Alberto da Cunha Melo

José Alberto Tavares da Cunha Melo (April 8, 1942 – October 13, 2007) was a Brazilian poet. His works, written primarily in the octosyllabic meter – the rarest in Portuguese-language poetry – address themes like the sacred, freedom, death, and loneliness.

He was heavily influenced by João Cabral de Melo Neto.

Biography Born to a family with literary traditions, he was introduced to poetry at an early age, soon discerning in it his vocation. His father, Benedito Cunha Melo (pt), wrote the hymn of Melo's birthplace, Jaboatão dos Guararapes. He debuted with his 1966 book Círculo Cósmico, which was received with enthusiasm by the critic César Leal (pt).

Mello's poetry, conceived within the literary movement known as Geração 65, has been praised by the likes of Alfredo Bosi, Bruno Tolentino, and Raimundo Carrero. His book O Cão de Olhos Amarelos & Outros Poemas Inéditos earned him the ABL Prize for Poetry.

Work

Círculo Cósmico, 1966 Oração pelo Poema. 1969 Publicação do Corpo, 1974 A Noite da Longa Aprendizagem, 1978 Dez Poemas Políticos, 1979 Noticiário, 1979 Poemas à Mão Livre, 1981 Soma dos Sumos, 1983 Poemas Anteriores, 1989 Clau, 1992 A Rural também Ensina a Semear a Poesia, 1992 Carne de Terceira com Poemas à Mão Livre, 1996 Yacala, 1999 Meditação sob os Lajedos, 2002 Dois Caminhos e uma Oração, 2003 O Cão de Olhos Amarelos & Outros Poemas Inéditos, 2006 Marco Zero: Crônica, 2009 Cantos de Contar, 2012 Poesia completa, 2017