Murilo Rubião

Who was Murilo Rubião?

Murilo Rubião was a Brazilian writer. He was born in Carmo de Minua city, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil to Eugênio Alvares Rubião and Maria Antonieta Ferreira Rubião. His entire work consists of short stories, best described as surreal fables in the tradition of Franz Kafka - this being so, Rubião's work must be seen as part of the Magic Realism movement of late 20th-century Latin America. It is said that Rubião was obsessive about his work, revising it at every new edition, always changing a few details, such as characters' names.

Rubião attended school in Conceição do Rio Verde, then studied law in Belo Horizonte, graduating in 1942. In 1947 he released his first book of short stories, O ex-mágico. The book won little acclaim and Rubião began work as a political advisor. In 1951, he became head of the governor's office of Presidente Kubitschek. Between 1956 and 1961 he served as cultural attaché of Brazil in Spain. In 1966 he founded the Literary Supplement of the Official Gazette of Minas Gerais, which became the most widely distributed literary supplement in Brazil.

The publication of O pirotécnico Zacarias in 1974 brought sudden literary fame to Rubião. Murilo Rubião is believed to have influenced many Brazilian authors, among them Joseph J. Veiga and Moacyr Scliar. Rubião died in Belo Horizonte on September 16th, 1991.