The legacies left by Clarice Lispector, Machado de Assis, Jorge Amado, Graciliano Ramos and Guimarães Rosa have gone beyond the pages of Brazilian literature – and their traces are also present in architecture . The places where they lived have now become part of Brazil's historical heritage . Scattered across different states in Brazil, the residences where the authors lived were all listed. Some became important collections or museums, but not all received the necessary care and investment to make this happen. Next, discover 5 historical heritage sites left by 5 Brazilian writers and
find out where to find them! 1. Clarice Lispector's childhood home, in Recife
For years, the house that housed Clarice Lispector's childhood and adolescence, located in Praça Maciel Pinheiro , in the center of Recife, was completely abandoned and unused. In April, however, a change was announced: Santa Casa de Misericórdia (ACCL), the former owner of the space, transferred ownership of the house to Associação Casa Clarice Lispector, which will turn the place into a museum in honor of the author. (Marlon Costa/Pernambuco Press/Divulgação/CASACOR)
According to ACCL president Moisés Wolfenson, the work is scheduled for June of this year, with completion in 2025. The first museum in the world dedicated to Clarice Lispector will have a collection of approximately 250 pieces, including books, literary works from other languages that were translated by her, letters to family members and other writers, videos, interviews and furniture used by the writer. In addition, the museum will have a "Clarice's office" , in Wolfenson's words, with personal objects and letters, a bookstore, a library and an auditorium with 40 seats. On the ground floor, there will be spaces for launching and selling books, with a structure set up for visits by high school students. The association also intends to hold lectures, with the participation of speakers and literature teachers who will discuss the author's life and work. (ACCL/Divulgação/CASACOR)
2. The House on the Red River, by Jorge Amado
On Rua Alagoinhas — more specifically, at house number 33, located in the Rio Vermelho neighborhood of Salvador — is the place where Jorge Amado and his partner Zélia Gattai, also a writer, lived for almost four decades, until the end of the author's life. Fortunately, the residence has become a historic memorial in the capital of Bahia, detailing the writer's career and preserving several original objects from his history. (Tatiana Azeviche/Setur Bahia/Divulgação/CASACOR)
The house has become one of the most complete literary museums in Brazil. In the entrance garden, there are several items that reference the orixás and videos that explore Jorge's history with Candomblé are shown. The dining room is a true documentation center: drafts of his writing, a typewriter and other work instruments of the author are on display. There is also the kitchen, which features the author's favorite foods, a movie theater, a library, a pool with frogs — his favorite animal —, a closet with letters available for reading, a garden with the ashes of Jorge and Zélia, and finally, a store at the exit of the memorial. (Giovanna Jarandilha/CASACOR)
3. Lapa Street and Cosme Velho Street, by Machado de Assis
The two places in Rio de Janeiro where the greatest name in Brazilian literature to date lived have not been given a purpose related to the author. At both addresses, there is a plaque indicating that Machado lived there, however, no space was built in memory of the author. At Rua da Lapa, 242, located on Livramento hill, is the house where the writer lived between 1874 and 1875 — and it has been abandoned by the government. House number 264 is believed to have been a storage house for Machado, and its upper floor now houses a reggae bar
with pool tables.
The situation at the Cosme Velho address is no different: the historic mansion where Machado spent the last years of his life was demolished in the 1980s. The only reminder of the Brazilian writer is the white plaque on a pillar, which informs that the writer lived there. (Fundação Biblioteca Nacional/Divulgação/CASACOR)
4. Guimarães Rosa House Museum, in Cordisburgo
The Museu Casa Guimarães Rosa was opened in 1974 in the house where the writer João Guimarães Rosa spent the first nine years of his life, in the city of Cordisburgo, in the interior of Minas Gerais. With approximately 200 pieces and around 1,200 textual documents , the collection consists of objects for the author's personal, domestic and professional use, as well as photographs, national and foreign editions of works and original handwritten or typed texts. Unlike the treatment given to the buildings where Machado lived, Guimarães' house underwent a series of restorations and maintenance. (SEMMG/Divulgação/CASACOR)
The museum was founded with the aim of researching and disseminating the work of Guimarães Rosa. Since then, the institution has held exhibitions related to the author's literary legacy and developed projects that seek to expand the museum's work to the community and to the cultural and natural assets of Cordisburgo and neighboring regions. data-instgrm-version="14"> View this post on Instagram
5. House of Graciliano Ramos, in Palmeiras dos Indianos
Palmeira dos Índios, in the interior of the state of Alagoas, is not only the place where Graciliano began writing many of his works, but it is also the city that had the author as its mayor for two years, from 1928 to 1930. His novel Caetés, in fact, has the municipality as its setting and, to this day, every corner of the place evokes memories of Graciliano. (Alécio Cezar/Divulgação/CASACOR)
The house where Graciliano lived was turned into a museum in 1973. In the collection, you can access originals of some works, personal photos, clothes, documents, a typewriter and objects used in the film Vidas Secas, and even the manuscript of the letter that the novelist would send to Getúlio Vargas after being arrested for political reasons, in 1937. (Alécio Cezar/Divulgação/CASACOR)
