The Brazilian Academy of Letters (, ABL; ) is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on 15 December 1896, with the by-laws being passed on 28 January 1897. On 20 July 1897, the academy started its operation.
According to its statutes, it is the pre-eminent Portuguese council for matters pertaining to the Portuguese language. The ABL is considered the foremost institution devoted to the Portuguese language in Brazil. Its prestige and technical qualification gives it paramount authority in Brazilian Portuguese, even though it is not a public institution and no law grants it oversight over the language. The academy's main publication in this field is the Orthographic Vocabulary of the Portuguese Language (Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa) which has five editions. The Vocabulary is prepared by the academy's Commission on Lexicology and Lexicography. If a word is not included in the Vocabulary, it is considered not to exist as a correct word in Brazilian Portuguese.
Since its beginning and to this day, the academy is composed of 40 members, known as the "immortals". These members are chosen from among citizens of Brazil who have published works or books with recognized literary value. The position of "immortal" is awarded for the lifetime. New members are admitted by a vote of the academy members when one of the "chairs" become vacant. The chairs are numbered and each has a Patron: the Patrons are 40 great Brazilian writers that were already dead when the ABL was founded; the names of the Patrons were chosen by the Founders as to honour them post mortem by assigning patronage over a chair. Thus, each chair is associated with its current holder, her or his predecessors, the original Founder who occupied it in the first place, and also with a Patron.
The academicians use formal gala gilded uniforms with a sword (the uniform is called "fardão") when participating in official meetings at the academy. The body has the task of acting as an official authority on the language; it is charged with publishing an official dictionary of the language. Its rulings, however, are not binding on either the public or the government.
History
thumb|, founder of the ABL
Foundation
The initiative to establish the ABL was taken by and was realised in preparatory meetings that began on 15 December 1896, under the presidency of Machado de Assis. The statuses of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the membership of the 40 founding fathers were approved at these meetings, on 28 January 1897. On 20 July of the same year, the inaugural session was held at the Pedagogiums facility in the centre of Rio de Janeiro.
Without appointed headquarters or financial resources, the solemn meetings of the academy were held at the hall of the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, at the premises of the former National Gymnasium and at the Noble Hall of the Ministry of the Interior. The joint sessions were held at the law firm of Rodrigo Octávio, the ABL's first secretary's, at Quitanda Street, 47.
In 1904, the academy obtained the left wing of the Brazilian Silogeo, a governmental building that housed other cultural institutions. It remained there until moving to its own headquarters in 1923.
Petit Trianon
thumb|left|The Petit Trianon in Rio de Janeiro, the seat of the academy since 1923
In 1923, thanks to the initiative of its president at the time, Afrânio Peixoto and of the then-French ambassador, Raymond Conty, the French government donated the French Pavilion building to the academy. The building had been built for the Independence of Brazil's Centenary International Exposition by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, between 1762 and 1768 and was a replica of the Petit Trianon of Versailles.
These facilities have been inscribed as Brazilian Cultural heritage since Monday, 9 November 1987, by the State Institute of Cultural Heritage (INEPAC), of the Municipal Secretary of Culture of Rio de Janeiro. To the present day, its halls continue to host regular meetings, solemn sessions, commemorative meetings and inauguration sessions of the new academics, as well as the traditional Thursdays' tea. They are also open to the public for guided tours or for special cultural programs, such as chamber music concerts, book launches, conference cycles and theatre plays.
In the buildings' first floor hall stands the decorated marble floor, a French crystal chandelier, a large white porcelain vase from Sèvres and four English bas-reliefs. Inside the building, the following premises stand out:
- the Noble Hall, where the solemn sessions take place;
- the French Hall, where the new members traditionally remain alone, in reflection;
- the Room, where an oil painting on canvas of a collective of nineteenth-century writers and intellectuals, by the painter Rodolfo Amoedo, is depicted;
- the Hall of the Founders, decorated with period furniture and paintings by Candido Portinari;
- the Machado de Assis Room, decorated with the writer's desk, books and personal belongings, such as portrait by painter Henrique Bernardelli;
- the Hall of Romantic Poets, which holds bronze busts of Castro Alves, Fagundes Varela, Gonçalves Dias, Casimiro de Abreu and Álvares de Azevedo, by Brazilian-Mexican sculptor Rodolfo Bernardelli.
