Paulo Leminski

Leminski was born in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, in 1944. His father, Paulo Leminski, was of Polish descent, and his mother, Áurea Pereira Mendes, was of Portuguese, Afro-Brazilian and indigenous descent.{{cite web|access-date=23 August 2022|date=25 June 2020|website=Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural|title=Paulo Leminski|url=https://enciclopedia.itaucultural.org.br/pessoa2851/paulo-leminski|language=pt-br}}{{cite web|access-date=24 August 2016|archive-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915034947/http://www.sorocult.com/el/view.php?cod=329|author=Gonçalves Viana|website=Espaço Literário Sorocult|title=Biografia de Paulo Leminski|url=http://www.sorocult.com/el/view.php?cod=329|url-status=dead|language=pt-br}} In 1958, Leminski was sent to the Mosteiro de São Bento in São Paulo, where he stayed for a year. There he studied latin, theology, philosophy and classic literature. Leminski wanted to be a monk, being against his father's wishes, who wanted his son to become a serviceman like him. Leminski abandoned his religious vocations in 1963.

During the First Congress of Brazilian Experimental Poetry in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, he met Haroldo de Campos, who would become one of his long-time friends and major influences.

In 1963 he officially married Nevair "Neiva" Maria de Sousa, a plastic artist. They divorced in 1968.

In 1964 he published his first poems in the arts journal Invenção, founded by Décio Pignatari, Haroldo de Campos and his brother Augusto.{{cite web|access-date=23 August 2022|website=Memórias da ditadura|title=Paulo Leminski|url=https://memoriasdaditadura.org.br/escritores/paulo-leminski/|language=pt-br}} In 1965 he became a history and creative writing teacher, even though he had never finished college. He became the most famous teacher in Curitiba because of his way of teaching. This experience motivated him to write his book Catatau. He was also an expert judo sensei.{{Cite book |last=Lima |first=Manoel Ricardo de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4klhulikFoC&q=jud%C3%B4&pg=PA11 |title=Entre percurso e vanguarda: alguma poesia de P. Leminski |date=2002 |publisher=Annablume |isbn=978-85-7419-298-7 |language=pt-BR}}

In 1968 he married for the second time, this time with fellow poet Alice Ruiz. They had three children: Miguel Ângelo (who died prematurely due to a lymphoma), Aurea Alice and Estrela Leminski, who would also become a poet, artist and musician. He moved temporarily to Rio de Janeiro in 1969, returning to Curitiba in the following year.{{cite journal |last=Mello |first=Cláudio José de Almeida |date=1 July 2014 |title=O legado de Paulo Leminski e seu lugar na tradição literária brasileira |url=https://tst08.lcc.ufmg.br/seerufmg/migracao/letras/temp/index.php/o_eixo_ea_roda/article/view/5907 |access-date=25 August 2022 |pages=97–113 |doi=10.17851/2358-9787.23.1.97-113 |issn=2358-9787 |issue=1 |journal=O Eixo e a Roda: Revista de Literatura Brasileira|volume=23 |language=pt-br|doi-access= |url-access=subscription }}

In 1970 he published in various magazines, such as Qorpo Estranho, Muda Código and Raposa.

In the late 1970s, in the publishing house Grafipar, located in Curitiba, Alice and Leminski scripted erotic comic books, drawn by artists such as Claudio Seto, Júlio Shimamoto, Flávio Colin and Itamar Gonçalves.{{cite web|access-date=21 December 2019|title=Livro reúne HQs eróticas de Alice Ruiz e Paulo Leminski feitas na ditadura - 31/10/2015 - Ilustrada|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2015/10/1700701-livro-reune-hqs-eroticas-de-alice-ruiz-e-paulo-leminski-feitas-na-ditadura.shtml|work=Folha de S.Paulo|language=pt-br}}

Leminski was a polyglot; he knew French, English, Spanish, Japanese, Latin and Greek.{{cite web|access-date=23 August 2022|date=6 March 2015|first=Marina|last=Rossi|website=El País|title=Leminski-se|url=https://brasil.elpais.com/brasil/2015/03/05/cultura/1425580199_148126.html|language=pt-br}}

In 1988, after a 20-year marriage, Leminski divorced Alice Ruiz, with whom he was working on his last poetry book, the exquisite La vie en close, which appeared posthumously in 1991.

