Erico Verissimo (1905-1975)
This noted novelist was one of the first Brazilians I met before I ever got to Rio. He had come to Cambridge, Massachusetts when I was still a fledgling Brazilianist. Since I was one of the few of that breed on campus, he looked me up. I had done a summer course on Brazilian literature (with Ray Sayers) and so I knew he was the author of a best-selling family saga about his home state of Rio Grande do Sul. It ran to three volumes and was entitled The Archipelago.
He gave me an autographed set of the books. On the flyleaf of the first volume he drew a delightful caricature of himself, with bristling eyebrows.
He lived in the U.S. for some years, directing the Pan American Institute of Cultural Exchange in Washington. His English was flawless.
His son went on to become one of the most widely read and wittiest journalists in Brazil.
I never saw Erico when I was resident in Brazil. But once, near the end of my time in that country, I was on a lecture tour in Rio Grande do Sul and my hosts took me to the Museu Erico Verissimo, built by his local fans to commemorate his memory. It was filled with his memorabilia. I was very touched to renew memories of this wonderful artist.
Further Readings
Verissimo, Erico. Gato preto em campo de neve. Lisboa: Livros do Brasil, 1941. Print.
Verissimo, Erico. A volta do gato preto. 2.nd ed. Rio de Janeiro: Editôra Globo, 1961. Print.
Verissimo, Erico. O tempo e o Vento. 3. ed. Pôrto Alegre: Editôra Globo, 1962. Print.
Erico Verissimo was born in Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul. After moving to Porto Alegre in 1930, he acquired a position as an editorial assistant of Revista do Globo before serving as editor in 1933. He later helped establish Editora Globo as a prestigious publishing company. In 1943, he traveled to the United States, which influenced many of his most popular novels, including Gato preto em campo de neve (1941) and A volta do gato preto (1947). After publishing a collection of short stories, Verissimo released O tempo e o vento (1949-1961), a literary trilogy that catapulted the author into greater fame. The saga is considered a Brazilian classic that has left an indelible mark on the world of literature.