The Stream of Life

Clarice Lispector was born Chaya Pinkhasovna Lispector in Chechelnik, Ukraine. During the pogroms, her mother was raped and contracted syphilis. The family fled Ukraine in 1921, making their way to Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil in 1922. In 1925, they moved to Recife, to better treat her mother’s illness; she died when Clarice was nine. Her mother’s illness and early death left a strong impact in much of Lispector’s writings, especially Felicidade clandestina (1971). In 1940, Lispector published her first story, “Triunfo,” in Pan, while studying law at the University of Brazil. Months later she published “Me and Jimmy” in Vamos ler!, spawning a prolific literary career. Her first novel, Near to the Wild Heart (1943) won her the Graça Aranha Prize and national acclaim as an emotional, introspective exploration of Brazilian identity.