Ricardo Rao: From Amazon Exile to Literary Prize Winner
Ricardo Rao’s life has been defined by two disparate but powerful forces: the violent reality of the Brazilian Amazon and the literary genius of José Saramago. The Italo-Brazilian writer, now living in exile in Italy, recently received the prestigious UCCLA-CMLisboa Literary Revelation Prize for his work, Antologia Brutalista (Brutalist Anthology).
A Meeting with a Master
The origins of Rao’s award-winning book trace back to a transformative encounter decades ago. In 1993, Rao discovered Saramago’s Baltasar and Blimunda, followed by the “shock” of reading Blindness in 1999 during a period of intense social and economic crisis in Brazil. Driven by a need for “clarifications” from the author, Rao moved to the Canary Islands, enrolled in a PhD program, and eventually secured a meeting at Saramago’s home in Lanzarote.
Rao presented the Nobel laureate with the early drafts of what would become Antologia Brutalista. Saramago’s advice was blunt: he called Rao a “fool” for wanting to waste time writing a 500-page thesis on his work, urging him instead to focus on his own creative writing. That advice, given decades ago, finally bore fruit this year.
The Architecture of Violence
Antologia Brutalista is a raw, graphic portrait of the “psychological violence” inherent in modern metropolises. Borrowing its name from the architectural style characterized by exposed concrete and stark structures, Rao’s prose mirrors that lack of ornamentation. “Brutalism, as an artistic expression, would be impossible in a rural environment,” Rao told Lusa news agency. “It is a book of denunciation against a system of socio-political organization that crushes the individual.”
From Activism to Exile
Rao’s literary achievements are inseparable from his harrowing history as an activist. After his time in Europe, he returned to Brazil in 2006 to serve as an official for Funai, the state agency for Indigenous protection. He spent a decade living alongside Indigenous communities, witnessing firsthand the escalating violence against them.
In 2019, the situation turned lethal. Following his public denunciations of Indigenous persecution under the Bolsonaro administration, half of Rao’s team was shot dead. With a bounty on his head, he was forced to flee, first to Norway and then to Italy. Today, the former lawyer and professor works as a caregiver for the elderly, a vantage point from which he continues to observe the “neoliberal wave” threatening social stability in Europe.
Celebrating Lusophone Literature
Rao’s recognition comes as the 14th Portuguese Language Writers Meeting (EELP) concludes in Praia, Cape Verde. The event, organized by the Union of Portuguese Language Capital Cities (UCCLA) and the Praia City Council, highlighted Rao’s win as a testament to the international reach of Portuguese-language literature.
For Rao, the prize is more than a literary accolade; it is a validation of a journey that began with a master’s encouragement in Lanzarote and survived the literal firing lines of the Amazon.
Image: Pexels – Mario Spencer
