The Prêmio Jabuti, awarded since 1959 by the Brazilian Book Chamber (Câmara Brasileira do Livro), is considered Brazil’s most prestigious literary award. It honors books by Brazilian authors written in Portuguese. This year’s big winner was Companhia das Letras, part of Penguin Random House, which received a total of eight awards for seven books – including in the top category “Book of the Year.” The winner of that category was “O ouvidor do Brasil: 99 vezes Tom Jobim” by Ruy Castro, which also received the award in the “Chronicles” category.
Tom Jobim, One Of The Founders Of Bossa Nova
In “O ouvidor do Brasil” (“The Listener of Brazil”), author Ruy Castro tells the story of the celebrated Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (1927–1994) – known simply as Tom Jobim – one of the founders of the Bossa Nova movement. Jobim’s songs and compositions shaped Brazilian music and influenced generations of songwriters. He also brought this music from Brazil to the world. In “O ouvidor do Brasil,” Castro reveals unexpected and lesser-known facets of Jobim’s life from different perspectives. Together, the texts form a kind of fragmented biographical portrait of one of Brazil’s greatest artists.
In addition to the two awards for “O ouvidor do Brasil,” Companhia das Letras won six more prizes. They went to “Vento em setembro” by Tony Bellotto (Literary Novel), “Respiro” by Armando Freitas Filho (Poetry), “Felicidade ordinária” by Vera Iaconelli (Health and Well-Being), “A essência de empreender” by Miguel Krigsner (Business), “Acrobata” by Alice Sant’Anna, cover design by Kiko Farkas (Cover Design), and “Bento Vento Tempo” by Stênio Gardel, illustrated by Nelson Cruz (Illustration).
