Ana Maria Gonçalves became the first black woman to join the Brazilian Academy of Letters (GLA) in 128 years. The author of the novel “a color defect” was elected on Thursday (10), with 30 votes from the 31 possible, and will occupy chair number 33, which had been vague since the death of Evanildo Bechara.
At 55, the writer, screenwriter and playwright becomes the younger member of the current picture of immortals. His book “A Color Defect” won the Casa de Las Americas Award in 2007 and was elected as the best Brazilian literature book of the 21st century by Folha de São Paulo jury.
Ana Maria also acts as a teacher of creative writing and curator of cultural projects, promoting debates on literature and racial issues.