“(1886-1968) Brazilian poet and essayist, Tuberculosis cut short Bandeira’s studies in architecture. While living in a Swiss sanitarium, he came into contact with several French surrealists, notably Paul Eluard. By 1914, on his return to Brazil, he had already written a book-length manuscript of poems. Although he consistently disassociated himself from any poetic movements, his work in the 1920s—particularly O ritmo dissolotu (1924) and Libertinagem (1930)—was hailed as the spearhead of Modernismo. Distinguished for its irony and tragic wit, Bandeira’s poetics advocate ‘using all the words, especially barbarisms; and all the rhythms, especially those beyond metrics.’ Apart from his unceasing experimentation with form, Bandeira introduced the Brazilian vernacular and the African folklore of his native Recife into serious poetry. His collected works, Poesia e prosa (2 vols, 1958), includes essays, art criticism, and an autobiography, as well as verse.”
Excerpted from: Murphy, Bruce, ed. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 1996.
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