The collection of poems “Macau” by Paulo Henriques Britto won the grand award of Portugal Telecom’s Brazilian Literary 2004 Award. “O Voo da Madrugada”(The Flight of Dawn) by Sérgio Sant'Anna and “A Margem Imóvel do Rio” (The Immobile Riverbank) by Luís António de Assis Brasil won the second and third prizes respectively.
The collection of poems “Macau” by Paulo Henriques Britto won the grand award of Portugal Telecom’s Brazilian Literary 2004 Award. At the ceremony which was held yesterday, 9th of November in São Paulo, the story book “O Voo da Madrugada” by Sérgio Sant'Anna, and the novel “A Margem Imóvel do Rio” by Luís António de Assis Brasil were also awarded.
Paulo Henriques Britto, winner of this year’s edition said that “The Portugal Telecom Award has only existed for a short time but it has already established itself as an award of great importance for Brazilian literature”.
For Portugal Telecom’s Chairman in Brazil, Eduardo Correia de Matos “the objective is to place the Portugal Telecom award among the dozen of great world literature awards”. Until we have reached this objective “the award is already the most important and most prestigious in Brazil and a great festival in Brazilian literature”.
Carlos Vasconcellos, Chairman of PT Investimentos Internacionais stated that the award will make Portugal Telecom better known throughout Brazil. He stated that “As a Group whose origin is Portuguese, there is nothing better than investing in the Portuguese language which is what brings Brazil and Portugal closer together”.
The Portugal Telecom award highlighted the 3 best literary compositions (novels, storybooks, chronicles, poetry and dramaturgies) which were published in 2003, and edited in the Portuguese language, by a Brazilian author and it was the first edition in Brazil.
The award winners received prizes of 28 thousand euros (100 thousand Brazilian Real), 8,3 thousand euros (30 thousand Brazilian Real) and 5,6 thousand euros (20 thousand Brazilian Real) respectively for first, second and third place, as well as a trophy which was created by Paulo Von Poser.
The prizes were awarded by a jury which consisted of 10 names which in turn were chosen by 213 literary critics and university professors from every region in Brazil.
The Awarding Ceremony of the 2004 Portugal Telecom Literature Award took place in São Paulo and brought together approximately 1,200 guests. The gala presentation was carried out by the writer Nelson Motta and the actress Julia Lemmertz.
There was also time during the ceremony to honour the poet Vinicius de Moraes with a presentation of his main songs which were sung by Carlos Lyra and Olívia Byington.
The Portugal Telecom’s Brazilian Literary Award began in 2002 to celebrate the Portuguese language and Brazilian literature and is currently the award which merits most Brazilian writers.
Literary Compositions and their Authors
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Henriques Britto is a professor and a translator and began his career in poetry in 1982 when he wrote “Liturgy Matter” which was followed by “Lyrical Poetry” in 1989 and “Trovar Claro” in 1997
In the collection “Macau”, Paulo Henriques Britto suggests, through the use of fixed forms of poetry including a sonnet, accompanied by prosaic images and good humour, that language is s territory which needs to be conquered.
“O Voo da Madrugada” unites 16 texts which mix eroticism with philosophic speculation where the story which names the book narrates a nocturnal flight which transports family members of people who died in an airplane accident. Sérgio Sant'Anna, is one of the most distinguished names in Contemporary Brazilian literature.
The novel “A Margem Imóvel do Rio” narrates the path of a historian who was sent to the State of Rio Grande do Sul by the last Brazilian emperor, D. Pedro II.