Zélia Gattai
Encyclopedia
Zélia Gattai was a Brazil
ian photographer, memoir
ist, novelist and author of children's literature
, as well as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. She was married to internationally famous writer Jorge Amado
from 1945 until his death in 2001.
Gattai was born in São Paulo
city, state of São Paulo
, on July 2, 1916, to a family of Italian
immigrants. Gattai's father, Ernesto Gattai, was an anarchist and came from the region of Veneto
, following the social anarchist experiment called Colônia Cecília. Her mother, Angelina Da Col, was a devout Catholic. After the failure of Colônia Cecília, the Gattais moved to São Paulo, where Ernesto Gattai worked as a chauffeur
for rich families and later as a car mechanic
.
In the 1930s, Zélia Gattai entered the intellectual and social circles of the modernist
s of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
, becoming a friend of personalities such as Oswald de Andrade
, Lasar Segall
, Tarsila do Amaral
, Mário de Andrade
, Rubem Braga
, Zora Seljan, Paulo Mendes de Almeida, Carlos Lacerda
, Aldo Bonadei
, Vinícius de Moraes
and others. As a result of the anti-Communist
measures by dictator Getúlio Vargas
in the late 1930s, Gattai was forced to go into exile with her husband, who was a Communist
, soon after her marriage in 1945. She used the opportunity to get a degree in Literature
at the Sorbonne
, in 1949.
Upon returning to Brazil, she and Amado settled in Salvador, in the state of Bahia
, where Amado was born, and raised a family.
Gattai began her literary career in 1979 with an autobiography
about her early life, titled Anarquistas, Graças a Deus ("Anarchists, Thank God!") which became a bestseller when it was dramatized as a miniseries
by the Globo Television Network
, capturing a huge audience. She later wrote eight further sequels to her autobiography, telling her love story with Jorge Amado (A Hat for a Voyage, The Lady of the Ball, Winter Garden, A Boys' Ground, The House of Rio Vermelho, Cittá di Roma, Family Codes and Jorge Amado, a Romantic and Sensuous Baiano). She also wrote three successful books for children and a novel.
Gattai died at 16:30, in Salvador, Brazil, aged 91. She was in hospital for 31 days, recovering from surgery.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian photographer, memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
ist, novelist and author of children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, as well as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. She was married to internationally famous writer Jorge Amado
Jorge Amado
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria was a Brazilian writer of the Modernist school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands in 1978...
from 1945 until his death in 2001.
Gattai was born in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
city, state of São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, on July 2, 1916, to a family of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrants. Gattai's father, Ernesto Gattai, was an anarchist and came from the region of Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, following the social anarchist experiment called Colônia Cecília. Her mother, Angelina Da Col, was a devout Catholic. After the failure of Colônia Cecília, the Gattais moved to São Paulo, where Ernesto Gattai worked as a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
for rich families and later as a car mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
.
In the 1930s, Zélia Gattai entered the intellectual and social circles of the modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
s of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, becoming a friend of personalities such as Oswald de Andrade
Oswald de Andrade
José Oswald de Andrade Souza was a Brazilian poet and polemicist. He was born and spent most of his life in São Paulo....
, Lasar Segall
Lasar Segall
The artist Lasar Segall was a Brazilian Jewish painter, engraver and sculptor born in Lithuania. Segall's work is derived from impressionism, expressionism and modernism...
, Tarsila do Amaral
Tarsila do Amaral
Tarsila do Amaral, , known simply as Tarsila, is considered to be one of the leading Latin American modernist artists, described as "the Brazilian painter who best achieved Brazilian aspirations for nationalistic expression in a modern style." She was a member of the Grupo dos Cinco , which...
, Mário de Andrade
Mário de Andrade
Mário Raul de Morais Andrade was a Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, and photographer. One of the founders of Brazilian modernism, he virtually created modern Brazilian poetry with the publication of his Paulicéia Desvairada in 1922...
, Rubem Braga
Rubem Braga
Rubem Braga was a notable Brazilian writer of short stories. He was born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim city, state of Espírito Santo, on January 12, 1913....
, Zora Seljan, Paulo Mendes de Almeida, Carlos Lacerda
Carlos Lacerda
Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda was a Brazilian journalist and politician.Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lacerda was the son of a family of politicians from Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro State....
, Aldo Bonadei
Aldo Bonadei
Aldo Cláudio Felipe Bonadei, widely known as Aldo Bonadei was a Brazilian painter. As a member of the Grupo Santa Helena he was distinguished for his erudition....
, Vinícius de Moraes
Vinicius de Moraes
Marcus Vinicius de Moraes , known as Vinicius de Moraes and nicknamed O Poetinho , was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Son of Lydia Cruz de Moraes and Clodoaldo Pereira da Silva Moraes, he was a seminal figure in contemporary Brazilian music...
and others. As a result of the anti-Communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
measures by dictator Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
in the late 1930s, Gattai was forced to go into exile with her husband, who was a Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, soon after her marriage in 1945. She used the opportunity to get a degree in Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, in 1949.
Upon returning to Brazil, she and Amado settled in Salvador, in the state of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, where Amado was born, and raised a family.
Gattai began her literary career in 1979 with an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
about her early life, titled Anarquistas, Graças a Deus ("Anarchists, Thank God!") which became a bestseller when it was dramatized as a miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
by the Globo Television Network
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
, capturing a huge audience. She later wrote eight further sequels to her autobiography, telling her love story with Jorge Amado (A Hat for a Voyage, The Lady of the Ball, Winter Garden, A Boys' Ground, The House of Rio Vermelho, Cittá di Roma, Family Codes and Jorge Amado, a Romantic and Sensuous Baiano). She also wrote three successful books for children and a novel.
Gattai died at 16:30, in Salvador, Brazil, aged 91. She was in hospital for 31 days, recovering from surgery.