Biography

Lygia Fagundes da Silva Telles (née de Azevedo Fagundes; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈliʒiɐ faˈɡũdʒis ˈtɛlis]; 19 April 1918 – 3 April 2022), also known as "the lady of Brazilian literature" and "the greatest Brazilian writer" while alive, was a Brazilian novelist and writer, considered by academics, critics and readers to be one of the most important and notable Brazilian writers in the 20th century and the history of Brazilian literature. In addition to being a lawyer, Lygia was widely represented in postmodernism, and her works portrayed classic and universal themes such as death, love, fear and madness, as well as fantasy.

Born in São Paulo, and educated as a lawyer, she began publishing soon after she completed high school and simultaneously worked as a solicitor and writer throughout most of her career. She was elected as the third woman in the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1985 and held Chair 16. She was a recipient of the Camões Prize, the highest literary award of the Portuguese language and her works have received honors and awards from Brazil, Chile and France. Winner of all important literary awards in Brazil, honored nationally and internationally, in 2016, at the age of 92, she became the first Brazilian woman to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature.