Chico Buarque

He wrote and studied literature as a child and found music through the bossa nova compositions of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He performed as a singer and guitarist in the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several Tropicalist and MPB musicians, was threatened by the Brazilian military government and eventually left Brazil for Italy in 1969. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970 and continued to record, perform, and write, though much of his material was suppressed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2019, Buarque was awarded the Camões Prize, the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language. However, the awarding of the prize was delayed by four years due to actions by Jair Bolsonaro, but Buarque received it in April 2023. He has also won eleven Brazilian Music Awards, the most important prize for Brazilian music.

• Name — Chico Buarque • Birth Name — Francisco Buarque de Hollanda • Born — 19 June 1944 • Birthplace — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil • Education — University of São Paulo • Years Active — 1962–present • Occupation — * Singer-songwriter • writer • poet • playwright • Notable Works — * Construção • "Cálice" • Children — * Sílvia • Helena • Luísa

Buarque was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 19 June 1944. He came from an intellectually privileged family background—his father Sérgio Buarque de Holanda was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist, and his mother Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim was a painter and pianist. He is also the brother of the singers Miúcha, Cristina Buarque, and politician Ana de Hollanda. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of bossa nova, specifically the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18 years old and studying European literature, also at a young age. One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing football, beginning at the age of four, and he still played regularly in his 60s. During his childhood, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rome. Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided at one point to study architecture at the University of São Paulo, but this choice did not lead to a career in that field; Buarque often skipped classes. • Illustration — Buarque on TV Rio, 1967. National Archives of Brazil He made his public debut as a musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows when bossa nova came to light and Nara Leão recorded three of his songs. His eponymous debut album exemplified his future work, with catchy sambas characterised by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy. Buarque had his first hit with "A Banda" in 1966, written about a marching band, and soon released several more singles. Although playing bossa nova, during his career, samba and Música popular brasileira would also be widely explored. Despite that, Buarque was criticized by two of the leading musicians at the time, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil as they believed his musical style was overly conservative. However, an existentially themed play that Buarque wrote and composed in 1968, Roda Viva ("Live Circle"), was frowned upon by the military government and Buarque served a short prison sentence because of it. He left Brazil for Italy for 18 months in 1970, returning to write his first novel in 1972, which was not targeted by censors. • Illustration — Buarque performing in 2007 At this time, his thinly veiled protest single "Apesar de Você" ("In spite of You" – in reference to the military dictatorship) was also produced. "Apesar de Você" was overlooked by the military censors, becoming an important anthem in the democratic movement. After selling more than 100,000 copies, the single was eventually censored and removed from the market. At one point in 1974, the censors banned any song authored by Chico Buarque. Then, he created a pseudonym, naming himself "Julinho de Adelaide", complete with a life history and interviews with newspapers. "Julinho de Adelaide" authored songs such as "Jorge Maravilha" ("Wonder Jorge") and "Acorda Amor" ("Wake Up Love" as in a lover) before he was outed in a Jornal do Brasil news story. Buarque also wrote a play named Calabar, about the Dutch invasion of Brazil in the seventeenth century, drawing parallels with the military regime. Despite the censorship, songs such as "Samba de Orly" (1970), "Acorda amor" (1974, as "Julinho da Adelaide") manifested Buarque's continuing opposition to the military regime. During the 1970s and 1980s, he collaborated with filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians in further protest works against the dictatorship. Buarque approached the 1983 Concert for Peace in Nicaragua as a valid forum to vocalise his strong political views. Throughout the decade, he crafted many of his songs as vehicles to describe the re-democratisation of Brazil. The Concert for Peace in Nicaragua was one in a concert series known as the "Central American Peace Concerts." These concerts featured various Latin American artists. The political turmoil that plagued this era was expressed in many of Buarque's songs. He later wrote Budapeste, a novel that achieved critical national acclaim and won the Prêmio Jabuti, a Brazilian literary award comparable to the Booker Prize. His 2017 album Caravanas was named the third best Brazilian album of that year by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone.

Books • 1966: A Banda (Songbook) • 1974: Fazenda Modelo • 1979: Chapeuzinho Amarelo • 1981: A Bordo do Rui Barbosa • 1991: Estorvo • 1995: Benjamin • 2003: Budapeste • 2009: Leite Derramado • 2014: O Irmão Alemão (published in English as My German Brother) • 2019: Essa Gente • 2021: Anos de Chumbo Plays • 1967/8: Roda Viva • 1973: Calabar (co-authored with Ruy Guerra) • 1975: Gota d'água • 1978: Ópera do Malandro (based on John Gay's Beggar's Opera and Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera) • 1983: O Grande Circo Místico Film • 1972: Quando o carnaval chegar (coauthor) • 1983: Para viver um grande amor (coauthor) • 1985: Ópera do Malandro • 2001: Water and Salt (actor) • 2009: Budapeste (based on his book)

The cover art of the Buarque's 1966 album Chico Buarque de Hollanda became a viral internet meme with "happy" Chico and "sad" Chico.

Chico Buarque was recorded at birth as Francisco Buarque de Hollanda. His recorded language was Portuguese. He was the child of Sérgio Buarque de Holanda and Memélia. He married Marieta Severo. 2 children are recorded: Sílvia Buarque and Helena Buarque.

Chico Buarque is recorded as singer, composer, poet and writer.