In 1919, during his final year of school, Carlos Drummond de Andrade was expelled from the Jesuit boarding school, Colégio Anchieta, in Rio de Janeiro, for “intellectual insubordination” after arguing with his Portuguese teacher. Time vindicated the poet from Minas Gerais, born in Itabira, who even then showed a strong affinity for words.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an individual wearing an academic gown with a white collar and a graduation cap. The person is facing the camera, with eyes slightly lowered. The background is dark, highlighting the subject. At the bottom of the image, there is a handwritten signature and date. In the lower left corner is the stamp "PHOTO BELLEZA" and the street where the photo was taken.Carlos Drummond in his graduation photo, 1925. Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation Collection/Archive of the Museu de Literatura Brasileira.
Although Drummond graduated in Pharmacy and worked as a school geography teacher, his vocation for writing, especially poetry, blossomed at a young age. He was born in 1902 and published his poem No meio do caminho (In the Middle of the Road) in 1928 in São Paulo's Revista de Antropofagia, run by Tarsila do Amaral and Oswald de Andrade. With its iconic verses, "In the middle of the road there was a stone / There was a stone in the middle of the road," the poem was considered one of the greatest literary scandals in Brazil at the time.
In 1934, Carlos Drummond de Andrade moved to Rio de Janeiro to serve as chief of staff for Gustavo Capanema, who had just been appointed Minister of Education and Public Health by Getúlio Vargas. This marked the beginning of a 35-year career as a civil servant, during which time he held various positions in different departments. In parallel to his government work, Drummond wrote for newspapers and published books.
He lived in Copacabana at two different addresses: Rua Joaquim Nabuco 81, from 1934 to 1962, and later moved to the Luiz Felipe Building, located at Conselheiro Lafayete 60, bordering Ipanema. From the window of his apartment, he observed the daily lives of the seasons and the people, urban transformations, and the passage of time.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a man sitting on a bench in the center of the image. In front of him, there is a courtyard with people playing soccer. In the background, several tall buildings are arranged in a parallel line. On the left, there are palm trees and a metal structure. On the right, more palm trees can be seen.Carlos Drummond in Copacabana, 1972. Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation Collection/Archive of the Museu de Literatura Brasileira.
In this city of Rio de Janeiro,
with two million inhabitants,
I am alone in the room,
I am alone in America.
(The Witch, 1942)
Appropriately, his statue sits on a bench by the sea, where the poet from Minas Gerais was immortalized as one of the most famous statues in Rio. The life-sized statue of Carlos Drummond de Andrade is made of bronze and was inaugurated on 30 October, 2002, by the artist, Léo Santana, on the eve of the poet's centenary. Drummond is located on Avenida Atlântica, seated on a bench by the sea.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a man sitting on a bench outdoors. On the left, we see a beach with people relaxing and bathing. In the center, there is a man wearing a plaid shirt, pants, and shoes, sitting with his legs crossed. In front of him is a small vertical post. In the background, there are several tall buildings, including a large building with many windows. On the right, we see part of a plant.The photograph of Carlos Drummond de Andrade that became a statue. Rogério Reis, 1983.
The writer's pose, depicted sitting with a book on his crossed legs, with his back to the sea, observing passersby on the boardwalk, was inspired by a photograph of Drummond taken by Rogério Reis. On the bench, there is an inscription that reads, "No mar estava escrita uma cidade" ("In the sea, a city was written"), a line from the poem "Mas Viveremos" ("But We Will Live"), featured in the book A Rosa do Povo (The People's Rose, 1945).
Image description: The image is a photograph of a bronze statue of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, located facing the beach. The statue is seated on a bench with a wooden sign that contains text in Portuguese. In the background, there is a landscape with the sea, mountains, and a cloudy sky. The sun is behind the mountains, creating a golden light effect over the scene.Wikimédia Commons
Image description: The image shows two logos. On the left side, there is a blue shield with a crown and decorative elements, followed by the text "Rio Prefeitura Turismo" in blue. On the right side, there is a logo with the phrase "Rio Memórias" in orange, inside a square with vertical lines.