On the second floor, one can find the Sessions Room, the Library the Tea Room. The Tea Room is the academics' meeting point before the Plenary Session, on Thursdays. The Library is used by scholars and researchers and holds a collection of Manuel Bandeira.
Dictatorship
thumb|The Dictator [[Getúlio Vargas being invested as member of the academy in 1943]]
During periods like the Vargas' totalitarian dictatorship or the Brazilian military government, the academy's neutrality in choosing proper members dedicated to the literary profession was compromised with the election of politicians with few or no contributions to literature, such as ex-president and dictator Getúlio Vargas in 1943. The academy is also accused of not having defended culture expression and freedom of speech during both Vargas' Era and during the military dictatorship. Both of these ruling periods imposed heavy censorship on Brazilian culture, including Brazilian literature.
Members
Patrons and Current members
The Brazilian Academy of Letters has 40 full and perpetual members, each occupying a numbered chair. The current members, as of May 2026 are:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"
! scope="col" | Chair
! scope="col" | Patron
! scope="col" | Current member
! scope="col" | Origin
! scope="col" | Elected
! scope="col" | Age when elected
! scope="col" | Current age
! scope="col" | Time in chair
|-
| 1
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Adelino Fontoura<br />Adelino Fontoura
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ana Maria Machado<br />Ana Maria Machado
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2003
|
|
|
|-
| 2
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Álvares de Azevedo<br />Álvares de Azevedo
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Eduardo Giannetti<br />Eduardo Giannetti
| Minas Gerais
| 2021
|
|
|
|-
| 3
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Artur de Oliveira<br />Artur de Oliveira
| Joaquim Falcão
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2018
|
|
|
|-
| 4
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Basílio da Gama<br />Basílio da Gama
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Carlos Nejar<br />Carlos Nejar
| Rio Grande do Sul
| 1988
|
|
|
|-
| 5
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Bernardo Guimarães<br />Bernardo Guimarães
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ailton Krenak<br />Ailton Krenak
| Minas Gerais
| 2023
|
|
|
|-
| 6
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Casimiro de Abreu<br />Casimiro de Abreu
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Milton Hatoum<br />Milton Hatoum
| Amazonas
| 2025
|
|
| Pending inauguration
|-
| 7
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Castro Alves<br />Castro Alves
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Míriam Leitão<br />Míriam Leitão
| Minas Gerais
| 2025
|
|
|
|-
| 8
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Cláudio Manuel da Costa<br />Cláudio Manuel da Costa
| Ricardo Cavaliere
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2023
|
|
|
|-
| 9
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Gonçalves de Magalhães<br />Gonçalves de Magalhães
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Lilia Moritz Schwarcz<br />Lilia Moritz Schwarcz
| São Paulo
| 2024
|
|
|
|-
| 10
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Evaristo da Veiga<br />Evaristo da Veiga
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Rosiska Darcy de Oliveira<br />Rosiska Darcy de Oliveira
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2013
|
|
|
|-
| 11
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Fagundes Varela<br />Fagundes Varela
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ignácio de Loyola Brandão<br />Ignácio de Loyola Brandão
| São Paulo
| 2019
|
|
|
|-
| 12
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of França Júnior<br />França Júnior
| Paulo Niemeyer Filho
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2021
|
|
|
|-
| 13
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Francisco Otaviano<br />Francisco Otaviano
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ruy Castro<br />Ruy Castro
| Minas Gerais
| 2022
|
|
|
|-
| 14
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Franklin Távora<br />Franklin Távora
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Celso Lafer<br />Celso Lafer
| São Paulo
| 2006
|
|
|
|-
| 15
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Gonçalves Dias<br />Gonçalves Dias
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Marco Lucchesi<br />Marco Lucchesi
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2011
|
|
|
|-
| 16
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Gregório de Matos<br />Gregório de Matos
| Jorge Caldeira
| São Paulo
| 2022
|
|
|
|-
| 17
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Hipólito da Costa<br />Hipólito da Costa
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Fernanda Montenegro<br />Fernanda Montenegro
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2021
|
|
|
|-
| 18
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of João Francisco Lisboa<br />João Francisco Lisboa
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Arnaldo Niskier<br />Arnaldo Niskier