Leminski died on June 7, 1989, of liver cirrhosis, from which he had suffered for years.

Leminski had many musical partners in life such as Moraes Moreira, Itamar Assumpção, Ivo Rodrigues and Guilherme Arantes. His compositions have been sung by artists such as Caetano Veloso, Ney Matogrosso, the group A Cor do Som, Paulinho Boca de Cantor, Zizi Possi, Zélia Duncan, Gilberto Gil, Ângela Maria, Ná Ozzetti, Arnaldo Antunes and Vítor Ramil.{{cite web|access-date=10 August 2022|archive-date=18 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218134053/http://www.pauloleminski.com.br/songbook/|title=Songbook Paulo Leminski – Partituras e cifras|url=http://www.pauloleminski.com.br/songbook/|website=www.pauloleminski.com.br|language=pt-br}} Gilberto Gil honored one of Leminski's daughters with the song Estrela.{{Cite tweet|author=Gilberto Gil|user=gilbertogil|number=1404239718901026816|title=Quaase! Essa é "Amarra o teu arado a uma estrela", que Gil fez pra cunhada, Fafa! "Estrela" foi feita pensando na filha de Leminski e Alice Ruiz e fala sobre as relações se dão em conexão constante, onde tudo está ligado e tudo tem a ver, não havendo fato isolado no universo.|date=13 June 2021}} Estrela Leminski had published in 2014 an album called Leminskanções with 25 songs composed by her father and one song book, registering around 109 compositions by Leminski.

Leminski was a trotskyist and was close to the Organização Socialista Internacionalista, a trotskyist organization put in the situation of clandestinity by the Brazilian military dictatorship. In a poem dedicated to the Liberdade e Luta organization (Libelu), an organization formed in the University of São Paulo to combat the military dictatorship, he wrote that the "trotskyists were the ones power did not corrupt".{{cite web|access-date=23 August 2022|date=29 September 2020|first=Nathalia|last=Zaccaro|website=Revista Trip|title=Abaixo a ditadura: documentário resgata história da Libelu|url=https://revistatrip.uol.com.br/trip/abaixo-a-ditadura-documentario-resgata-historia-da-libelu|language=pt-br}}

Leminski had a major Japanese influence through his life and writing, such as Zen Buddhism, haiku, and judo. A vanguardist poet, Leminski is also considered a poeta marginal ("marginal poet") for his extensive publications in magazines and fanzines. He has influenced all Brazilian literary movements in the last 30 years.Rede Bandeirantes. Brasileiro com muito orgulho: Paulo Leminski. (in Brazilian Portuguese)

In 1975, his first romance and major work, Catatau, was published. It took 8 years to be completely written. It is an experimental novel, written in prose poetry, dealing with an imaginary visit of philosopher René Descartes to Brazil alongside Prince John Maurice of Nassau during the Dutch invasions of Brazil in the 17th century. Catatau would draw the attention of some of the most important cultural personalities of the time, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé and Moraes Moreira.

In 1976 he published a photo-book in partnership with the photographer Jack Pires called Quarenta clics em Curitiba. It consists of 40 black-and-white photographs and 40 poems.{{cite journal |last=Junior |first=Arlindo Rebechi |date=16 November 2017 |title=Paulo Leminski, o poeta do labirinto |pages=147–157 |language=pt-br |doi=10.11606/issn.2316-9125.v22i2p147-157 |issn=2316-9125 |issue=2 |journal=Comunicação & Educação|volume=22 |doi-access=free }}

In 1980, with initiative of friends, Não fosse isso e era menos não fosse tanto e era quase was published. In the same year, Polonaises was published. These two books together with other poems would form the book Caprichos e relaxos, published in 1983.

