First Black woman elected to Brazil's Academy of LettersCEFR B1
25 Jul 2025
Adapted from Fernanda Canofre, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Osarugue Igbinoba, Unsplash
On July 10 the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) elected Ana Maria Gonçalves, a writer from Minas Gerais, making her the first Black woman in the institution's 128-year history. Members of the Academy are often called 'immortals' because their membership is permanent.
The ABL was founded in 1897 and currently has 40 active members and 20 foreign associates. Only 13 women have been elected in the Academy's history; the first was Rachel de Queiroz in 1977, one year after a prohibition on women members ended. Gonçalves succeeds the grammarian Evanildo Bechara, who died in May this year.
Gonçalves is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright who teaches creative writing. Her best-known book, Um defeito de cor (2006), was chosen by a jury invited by Folha de S. Paulo as one of the best Brazilian books of the 21st century in May 2025. The novel sold over 150,000 copies and reached its 41st reprinting.
Difficult words
- elect — choose someone for a position by voteelected
- institution — organization that has an official purpose or roleinstitution's
- immortal — a person thought to live forever or always'immortals'
- membership — the status of being part of a group
- prohibition — an official rule that stops something happening
- succeed — to take a position after someone elsesucceeds
- reprinting — printing more copies of a book again
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why is Ana Maria Gonçalves being the first Black woman in the Academy important?
- Do you agree that academy members should have permanent membership? Explain your opinion.
- How can selling many copies and many reprintings affect a writer's career?
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