| Rio de Janeiro
| 1984
|
|
|
|-
| 19
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Joaquim Caetano da Silva<br />Joaquim Caetano da Silva
| Antônio Carlos Secchin
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2004
|
|
|
|-
| 20
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Joaquim Manuel de Macedo<br />Joaquim Manuel de Macedo
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Gilberto Gil<br />Gilberto Gil
| Bahia
| 2021
|
|
|
|-
| 21
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Joaquim Serra<br />Joaquim Serra
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Paulo Coelho<br />Paulo Coelho
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2002
|
|
|
|-
| 22
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of José Bonifácio<br />José Bonifácio
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of João Almino<br />João Almino
| Rio Grande do Norte
| 2017
|
|
|
|-
| 23
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of José de Alencar<br />José de Alencar
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Antônio Torres<br />Antônio Torres
| Bahia
| 2013
|
|
|
|-
| 24
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Júlio Ribeiro<br />Júlio Ribeiro
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Geraldo Carneiro<br />Geraldo Carneiro
| Minas Gerais
| 2016
|
|
|
|-
| 25
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Junqueira Freire<br />Junqueira Freire
| Alberto Venancio Filho
| Rio de Janeiro
| 1991
|
|
|
|-
| 26
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Laurindo Rabelo<br />Laurindo Rabelo
| José Roberto de Castro Neves
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2025
|
|
|
|-
| 27
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Maciel Monteiro<br /> Maciel Monteiro
| Edgard Telles Ribeiro
| Chile
| 2024
|
|
|
|-
| 28
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Manuel Antônio de Almeida<br />Manuel Antônio de Almeida
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Domício Proença Filho<br />Domício Proença Filho
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2006
|
|
|
|-
| 29
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Martins Pena<br />Martins Pena
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Geraldo Holanda Cavalcanti<br />Geraldo Holanda Cavalcanti
| Pernambuco
| 2010
|
|
|
|-
| 30
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Pardal Mallet<br />Pardal Mallet
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Paulo Henriques Britto<br />Paulo Henriques Britto
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2025
|
|
|
|-
| 31
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Pedro Luís Pereira de Sousa<br />Pedro Luís Pereira de Sousa
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Merval Pereira<br />Merval Pereira
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2011
|
|
|
|-
| 32
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre<br />Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Zuenir Ventura<br />Zuenir Ventura
| Minas Gerais
| 2014
|
|
|
|-
| 33
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Raul Pompeia<br />Raul Pompeia
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ana Maria Gonçalves<br />Ana Maria Gonçalves
| Minas Gerais
| 2025
|
|
|
|-
| 34
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Sousa Caldas<br />Sousa Caldas
| Evaldo Cabral de Mello
| Pernambuco
| 2014
|
|
|
|-
| 35
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Tavares Bastos<br />Tavares Bastos
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Godofredo de Oliveira Neto<br />Godofredo de Oliveira Neto
| Santa Catarina
| 2022
|
|
|
|-
| 36
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Teófilo Dias<br />Teófilo Dias
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Fernando Henrique Cardoso<br />Fernando Henrique Cardoso
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2013
|
|
|
|-
| 37
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Tomás António Gonzaga<br />Tomás António Gonzaga
| Arno Wehling
| Rio de Janeiro
| 2017
|
|
|
|-
| 38
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Tobias Barreto<br />Tobias Barreto
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of José Sarney<br />José Sarney
| Maranhão
| 1980
|
|
|
|-
| 39
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen<br />Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of José Paulo Cavalcanti Filho<br />José Paulo Cavalcanti Filho
| Pernambuco
| 2021
|
|
|
|-
| 40
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Viscount of Rio Branco<br />Viscount of Rio Branco
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Edmar Bacha<br />Edmar Bacha
| Minas Gerais
| 2016
|
|
|
|}
Correspondents
- Alexandre de Gusmão
- António José da Silva
- Manuel Botelho de Oliveira
- Eusébio de Matos
- Francisco de Sousa
- Matias Aires
- Nuno Marques Pereira
- Sebastião da Rocha Pita
- Santa Rita Durão
- Vicente do Salvador
- Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira
- Antônio de Morais Silva
- Domingos Borges de Barros
- Francisco do Monte Alverne
- Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo
- José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva
- Odorico Mendes
- Manuel Inácio da Silva Alvarenga
- Sotero dos Reis
- José da Silva Lisboa
Presidents
