Jeferson Tenório

Jeferson Tenorio (born 1977) is a Brazilian writer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and now lives in Porto Alegre. He obtained a PhD in Literary Theory from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS). His stage texts and short stories have been translated into English and Spanish.

His debut novel O beijo na parede appeared in 2013 and was elected Book of the Year by Associação Gaúcha de Escritores. His novel O avesso da pele (2020) won the Prêmio Jabuti. It was published in English translation as Dark Side of Skin by Charco Press. It has been optioned for translations in Italian, French, Chinese and other languages.

One of Tenório's motives for beginning to write were his many encounters with police brutality. He believed that his writing could be a way to confront the racism present in the South of Brazil as well as the rest of the country. During his undergraduate studies, Jefferson was awarded a scholarship from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). With a bachelor in Portuguese and a master's degree in Luso-African literature from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, he also has a PhD in literary theory from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. His research is focused on colonialism, post-colonialism, identity, and the African diaspora in post-modernism. His book rights have been sold to different countries including Italy, Portugal, France, England, Switzerland, the United States, Belgium, and China.

Tenório writes two weekly columns for the online newspapers Zero Hora and the UOL portal. Tenório is also currently involved with the project Cartografias Narrativas (Narrative Cartographies) in the Portuguese language. This study occurs in association with the Graduate Program in Portuguese (PPGL) within the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) and began in 2017 with the objective to promote authors, texts, and literary theories within the Lusophone world. Up to the present, several articles have already been produced based on 100+ works, within the project.

Works

2013 - The Kiss on the Wall (O beijo na parede) The Kiss on the Wall tells the life of João, an 11-year-old who tries to get by in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul after moving from Rio de Janeiro because of the sudden death of his parents. While João narrates his own story, he is very optimistic, and ends up assuming the mantle of hero among his friends. João tries to find his place in society while he deals with his emotions, such as confusion and anger. Coming from an interracial family, the novel also approaches the topic of race from the lens of a youth. 2018 - Estela without God (Estela sem Deus) Estela, the main character, is raised in a black family, which struggles with moving from town to town after being left by their father. As a coming of age novel, the book tells of her experiences with her first menstruation, sexuality, and the violence she has to face as a black female. 2020 - The Flipside of Skin (O avesso da pele) The Flipside of Skin addresses family trauma as it focuses on the life experience of a black family living in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. The narrator, Pedro, tells the life story of his father (Henrique) and his mother (Martha) through flashbacks. The novel takes the audience through Henrique's childhood, adolescence, and adult life until the moment of his death. Pedro reconstructs Henrique's life by filling in the blank spaces, using the memory of what his father taught him and from his own perspective as a black person. By doing so, Pedro creates connections between Henrique's death and the discrimination many Afro-Brazilians go through especially in the South of Brazil. The Flipside of Skin also approaches the themes of racism, poverty, unplanned pregnancy, raising the awareness of blackness, and cadomblé.

Awards and prizes

15th “Poemas no ônibus”, (2007), winner 3rd “Poemas no trem”, (2007), winner Prêmio Ages, 12th edition (2014), Book of the Year, O Beijo na Parede Prêmio Ages, 17th edition (2019), Book of the Year, Estela sem Deus Prêmio Minuano (2019), finalist for book Estela sem Deus Patron of the 66th Porto Alegre Book Fair (Feira do Livro), 2020 Prémio Oceanos (2021), finalist for book O avesso da pele (The Flipside of Skin) Prêmio Jabuti, 63rd (2021), winner, for the book O avesso da pele (The Flipside of Skin)