Porto Alegre Literary Festival honors Tezza

Alana Gandra
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro - The sixth edition of the Porto Alegre Literary Festival (FestiPoa Literária) begins tonight (10) in Porto Alegre (RS), and will run for ten days to showcase works by authors writing in Portuguese and Spanish. The honoree of FestiPoa 2013 is the fiction writer Cristovão Tezza. His novel Bravo! won the Jabuti and Portugal Telecom Literature in Portuguese Language awards in 2008.

"The intention, the more structured the event is, is to bring authors from other countries and connect them with Brazilian literature and audiences," Fernando Ramos, the creator and curator of FestiPoa, told Agência Brasil. Access to the festival is free and its program can be found at www.festipoaliteraria.com.

Considered one of the main cultural events in Porto Alegre, this year's event is sponsored by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

In its 2013 edition, FestiPoa introduced the Debut Short Story Writer contest, created to encourage the production of a debut writer, without any published books. This year, the chosen literary genre was the short story. In the next edition, it will be poetry, followed by children's and young adult literature. The rules are available on the FestiPoa website.

During FestiPoa, around 60 writers and artists will be presenting to the public in lectures, workshops, and panels. Fernando Ramos highlighted that, like other literary festivals organized in the country, the festival in Rio Grande do Sul aims to promote a closer relationship between authors and readers. "And to make literature a little more informal, less solemn."

According to Ramos, the event also allows for faster access to literature for ordinary citizens who do not yet have the habit of reading or are not so familiar with contemporary literary production.

Considered the precursor to all literary events in the country, the Paraty International Literary Festival (Flip) is also supported by BNDES. The 11th edition of Flip is scheduled for July 3-7. This year's honoree will be the writer, journalist, and politician Graciliano Ramos.

According to information from BNDES, literature is one of the focuses of the institution's sponsorship policy, which, since 2011, has supported approximately 20 events with resources totaling R$ 6,1 million, aiming to promote reading and access to culture in all regions of Brazil.

Edited by: Davi Oliveira