Clarice Lispector
1920 – 1977
About Clarice Lispector
Clarice Lispector (1920–1977) was a Ukrainian-born Brazilian author whose fiction radically transformed 20th-century Portuguese-language literature. Born in Chechelnik, Ukraine (then Russia), she emigrated to Brazil as an infant and grew up in the northeastern city of Recife, raised in poverty after her mother's death. She published her debut novel *Near to the Wild Heart* at 23 while studying law in Rio de Janeiro.
* (1964) and *The Hour of the Star* (1977) — defy conventional narrative in favor of pure consciousness, epiphany, and the raw encounter with existence. She was also a journalist, diplomat's wife, and mother of two.
“I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort.”
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1920
- Died
- 1977
- Lifespan
- 57 years
- Domain
- inspiration
- Quotes
- 5 collected
- Key Themes
- SimplicityCourageBeginningsWritingExistence
Learn More
Wikipedia — Clarice LispectorClarice Lispector's Famous Quotes
5 quotes
“I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort.”
— Água Viva (1973)
“I am afraid to write. It's so dangerous. Anyone who has tried, knows.”
— The Passion According to G.H. (1964)
“Everything in the world began with a yes.”
— The Passion According to G.H. (1964)
“I write as if to save somebody's life. Probably my own.”
— Various letters and interviews; the formulation appears in multiple contexts
“I am not a person who has lived. I am a person who has been lived.”
— A Breath of Life (1978; published posthumously)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Clarice Lispector (1920–1977) was a Ukrainian-born Brazilian author whose fiction radically transformed 20th-century Portuguese-language literature. Born in Chechelnik, Ukraine (then Russia), she emigrated to Brazil as an infant and grew up in the northeastern city of Recife, raised in poverty after her mother's death. She published her debut novel *Near to the Wild Heart* at 23 while studying law in Rio de Janeiro. Her major works — including *The Passion According to G.H.* (1964) and *The Hour of the Star* (1977) — defy conventional narrative in favor of pure consciousness, epiphany, and the raw encounter with existence. She was also a journalist, diplomat's wife, and mother of two. Her work, largely overlooked outside Brazil in her lifetime, experienced a massive global reassessment after her death, leading the critic Benjamin Moser to call her "the most important Jewish author since Kafka." Clarice Lispector lived 1920 – 1977.