causa das suas atividades de esquerda. Walter Salles, recentemente premiado pelo seu filme "Central do Brasil", é um dos diretores brasileiros mais aplaudidos. Ele começou como um documentarista em 1986, focalizando as questões sociais no Brasil e a busca de uma identidade nacional e individual. Ele continua a tratar das mesmas questões em seus filmes artísticos, fato que pode ser comprovado em "Central do Brasil", que conta a história de um menino órfão e uma mulher que escreve cartas para os analfabetos da Central do Brasil, no Rio de Janeiro. In English: Throughout history, art has inspired, soothed, and called people to action. Twentieth century art is no different. Therefore, this month’s newsletter is a review of some of the literary, artistic and cinematographic figures from Latin America who have shaped culture through their expression. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of Mexico’s most famous female artists. She did not always aspire to be an artist, however. Only after a serious bus accident when she was eighteen did she begin to teach herself to paint. Now, she is internationally respected for her self-portraits, which use brilliant colors. One of Kahlo's earliest supporters was her husband, Diego Rivera (1886-1957), a trained artist whose dramatic murals are said to have revived fresco painting in Latin America. His murals are also noted for their bold use of color, but unlike his wife's personal portraits, his work focuses on depicting broad themes in Mexican history. Chile’s Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) is considered one of the world’s greatest love poets. His given name was Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, but he wrote and published under the pseudonym Pablo Neruda; some speculate that he did so to avoid criticism from his father, who had always discouraged him from writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Another Chilean poet, Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957), was the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, which was awarded to her in 1945. While Mistral's poems reflect her passion for human causes, they were not the only way in which she served her community. She also acted as an educator, cultural minister, and diplomat to various European countries. Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez are perhaps the two writers who have brought Latin American literature into the global limelight. Borges (1899-1986) was from Argentina and is best known for the treatment of time in his writing. Like Frida Kahlo, a nearly fatal accident stimulated an exceptionally creative period in Borges' life in which he primarily wrote stories. García Márquez (b. 1928) began his career as a journalist in Colombia, and has since established himself as a novelist and short story writer. His work is best known for its style, magic realism, which combines reality and fantasy. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado (b. 1912) began his literary career at the age of twenty with the publication of his first novel. Most of his novels depict the city life of the lower classes in Bahia, and often reflect his communist ideology. Much of his work satirizes the Brazilian government, which imprisoned him in 1935 and banned his books due to his leftist activities. Walter Salles, most recently honored for his film about life in Brazil, "Central do Brasil" ("Central Station"), is one of Brazil’s most acclaimed directors. He began as a documentary filmmaker in 1986, focusing on social issues in Brazil and the search for an identity, both national and individual. He continues to address the same issues in his narrative films, as seen in "Central Station," which tells the story of an orphaned boy's relationship with a woman who writes letters for the illiterate in Rio’s Central Station. Sources: www.britannica.com www.britannica.com/bcom/magazine/article/0,5744,260501,00.html www.indiewire.com -->

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