José J. Veiga: life, characteristics, works, phrases

José J. Veiga, Brazilian author, was born on February 2, 1915 and died on September 19, 1999. In addition to being a writer, he was a civil servant, translator, commentator, copywriter and editor. He has worked for media companies such as the BBC London and the magazine Reader's Digest. Your first book — The little horses of Platiplantus — was published in 1959.

The author has won the Jabuti Prize three times: in 1981, 1983 and 1993. He also received the Machado de Assis Award, from the Brazilian Academy of Letters, in 1997, for his body of work, characterized by realistic and critical view of Brazilian society. Associated with magical realism, his books bring unusual facts mixed with everyday life, in addition to regionalist themes.

Read too: Murilo Rubião – another important Brazilian author linked to magical realism

Biography of José J. Veiga

José J. Veiga (cover photo) — Commented Literature Collection, by Abril publishers. [1]

José J. Veiga was born in Corumbá de Goiás, on February 2, 1915

. His childhood was lived in the interior of Goiás and was marked by the death of his mother, when the author was 10 years old. Then, started to be raised by relatives. Later, in 1937, joined the National Faculty of Law, in Rio de Janeiro. In 1940, he went to work as a clerk and graduated in 1941.

He left public service and, from 1945 to 1950, worked at the BBC London, as a commentator and translator. Back in Brazil, he was a journalist in The globe and on Press Tribune, editor and editor in chief of the magazine Reader's Digest (or selections), as well as translator and coordinator of the Editorial Department of Fundação Getúlio Vargas. In 1959, he published his first book: The little horses of Platiplantus.

He was a three-time winner of the Tortoise Award:

• 1981 — of games and parties (soap operas)
• 1983 — That world of Vasabarros (romance)
• 1993 — the prince's laughing horse (romance)

also received the Fábio Prado Award and an honorable mention in Monteiro Lobato Award, both in 1959, as a result of the publication of The little horses of Platiplantus, besides the Machado de Assis Award, in 1997, for the whole of the work. So the writer had considerable recognition before he died, in Rio de Janeiro, in September 19, 1999.

Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)

Literary characteristics of José J. Veiga

The critical reception of the work of José J. Veiga showed some hesitation in the stylistic classification of the author's books. Part of the critics labeled their texts as fantastic narratives, therefore, members of the literary current known as "magical realism”. Another part pointed fantastic marks in his books, without, however, putting on them a classification. Anyway, the writer can be inserted in the third generation modernist (or Postmodernism). His works, however, have special characteristics:

• realistic vision
• regionalism
• Unusual facts
• nonsense
• Irreverence
• magical or fantastic character
• Symbolisms
• everyday theme
• Critique of Brazilian reality
• lean language
• Irony
• moments of lyricism
• atmosphere of mystery
• political allegory
• social criticism

Works by José J. Veiga

Book cover The little horses of Platiplantus, by José J. Veiga, published by Companhia das Letras.[2]

• The little horses of Platiplanto - tales (1959)
• Ruminants' hour — romance (1966)
• The strange misplaced machine — short stories (1967)
• shadows of bearded kings — novel (1972)
• the sins of the tribe — novel (1976)
• Professor Burrim and the four calamities — children's (1978)
• of games and parties — novels (1980)
• That world of Vasabarros — novel (1981)
• Whirlwind day and night — novel (1985)
• Tajá and his people — children's (1986)
• Serpent's Bark — Novel (1989)
• The Prince's Laughing Horse — Novel (1993)
• The Belisario Clock — Novel (1995)
• Turbulent Objects — Tales (1997)

See too: Narrative genre – predominant form of J.J. Veiga's work

Phrases by José J. Veiga

Next, let's read some sentences by the writer José J. Veiga, taken from the author's lecture, read in a seminar at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG):

"Writing a book is trying to translate into words what the mind has dreamed of."

"A book should speak for itself."

"The books that need to be explained by the author himself are failed books."

"Every book, like every work of art, is what resulted from a failure."

"The word, which is the material of the book, does not have the lightness of a dream."

“We are big producers of coffee, sugar, alcohol, soy, steel, tuberculosis, malnourished people — but we neglect to produce readers.”

"If reading were a disease, maybe we would figure well in world statistics."

"Too serious is like too much medicine: it is bad for your health."

"The reader's sensitivity and intelligence complete the book."

"Writing isn't easy, but it's fascinating."

Image credits

[1] Editora Abril (reproduction)

[2] Company of Letters (reproduction)

by Warley Souza
Literature teacher