The presidents of Brazil and Portugal present the Camões Prize to the poetry of Adélia Prado.
The poet from Minas Gerais, represented by her son Eugênio Prado, received the most important prize in the Portuguese language at a ceremony in the Itamaraty Palace.
247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presented the 2024 Camões Prize to the poet from Minas Gerais, Adélia Prado, represented by her son Eugênio Prado, on Tuesday evening (18), in a ceremony at the Itamaraty Palace. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is in Brazil on an official visit, reports the Federal Government news agency.
In his speech, Lula praised the poet's work as a reunion of Brazil with itself. "Adélia Prado's work is a window to the heart of all Brazilians, and all lovers of the Portuguese language. A language with words so beautiful and unique, so special and simple as saudade (longing), coragem (courage), and resistência (resistance). Words that describe Adélia's power and the strength of Brazil," he emphasized.
"Adélia inspires us to do politics the way she does poetry. People are at the heart of her writing, just as they should be at the center of any government action. With the presence and care with which a mother prepares coffee for a father who works late into the night. Or, with which a husband cleans a fish alongside his wife. It is also with presence and care that one governs, presence in the form of public policies and quality public services. Care for the most vulnerable and for the environment. The raw material of Adélia Prado's poems is the experience of everyday life, lived in kitchens, on balconies, and in backyards," Lula pointed out.
The award is considered the highest honor recognizing literary merit in the Portuguese language worldwide and was granted to the poet in June 2024. In a text read by Eugênio Prado at the ceremony, Adélia thanked him for the honor and highlighted the importance of poetry for the people.
“The celebration of poetry is and will always be a sign that a people preserves the invaluable treasure of their language. As I once stated, all understanding is poetry. Faithful to the call of poetry, any people will find the door that opens to reality,” said Adélia, who could not attend the ceremony due to fragile health.
About Adélia
Born in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Adélia Prado is 89 years old. Besides being a poet, she also works as a teacher, philosopher, novelist, and short story writer. Her first poems were published in newspapers in her hometown and Belo Horizonte. Her solo debut only happened in 1975, when she sent the original manuscripts of her new poems to Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Impressed by her writing, he sent the poems to Editora Imago. Published under the title "Bagagem" (Baggage), the book of poems attracted critical attention for its originality and style.
In 1976, the book was launched in Rio de Janeiro, with the presence of important personalities such as Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Affonso Romano de Sant'Anna, Clarice Lispector, among others. In 1978 he wrote *O Coração Disparado*, with which he won the Jabuti Literature Prize, awarded by the Brazilian Book Chamber. In the following two years, he dedicated himself to prose, with *Solte os Cachorros* in 1979 and *Cacos para um Vitral* in 1980. He returned to poetry in 1981, with *Terra de Santa Cruz*. He received the Jabuti Literature Prize from the Brazilian Book Chamber for the book *Coração Disparado*, written in 1978.
