Elected in November to chair 17 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) as the only candidate, in a gesture interpreted as deference to the actress’ trajectory, Fernanda Montenegro took office in her new role on Friday night (25), at the age of 92. The event took place at the crowded Petit Trianon, in downtown Rio, in a well-attended ceremony.
Received by the entity’s secretary general, academic Nelida Piñon, of whom she is a friend, and led to the stage by Cacá Diegues, Rosiska Darcy de Oliveira and José Sarney, the actress gave a speech that combined elements of her personal trajectory with the defense of the actor’s craft.
Fernanda Montenegro emphasized the relevance of the performing arts to culture and combined quotes from philosophers and playwrights.
“I’m an actress. I come from that mystical archaic eternal art that is the theater. I am the first representative of Brazilian art, of the Brazilian stage, to be received at this academy. The root of this art lies in the complexity of only existing through the body and soul of an actor or actress, in bringing dramatic literature into scenic verticality,” she said the now immortal.
The inauguration was attended by authorities, such as municipal and state secretaries, deputies and the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes. Fernanda Montenegro collects national and international awards, such as the International Emmy, the Berlin Festival and the Brazilian Cinema Grand Prix. She is the only Brazilian to have been nominated for an Oscar for best actress, for her performance in Central do Brasil (1998), by Walter Salles, in which she played the retired teacher Dora.
In the election that led her to the seat, vacated by the death of diplomat Affonso Arinos, the actress received 32 votes in favour. There were still two blanks. During the speech, she narrated previous episodes, in which, in several meetings, she was urged by her predecessor in chair 17, Affonso Arinos de Melo Franco, to write a book and join the ABL.
“The reason for this fraternal command given to me was because I was a real cultural activist, an artist, a brother of the same faith. A potential singer, actor. A happy and healthy bohemian, companion of many figures of our so-called popular culture. Popular culture of which I am a part, with our absolute genius, Gilberto Gil”, he said, alluding to the MPB star, also chosen as immortal and who will take office on April 8th.
In her uniform, already seated with the guests attending the Petit Trianon, Fernanda Montenegro saw her daughter, Fernanda Torres, read and interpret Nélida Piñon’s speech, which reflects the spirit of ABL at the reception of the new academic. A message that recalled the actress’s contributions to art and her family origins.
In September 2019, Fernanda Montenegro released “Prologue, act and epilogue: Memories”, an autobiography with which she qualified to run for one of the 40 seats of the ABL. In her trajectory, the actress fulfilled all the rites, from the campaign to the inauguration, in which she also praised all her predecessors in chair 17: the patron Hipólito da Costa and the academics Osório Duque-Estrada, Roquete-Pinto, Álvaro Lins and Antonio Houaiss.
Watch the entire ceremony in the video below:
Source: CNN Brasil