Also in 1980, Leminski published Tripas, a book vastly unknown by both the critics and the public.

Between 1984 and 1986, he translated into Portuguese works by Petronius, John Fante, Alfred Jarry, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Yukio Mishima.{{cite journal |last1=Carvelli |first1=Keissy Guariento |last2=Martins |first2=Ricardo André Ferreira |date=27 June 2018 |title=A paulada erudita d' um Leminski popular: o problema da língua na literatura brasileira pela perspectiva de dois poemas |url=https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/ojs/index.php/letronica/article/view/28576 |access-date=25 August 2022 |pages=65–77 |language=pt-br |doi=10.15448/1984-4301.2018.1.28576 |issn=1984-4301 |issue=1 |journal=Letrônica|volume=11 |s2cid=165767127 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last=Santana |first=Ivan Justen |date=1 October 2001 |title=Paulo Leminski, poeta tradutor |url=https://www.revistas.usp.br/clt/article/view/49359 |access-date=23 August 2022 |pages=273–281 |language=pt |doi=10.11606/issn.2359-5388.i4p273-281 |issn=2359-5388 |issue=4 |journal=Cadernos de Literatura em Tradução|s2cid=173063242 |doi-access=free }} An enthusiast of the culture of Japan, Leminski wrote a biography of the famous 17th-century haiku poet Matsuo Bashō in 1983. He also authored in the 1980s biographies of Leon Trotsky, João da Cruz e Sousa and Jesus Christ.{{cite web|access-date=16 August 2022|title=Vida - Paulo Leminski|url=https://www.companhiadasletras.com.br/livro/9788535923278/vida|website=Companhia das Letras|language=pt-br}}{{cite journal |last=Bento |first=Sérgio |date=1 August 2008 |title="Mallarmé Bashô": a tradução-apropriação como via para o silêncio |url=https://www.revistas.usp.br/clt/article/view/49446 |access-date=23 August 2022 |pages=57–66 |language=pt-br |doi=10.11606/issn.2359-5388.i9p57-66 |issn=2359-5388 |issue=9 |journal=Cadernos de Literatura em Tradução|doi-access=free }} The biography of Jesus has translations of gospels, and the biography of Matsuo Bashō has translations of his haiku, together with excerpts of his diaries and other haiku written by Eastern and Western authors.

In 1984, he publishes his second romance, Agora é que são elas.{{Cite book |last=Leminski |first=Paulo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNMtAAAAYAAJ |title=Agora é que são elas |date=1984 |publisher=Brasiliense |isbn=978-85-11-23021-5 |language=pt-BR}} In 1985, he publishes Hai Tropikais, in partnership with Alice Ruiz. In 1986, he publishes his first children's book, Guerra dentro da gente. 1986 is also the year he published his last translation, Malone Morre (Malone Dies), by Samuel Beckett, and his last biography, Trotsky. In 1987 was published his last book in life, Distraídos venceremos.

In 1989, after his death, his children's poetry A lua no cinema was published.

