Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant

Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant (August 28, 1880 – June 20, 1970) was a Brazilian juvenile writer. When she was a teenager, she kept a diary, which describes life in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil which was then published in 1942. The diary was published under a pen name Helena Morley. Her father worked as a diamond miner.

Published work Brant's only published work is The Diary of Helena Morley, which she began writing when she attended the Normal School. The diary discusses her daily life in the diamond mining town of Diamantina, romantic interests, but it also deals with heavier topics like loss. The book also discusses relationships, marriage in particular, but also social affairs and Brant's dreams. The topics of the book make it so that it could be a diary of a present-day teenager rather than one 60 years ago. Since Brant discusses her everyday life, insights about that point in history are able to be gained by reading the diary, particularly about the effects of the abolition of slavery. There is very little documentation about life post emancipation, making the diary an important resource for historians. Another reason Brant's book was so popular is the nostalgic that it brings the reader, the provincial life of a small town, that the reader is able to find peace in the description of the simple life. French author Georges Bernanos also made the public aware of the book. Elizabeth Bishop was originally drawn to the work in 1952, then in 1957 Bishop published her English translation of the book. Bishop says that she was drawn to Brant's work because of Brant's impressive skills of observation and ability to recreate a scene using only words. Some have compared Brant's work to Jane Austen that even though she was from a small town in Brazil, its style is like work from England.