The Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters), located in Rio de Janeiro, is a literary nonprofit society established at the end of the nineteenth century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896.
Today, the Academy is composed of 40 members chosen from among the citizens of Brazil and 20 foreign correspondent members. All members are chosen through election by a secret ballot when a chair becomes vacant, and they are selected based on their publications or film productions of recognized merit. The position is awarded for the recipient’s lifetime.
The Academy is charged with the care of the national language of Brazil (Portuguese) and with the promotion of Brazilian literary arts. Today the Academy administers one of the largest public libraries in Rio with more than 90,000 volumes and a multimedia center. The library houses many rare manuscripts and first edition books by famous Brazilian writers.
Indiana University Professor Emerita of Spanish and Portuguese Darlene J. Sadlier was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters as a correspondent member on November 14, 2019. At the time, she was the only U.S. citizen and woman holding the lifetime position.
Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL)
40Lifetime members who have works or books of recognized merit
20Foreign correspondents, including IU Emerita Professor Darlene Sadlier
1897The year ABL was opened
Research
The Academy acts as an official authority on the Portuguese language. The Academy's main publication in this field is the Orthographic Vocabulary of the Portuguese Language (Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa), prepared by the Commission on Lexicology and Lexicography. It also publishes selected works by past members, the journal Revista Brasileira, and exhaustive annual reports on the Academy’s activities. The Academy offers extensive programming throughout the year, often recorded and made available on its website and YouTube channel.
Engagement with IU
Indiana University is the only university with an agreement with the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Through the agreement, academy members can visit IU to give lectures, connect with students and faculty, and become a part of the academic culture. In turn, IU researchers can access the academy's rich archives and can be invited to the academy to give lectures and participate in events.
