Storytellers
Clarice Lispector
Get a sneak peek at our feature on Clarice Lispector, a writer who uses simple language to explore the deep struggles of women in life-changing situations.
Clarice Lispector
(born December 10, 1920, Chechelnyk, Ukraine, Russian Empire—died December
9, 1977, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was a novelist and short-story writer, one of Brazil’s most important
literary figures, who is considered to be among the greatest women writers of the 20th century.
Her first novel, Perto do coração selvagem (1944; Near to the Wild Heart), published when she was
24 years old, won critical acclaim for its sensitive interpretation of adolescence. In her later works,
such as A maçã no escuro (1961; The Apple in the Dark), A paixão segundo G.H. (1964; The Passion According to G.H.),
Água viva (1973; The Stream of Life ), A hora da estrela (1977; The Hour of the Star), and Um sopro de vida: pulsações (1978;
A Breath of Life), her characters, alienated and searching for meaning in life, gradually gain a sense of awareness of themselves
and accept their place in an arbitrary, yet eternal, universe. In 2011 the publishing company New Directions issued a new translation
of A hora da estrela and in 2012 issued new translations of Perto do coração selvagem, Água viva, and A paixão segundo G.H.
Clarice Lispector
(born December 10, 1920, Chechelnyk, Ukraine, Russian Empire—died December 9, 1977, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was a novelist and short-story writer, one of Brazil’s most important literary figures, who is considered to be among the greatest women writers of the 20th century. Her first novel, Perto do coração selvagem (1944; Near to the Wild Heart), published when she was 24 years old, won critical acclaim for its sensitive interpretation of adolescence. In her later works, such as A maçã no escuro (1961; The Apple in the Dark), A paixão segundo G.H. (1964; The Passion According to G.H.), Água viva (1973; The Stream of Life ), A hora da estrela (1977; The Hour of the Star), and Um sopro de vida: pulsações (1978; A Breath of Life), her characters, alienated and searching for meaning in life, gradually gain a sense of awareness of themselves and accept their place in an arbitrary, yet eternal, universe. In 2011 the publishing company New Directions issued a new translation of A hora da estrela and in 2012 issued new translations of Perto do coração selvagem, Água viva, and A paixão segundo G.H.