Anilda Leão

Anilda Neves Leão was born 15 July 1923 in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil to Joaquim de Barros Leão and Jorgina Neves Leão[1] She attended grammar school at the Colégio Imaculada Conceição (College of Immaculate Conception) and Junior High School at Colégio São José (St. Joseph's College).[2] At thirteen years old, she published her first poem, about abandoned children.[1] Leão attended Alagoas High School[2] and then graduated in accounting from the Escola Técnica de Comércio (Technical school of Commerce) in Alagoas[1] in 1945.[2]

Her dream was to become a doctor, but her father would not allow it. In 1950, in an event organized by the Alagoas Federation for Women's Progress, she sang publicly for the first time.[1] From that time forward, she was heavily involved in the struggle for women's rights and belonged to various feminist organizations in Alagoas, including the Center for Women of Alagoas, Federation for Women's Progress, the State Council for Women, and the Teotonio Vilela Foundation.[2] In 1963, she participated in the World Congress on Women held in Moscow in the Soviet Union, as a representative of the Alagoas Federation for Women's Progress. In 1990, she became president of the organization.[1]

In 1953, Leão married the architect, journalist, and writer Carlos Moliterno with whom she had two children. Moliterno encouraged her to write.[1] She wrote articles for several publications of Alagoas, the magazines Caetés and Mocidade, as well as the newspapers, Jornal de Alagoas and Gazeta de Alagoas.[1]

In 1961 she published her first book, Chão de Pedras (Stone Ground). In 1972 she wrote a volume of short stories, Riacho Seco (Dry creek), with which won the Graciliano Ramos Prize in 1973 from the Alagoas Academy of Letters. This was followed by many more publications, such as Chuvas de Verão (1974), Poemas Marcados (1978), Ohos Convexos (1989) Círculo Mágico (1993), and Eu em Trânsito (2002).[3]

As an actor, she worked on films, including Lampião e Maria Bonita (1970) and Órfãos da Terra (1970),[3] Alagoano Calabouço (1976)[2][4] and as an extra in the films Bye Bye Brazil, Memórias do cárcere (1984), Deus é brasileiro (2002).[3] She appeared in the short films, Ouça o silêncio, Mordaça[2] (1975),[5] Sacrossaques (1977),[6] Relatório sem feed-back (1979),[7] and Guenzo (1982).[8] In 1978, a movie, directed by José Márcio Passos was presented adapted from one of her short stories, Alívio.[9]

In the theater she performed in Bossa nordeste and Onde canta o sabiá.[3] She worked on the staging of the play A farsa da boa preguiça, by Ariano Suassuna.[2] Even with all of her performing, Leão worked in the 1970s, in the Department of Culture for the State of Alagoas, in the 1980s was the State Secretariat for culture.[10]

She was a member of the Academia Alagoana de Letras (AAL) (Alagoas Academy of Letters), holding the 26th chair and a member of the Associação Alagoana de Imprensa (AAI) (Alagoas Press Association). She belonged to the Literary Group of Alagoas and the Alagoas Historical and Geographical Institute (IHGAL), holding the 7th chair.[2]

Leão died at age 88, on 6 January 2012 in Maceió, Brazil, due to a generalized infection after fracturing her femur in a fall. She was buried at the cemetery Parque das Flores in the Barrio da Lourdes Grotto (Maceio).[10]

• Comenda Mário Guimarães (from the Mayor of Maceió).
• Comenda Nise da Silveira (from the Government of the State of Alagoas).
• Comenda Graciliano Ramos (from the Mayor of Maceió).
• Comenda da Ordem do Mérito de Palmares (from the Government of the State of Alagoas).
• Comenda Teotônio Vilela, (from the Teotônio Vilela Foundation).
• Faça Diploma de Mérito (Degree of Cultural Merit), (from the Brazilian Union of Writers).

[10]

• Enaura Quixabeira Rosa e Silva; Edilma Acioli Bomfim. "Dicionário mulheres de Alagoas ontem e hoje" Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL): Alagoas (Brazil) (2007) (In Portuguese), pp 45-46
• WorldCat