Carlos Drummond de Andrade life and work

Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Source: Stefan Rosenbauer.

Short biography

Carlos Drummond de Andrade (born 1902, Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil – died 1987, Rio de Janeiro) was a poet, journalist, civil servant, and translator.

He was sent to a boarding school in Nova Friburgo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where he was expelled due to "mental insubordination" in 1919.

In 1920, his family moved from Itabira to Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais. At a local newspaper called Diário de Minas, Carlos published his first articles. He was part of a group of youngsters with links to politics and literature.

He got married in 1925. Two years later, his first son died hours after birth.

After graduating as a pharmacist in 1926, Carlos pursued a career in journalism and civil service. His daughter was born in 1928. In the same year, he published his most controversial poem, "No meio do caminho" ["Midway"], in the modernist periodical Revista de Antropofagia ["Anthropophagy Magazine"].

His debut book came out in 1930 with only five hundred copies printed. Carlos held different civil service roles while contributing to newspapers. His second book was published by a cooperative, with only two hundred copies printed in 1934. He moved to Rio de Janeiro for a job at the Ministry of Education and Public Health.

From 1940 to 1986, Carlos published dozens of books, including poetry, short stories, and "crônicas" (a Brazilian genre of short fiction-essays). Late in life, his health deteriorated, and he was hospitalized suffering from heart failure.

However, he lived long enough to see cancer take away his only daughter in 1987. Carlos died a few days later.

List of poetry books

Alguma poesia (1930), Brejo das Almas (1934), Sentimento do mundo (1940), Poesias (1942), A rosa do povo (1945), Poesia até agora (1948), A máquina do mundo (1949), Claro enigma (1941), A mesa (1951), Viola de bolso (1952), Fazendeiro do ar & Poesia até agora (1954), Soneto da buquinagem (1955), Ciclo (1957), Poemas (1959), Lição de coisas (1962), Obra completa (1964), Versiprosa (1967), José e outros (1967), Boitempo e A falta que ama (1968), Reunião: 10 livros de poesia (1969), D. Quixote (1972), As impurezas do branco (1973), Menino antigo - Boitempo II (1973), Minas e Drummond (1973), Amor, amores (1975), A visita (1977), Discurso da primavera e algumas sombras (1977), O marginal Clorindo gato (1978), Nudez (1979), Esquecer para lembrar -Boitempo III (1979), A paixão medida (1980), Nova reunião - 19 livros de poesia (1983), O elefante (1983), Caso do vestido (1983), Corpo (1984), Mata atlântica (1984), Amor, sinal estranho (1985), Amar se aprende amando (1985), Pantanal (1985), O prazer das imagens (1987), Poesia errante (1988), Arte em exposição (1990), O amor natural (1992), A vida passada a limpo (1994), Rio de Janeiro (1994), Farewell (1996), A senha do mundo (1996), A cor de cada um (1996).

Original from: carlos drummond de adrande website

Translated and edited by: crroma