ANDRADE, MRIO DE

born Oct. 9, 1893, So Paulo, Braz. died Feb. 25, 1945, So Paulo in full Mrio Raul De Morais Andrade writer whose chief importance was his introduction of a highly individual prose style that attempted to reflect colloquial Brazilian speech rather than correct Portuguese. He was also important in Brazil's Modernist movement. Educated at the conservatory in So Paulo, Andrade helped organize what proved to be a key event in the future artistic life of Brazil, the Semana de Arte Moderna (Week of Modern Art), held in So Paulo in February 1922. His own contribution to the event, a reading of poems drawn from his Paulicia Desvairada (1922; Hallucinated City), was greeted by catcalls, but it has since been recognized as the single most significant influence on modern Brazilian poetry. Andrade's diverse interests and wide knowledge ranged among all the arts and found expression in several. As director of the Department of Culture of So Paulo from 1935 until his death, he organized research into Brazilian folklore and folk music. His own novels reflect his concern for folk themes; Macunama (1928) is written in his highly idiomatic style in an attempt to recreate actual Brazilian speech. Andrade's complete poems were collected and published posthumously (Poesas Completas, 1955). These, together with his critical writings, continue to influence the arts in Brazil.