Luiz Fernando Ruffato de Souza (Cataguases, Brazil, February 1961) is a contemporary Brazilian writer. An alumnus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Ruffato worked as a journalist in São Paulo and published in several fiction books, including História dos Remorsos e Rancores (1998) and Eles Eram Muitos Cavalos (They were Many Horses) (2001). The latter garnered the APCA literary prize.
Born into an immigrant and working-class family in Cataguazes, Luiz Ruffato had an early inclination toward literature. Nonetheless, following the request of his mother – who was a Portuguese washerwoman – and father – who was an Italian popcorn salesman – Ruffato had an apprenticeship as a salesman in Cataguases before moving to Juiz de Fora and studying journalism. In Juiz de Fora, Ruffato worked as a mechanic during the day and studied journalism during the night. His working class and immigrant inheritance are reflected in his work. His cycle of five novels, entitled "Inferno Provisório" (Temporary Hell), portrays the story of Brazilian industrialization from the 1950s on. Once he graduated as a journalist, Ruffato moved to São Paulo to work in his new profession. São Paulo also became the stage, along with Minas Gerais, for Ruffato's short stories and novels. "Eles Eram Muitos Cavalos," tells, in 69 fragments, the daily life and contradictions of São Paulo, Brazil's biggest metropolis.
Ruffato is also one of the founders of the Church of the Book as Transformation (Igreja do Livro Transformador), a secular movement that encourages reading in Brazil. The movement believes that books can change people's lives in subtle and radical ways.
In 2012 Luiz Ruffato was distinguished as a Brazilian Writer in Residence at the Center for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley. In 2013, his novel "Domingos Sem Deus" was awarded the Casa de las Américas Prize.
Main works
Early works
Ruffato's first published work was the short stories collection Histórias de Remorsos e Rancores (1998). Made up of seven short stories, Histórias de Remorsos e Rancores was centered on a set of characters from the "beco do Zé" (Zé's alley), in Cataguases, Ruffatos city of origin. The short stories are neither interrelated nor in chronological order. The only thing that connects them is the poor working-class characters, underemployed or engaged in illegal trades such as prostitution. The book was well received by the specialized critique.
In 2000, Ruffato published another collection of short stories, called os sobreviventes. The book received an honourable mention at the Premio Casa de las Américas in 2001. It is made of six short stories – "A solução", "O segredo", "Carta a uma jovem senhora", "A expiação", "Um outro mundo" e "Aquário" – in which all characters are representative of the lower proletariat of Cataguases. All stories deal with the hardship of life the suffering of the lower classes and a pervasive lack of hope. The language of the stories explores the spoken vernacular and popular expressions.
Eles eram muitos cavalos (They were many horses) Ruffato's first novel, eles eram muitos cavalos was published in 2001. It won the prize Troféu APCA e Prêmio Machado de Assis for best novel of 2001. With a non-linear structure, the book is made of 70 fragments. All fragments happened on the same day (05/09/2000) in the city of São Paulo. The novel's title is an allusion to a poem by the Brazilian poet Cecília Meirelles, called "Dos Cavalos da Inconfidência".
The novel's idea came from Ruffato's will to make a tribute to São Paulo, the Brazilian metropolis that welcomed so many migrants like Ruffato himself. The book's lack of structure reflects the impossibility of reproducing the complexity and dynamism of the city. The book draws from several social classes and social discourses (including advertising, theatrical, etc.) represented in a multiplicity of literary styles (poetry, theater, etc.). According to Ruffato, this book is not exactly a novel, but a sort of literary installation and homage to São Paulo.
Inferno Provisório (Temporary Hell) In 2005, Ruffato started – with the novel Mamma, Son Tanto Felice – a series called "Temporary Hell", made up of five volumes. The series continued with O Mundo Inimigo, published a year later. And, later on, Vista Parcial da Noite (2006), O Livro das Impossibilidades (2008) and Domingos sem Deus (2011).