The presidency of the Brazilian Academy of Letters has been held by members of the academy since its first years, beginning with Machado de Assis. The academy's historical list records presidents from 1897 through Merval Pereira, whose presidency began in 2022.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"
! scope="col" | Term
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Image
! scope="col" | President
|-
| 1897–1908
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Machado de Assis
| Machado de Assis
|-
| 1908–1919
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ruy Barbosa
| Ruy Barbosa
|-
| 1919
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Domício da Gama
| Domício da Gama
|-
| 1919–1922
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Carlos de Laet
| Carlos de Laet
|-
| 1923
|
| Afrânio Peixoto
|-
| 1924
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Medeiros e Albuquerque
| Medeiros e Albuquerque
|-
| 1925
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Afonso Celso
| Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo Júnior
|-
| 1926
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Coelho Neto
| Coelho Neto
|-
| 1927
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Rodrigo Otávio
| Rodrigo Otávio
|-
| 1928
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Augusto de Lima
| Augusto de Lima
|-
| 1929
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Fernando Magalhães
| Fernando Magalhães
|-
| 1930
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Aloísio de Castro
| Aloisio de Castro
|-
| 1931–1932
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Fernando Magalhães
| Fernando Magalhães
|-
| 1932–1933
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Gustavo Barroso
| Gustavo Barroso
|-
| 1934
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Ramiz Galvão
| Ramiz Galvão
|-
| 1935
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Afonso Celso
| Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo Júnior
|-
| 1936
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Laudelino Freire
| Laudelino Freire
|-
| 1937
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ataulfo de Paiva with Eurico Gaspar Dutra
| Ataulfo de Paiva
|-
| 1938
|
| Cláudio de Sousa
|-
| 1939
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Antônio Austregésilo
| Antônio Austregésilo
|-
| 1940
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Celso Vieira
| Celso Vieira
|-
| 1941
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Levi Carneiro with Peregrino Júnior
| Levi Carneiro
|-
| 1942–1943
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of José Carlos de Macedo Soares
| José Carlos de Macedo Soares
|-
| 1944
|
| Múcio Leão
|-
| 1945
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Pedro Calmon
| Pedro Calmon
|-
| 1946
|
| Cláudio de Sousa
|-
| 1947
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of João Neves da Fontoura
| João Neves da Fontoura
|-
| 1948
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Adelmar Tavares
| Adelmar Tavares
|-
| 1949
|
| Miguel Osório de Almeida
|-
| 1949–1950
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Gustavo Barroso
| Gustavo Barroso
|-
| 1951
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Aloísio de Castro
| Aloisio de Castro
|-
| 1952
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Aníbal Freire da Fonseca
| Aníbal Freire da Fonseca
|-
| 1953–1954
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Barbosa Lima Sobrinho
| Barbosa Lima Sobrinho
|-
| 1955
|
| Rodrigo Otávio Filho
|-
| 1956–1957
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Peregrino Júnior
| Peregrino Júnior
|-
| 1958
|
| Elmano Cardim
|-
| 1959–1993
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Austregésilo de Athayde
| Austregésilo de Athayde
|-
| 1993
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Abgar Renault
| Abgar Renault
|-
| 1994–1995
|
| Josué Montello
|-
| 1996
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Antônio Houaiss
| Antônio Houaiss
|-
| 1997
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Nélida Piñon
| Nélida Piñon
|-
| 1998–1999
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Arnaldo Niskier
| Arnaldo Niskier
|-
| 2000–2001
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Tarcísio Padilha
| Tarcísio Padilha
|-
| 2002–2003
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Alberto da Costa e Silva
| Alberto da Costa e Silva
|-
| 2004–2005
| 80px|center|alt=Portrait of Ivan Junqueira
| Ivan Junqueira
|-
| 2006–2007
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Marcos Vilaça
| Marcos Vinicios Rodrigues Vilaça
|-
| 2008–2009
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Cícero Sandroni
| Cícero Sandroni
|-
| 2010–2011
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Marcos Vilaça
| Marcos Vinicios Rodrigues Vilaça
|-
| 2012–2013
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Ana Maria Machado
| Ana Maria Machado
|-
| 2014–2015
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Geraldo Holanda Cavalcanti
| Geraldo Holanda Cavalcanti
|-
| 2016–2017
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Domício Proença Filho
| Domício Proença Filho
|-
| 2018–2021
| 80px|center|alt=Photograph of Marco Lucchesi
| Marco Lucchesi
|-
| 2022–present