Mia Couto
Encyclopedia
António Emílio Leite Couto (born July 5, 1955), better known as Mia Couto, is a world-renowned Mozambican
writer.
, Mozambique
’s second largest city, where he was also raised and schooled. He is the son of Portuguese
emigrants who moved to the former Portuguese colony in the 1950s. At the age of fourteen, some of his poetry was published in a local newspaper, Notícias da Beira. Three years later, in 1971, he moved to the capital Lourenço Marques (now Maputo
) and began to study medicine at the University of Lourenço Marques. During this time, the anti-colonial guerrilla and political movement FRELIMO was struggling to overthrow the Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique.
in Lisbon
and the overthrow of the Estado Novo regime, Mozambique was about to become an independent republic. In 1974, FRELIMO asked Couto to suspend his studies for a year to work as a journalist for Tribuna until September 1975 and then as the director of the newly-created Mozambique Information Agency (AIM). Later, he ran the Tempo magazine until 1981. His first book of poems, Raiz de Orvalho, was published in 1983; it included texts aimed against the dominance of Marxist militant propaganda. Couto continued working for the newspaper Notícias until 1985 when he resigned to finish his course of study in biology.
, English
, French
, German
, Italian
and Catalan
. In many of his texts, he undertakes to recreate the Portuguese language by infusing it with regional vocabulary and structures from Mozambique, thus producing a new model for the African narrative. Stylistically, his writing is influenced by magical realism
, a style popular in modern Latin American literature
s, and his use of language is reminiscent of the Brazilian writer Guimarães Rosa, but also deeply influenced by the baiano
writer Jorge Amado
. He has been noted for creating proverb
s, sometimes known as "improverbs", in his fiction, as well as riddles, legends, metaphors, giving his work a poetical dimension An international jury at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair named his first novel, Terra Sonâmbula (Sleepwalking Land
), one of the best 12 African books of the 20th century. In 2007, he became the first African author to win the prestigious Latin Union
literary prize, which has been awarded annually in Italy since 1990. Mia Couto became only the fourth writer in the Portuguese language to take home this prestigious award, having competed against authors from Portugal, France, Colombia, Spain, Italy, and Senegal. Currently, he is a biologist employed by the Limpopo Transfrontier Park while continuing his work on other writing projects.
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
writer.
Early years
Couto was born in the city of BeiraBeira, Mozambique
Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. Beira had a population of 412,588 in 1997, which grew to an estimated 546,000 in 2006...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
’s second largest city, where he was also raised and schooled. He is the son of Portuguese
Portuguese Mozambicans
Portuguese Mozambicans are Mozambican-born descendants of Portuguese settlers.-History:Portuguese explorers turned to present-day Mozambique and two other PALOP nations to bring black slaves to Portugal before bringing them to work for their plantations in their Latin American province, the...
emigrants who moved to the former Portuguese colony in the 1950s. At the age of fourteen, some of his poetry was published in a local newspaper, Notícias da Beira. Three years later, in 1971, he moved to the capital Lourenço Marques (now Maputo
Maputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
) and began to study medicine at the University of Lourenço Marques. During this time, the anti-colonial guerrilla and political movement FRELIMO was struggling to overthrow the Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique.
After independence of Mozambique
In April 1974, after the Carnation RevolutionCarnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and the overthrow of the Estado Novo regime, Mozambique was about to become an independent republic. In 1974, FRELIMO asked Couto to suspend his studies for a year to work as a journalist for Tribuna until September 1975 and then as the director of the newly-created Mozambique Information Agency (AIM). Later, he ran the Tempo magazine until 1981. His first book of poems, Raiz de Orvalho, was published in 1983; it included texts aimed against the dominance of Marxist militant propaganda. Couto continued working for the newspaper Notícias until 1985 when he resigned to finish his course of study in biology.
Literary work
Not only is Mia Couto considered one of the most important writers in Mozambique, but many of his works have been published in more than 20 countries and in various languages, including PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
. In many of his texts, he undertakes to recreate the Portuguese language by infusing it with regional vocabulary and structures from Mozambique, thus producing a new model for the African narrative. Stylistically, his writing is influenced by magical realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
, a style popular in modern Latin American literature
Latin American literature
Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the second half of the 20th century, largely due to the...
s, and his use of language is reminiscent of the Brazilian writer Guimarães Rosa, but also deeply influenced by the baiano
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...
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...
. He has been noted for creating proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s, sometimes known as "improverbs", in his fiction, as well as riddles, legends, metaphors, giving his work a poetical dimension An international jury at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair named his first novel, Terra Sonâmbula (Sleepwalking Land
Sleepwalking Land
Sleepwalking Land is a novel written by Mia Couto, a Mozambican writer, first published in Portuguese in 1992 and translated into English by David Brookshaw in 2006...
), one of the best 12 African books of the 20th century. In 2007, he became the first African author to win the prestigious Latin Union
Latin Union
The Latin Union is an international organization of nations that use Romance languages, with the aim of protecting, projecting, and promoting the common cultural heritage and unifying identities of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world. It was created in 1954 in Madrid, Spain, and has existed as a...
literary prize, which has been awarded annually in Italy since 1990. Mia Couto became only the fourth writer in the Portuguese language to take home this prestigious award, having competed against authors from Portugal, France, Colombia, Spain, Italy, and Senegal. Currently, he is a biologist employed by the Limpopo Transfrontier Park while continuing his work on other writing projects.
Books
- Raiz do Orvalho (poetry, 1983)
- Vozes Anoitecidas (short stories, 1986). [Voices made night. Translated by David Brookshaw. (1990) ISBN 0435905708]
- Cada Homem É uma Raça (short stories, 1990) ISBN 9722100718
- Cronicando (crônicas, 1991) ISBN 972210585X
- Terra Sonâmbula (novel, 1992) ISBN 9722107909 [ Sleepwalking LandSleepwalking LandSleepwalking Land is a novel written by Mia Couto, a Mozambican writer, first published in Portuguese in 1992 and translated into English by David Brookshaw in 2006...
. Translated by David Brookshaw. (2006) ISBN 185242897X] - Estórias Abensonhadas (short stories, 1994) ISBN 9722109332
- Every man is a race [Translation of selected works from: Cada homem é uma raça, and Cronicando; translated by David Brookshaw] (1994) ISBN 0435909827
- A Varanda do Frangipani (novel, 1996) ISBN 9722110500 [Under the frangipani. Translated by David Brookshaw. (2001) ISBN 0864863780]
- Contos do Nascer da Terra (short stories, 1997)
- Mar Me Quer (novella, 1998)
- Vinte e Zinco (novella, 1999) ISBN 9722112503
- Raiz de orvalho e outros poemas (1999) ISBN 972211302X
- O Último Voo do Flamingo (novel, 2000) ISBN 9722113348
- Mar me quer (2000)
- O Gato e o Escuro (children's book, 2001)
- Na Berma de Nenhuma Estrada e Outros Contos (short stories, 2001)
- Um Rio Chamado Tempo, uma Casa Chamada Terra (novel, 2002)
- Contos do Nascer da Terra (short stories, 2002)
- O País do Queixa Andar (crônicas, 2003)
- O Fio das Missangas (short stories, 2003)
- A chuva pasmada (2004) ISBN 9722116541
- Pensatempos: textos de opinião (2005) ISBN 9722116878
- O Outro Pé da Sereia (novel, 2006) ISBN 9722117955
- Venenos de Deus, Remédios do Diabo (novel, 2008) ISBN 9789722119870
- Jesusalém (novel, 2009)