Other posthumously published books include La vie en close{{cite web |last=Frederico |first=Manoel |date=1 March 2020 |title=La vie en close de Paulo Leminski: a valorização do inutensílio, em uma poesia rica e inusitada, numa experiência literária ímpar |url=https://www.recantodasletras.com.br/resenhasdelivros/6878070 |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=Recanto das Letras|language=pt-br}} (1991{{Cite book |last=Leminski |first=Paulo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9QtAAAAYAAJ |title=La vie en close |date=1991 |publisher=Editora Brasiliense |isbn=978-85-11-01244-6 |language=pt-BR}}), Winterverno (with João Suplicy, 1994),{{Cite book |last1=Leminski |first1=Paulo |last2=Suplicy|first2=João|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8D1RAAACAAJ |title=Winterverno |date=1994 |publisher=Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba |language=pt-br}} Metaformose: uma viagem pelo imaginário grego (1994{{Cite book |last=Leminski |first=Paulo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFNZAAAAMAAJ |title=Metaformose: uma viagem pelo imaginário grego |date=1994 |publisher=Iluminuras |isbn=978-85-85219-78-9 |language=pt-BR}}), which won the Prêmio Jabuti prize in 1995 in the poetry category{{cite journal|access-date=25 August 2022|date=25 March 2014|doi=10.22456/2238-8915.43951|first1=Lívia Mendes|last1=Pereira|first2=Brunno Vinicius Gonçalves|last2=Vieira|issue=56: LATIM ONTEM E HOJE|journal=Organon|title=METAFORMOSE DAS METAMORFOSES: LEMINSKI REINVENTA OVÍDIO|url=https://seer.ufrgs.br/organon/article/view/43951|volume=29|language=pt-br|doi-access=free|hdl=11449/124876|hdl-access=free}} in 3rd place,{{cite web|access-date=2022-08-25|website=Site oficial do Prêmio Jabuti|title=Prêmio 1995|url=https://www.premiojabuti.com.br/premiados-por-edicao/premiacao/?ano=1995|language=pt-br}} O ex-estranho (1996),{{Cite book |last=Leminski |first=Paulo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xFca4_JRUOoC |title=O ex-estranho |date=1996 |publisher=Editora Iluminuras Ltda |isbn=978-85-7321-029-3 |language=pt-BR}} Gozo fabuloso (2004) and Toda Poesia (2013), a collection of his complete poetic works and a best-seller.{{cite web |date=5 April 2013 |title=Sucesso de vendas de coletânea reafirma crescente interesse pelo poeta Paulo Leminski |url=https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/noticia/2013/04/sucesso-de-vendas-de-coletanea-reafirma-crescente-interesse-pelo-poeta-paulo-lemisnki-4097404.html |access-date=23 August 2022 |website=GauchaZH|language=pt-br}} It has sold over 200,000 copies and has been prepared an English translation for publication in 2022.{{cite web|access-date=23 August 2022|date=22 August 2022|title=Leminski 78 anos: obra renovada, traduções, edições e eventos|url=https://paranashop.com.br/2022/08/paulo-leminski-78-anos/|website=Paranashop|language=pt-br}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://fundacaopauloleminski.blogspot.com.br/ Fundação Paulo Leminski] {{in lang|pt}}
• [http://pauloleminski.com pauloleminski.com]
• [http://www.leminski.com.br/ leminski.com.br]
• [http://www.elsonfroes.com.br/kamiquase/nindex.htm KAMIQUASE: PAULO LEMINSKI]
• [http://www.antoniomiranda.com.br/poesia_brasis/parana/paulo_lemiski.html Poems by Leminski translated into English and Spanish]
• [http://www.elsonfroes.com.br/kamiquase Translations by Charles A. Perrone, Chris Daniels and others]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBBEM8xPDwg Leminskanções by Estrela Ruiz, full album]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leminski, Paulo}}

Category:1944 births

Category:1989 deaths

Category:Brazilian male judoka

Category:20th-century Brazilian poets

Category:Brazilian male poets

Category:Brazilian biographers

Category:Brazilian people of Polish descent

Category:Brazilian people of Portuguese descent

Category:Brazilian people of indigenous peoples descent

Category:People from Curitiba

Category:Portuguese-language writers

Category:Translators to Portuguese

Category:English–Portuguese translators

Category:French–Portuguese translators

Category:Latin–Portuguese translators

Category:Deaths from cirrhosis

Category:20th-century Brazilian translators

Category:20th-century biographers

Category:20th-century Brazilian male writers

Category:Male biographers

Category:20th-century Brazilian sportsmen