Congratulations, Gilberto Gil!
Source: Ministério da Cultura do Brasil, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Musician and former Culture Minister Gilberto Gil is the most recent “immortal” in Brazil. That’s what the members of the Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters) are called. Founded at the very end of the 19th century, the Academia is limited to 40 seats, with new members being elected to replace those who have passed away. Regarding Gilberto Gil’s election, Globo.com said
The singer and composer Gilberto Gil was elected to occupy chair 20 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
His expression is peaceful, as it has usually been for almost 80 years. The life that the decades have shown to Gilberto Gil has always been seen with poetry, almost never with anxiety. But his face showed happiness upon becoming the news ABL immortal.
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The Brazilian Academy of Letters has taken on a new flavor.
“A flavor of popular poetry, of poetry linked to the field of entertainment, of big popular entertainment. It’s a novelty in this sense. It’s not just poets, after all, who are classically considered as those who write poems, publish books, etc. A lot of the welcome that has come from academy members is due to the fact that there is a recognized quality in my poetic work, in my writing as a composer,” he stated.
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After counting, the votes were burned, as ritual dictates. It was time to celebrate the new colleague.
“We are all very happy. Gilberto Gil is the connecting link between erudite culture and popular culture, as few know how to do it. Who is able to speak for the whole country and to the world with the experience of reflection that he does about his own country”, highlighted Marco Lucchesi, president of the ABL.
… Our new immortal comes in bringing much more than the credentials of a writer. He brings cultural richness, translated into poetry and inspiration. And thus with him all the applause and thanks of a proud country also come in.
Composer, singer, father, husband, idol.
Over almost 60 years of his career, one of the creators of Tropicalism has already circled the globe many times, carried by his work.
More than 70 records recorded, unforgettable partnerships, and songs that have become hymns.