Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, born on June 19, 1944, is known as Chico Buarque. He is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. His music often includes songs about social, economic, and cultural issues in Brazil.

He was the first child of Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda. During his childhood, he moved to several places, mainly living in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rome. As a young person, he studied literature and discovered music through bossa nova songs by Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. In the 1960s, he performed as a singer and guitarist and wrote a play that the Brazilian military government considered dangerous. Along with other artists, he faced threats from the government and left Brazil for Italy in 1969. He returned to Brazil in 1970 and continued to create music and write, but the government censored much of his work. In the 1980s, he released more music albums and wrote three novels in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2019, Buarque received the Camões Prize, which is the most important award for literature in Portuguese. However, the award was delayed for four years because of actions by Jair Bolsonaro. Buarque received the prize in April 2023. He has also won eleven Brazilian Music Awards, which is the most important award for Brazilian music.

Early life and career

Chico Buarque was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 19, 1944. He was born into a family with many educated members—his father, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, was a famous historian, sociologist, and journalist, and his mother, Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim, was a painter and pianist. He is also the brother of singers Miúcha and Cristina Buarque, and politician Ana de Hollanda. As a child, he was influenced by the bossa nova music style, especially the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He also enjoyed writing, composing his first short story at age 18 and studying European literature at a young age. One of his strongest interests was playing football, which he began at age 4 and continued into his 60s. During his childhood, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rome.

Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided to study architecture at the University of São Paulo but did not pursue that career. He often missed classes.

He made his public debut as a musician and composer in 1964, quickly gaining fame at music festivals and on television when bossa nova became popular, and when Nara Leão recorded three of his songs. His debut album showed his future style, with catchy sambas that used clever wordplay and had a sad, nostalgic feel. His first hit, "A Banda," was released in 1966 and was about a marching band. He soon released several more songs. Although he played bossa nova, he also explored samba and Música Popular Brasileira throughout his career. However, two famous musicians, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, criticized him, believing his style was too traditional.

In 1968, Buarque wrote and composed a play called Roda Viva ("Live Circle"), which was not approved by the military government. Because of this, he was briefly imprisoned. In 1970, he left Brazil for Italy for 18 months and returned in 1972 to write his first novel, which was not censored.

At this time, he also released a song called "Apesar de Você" ("In spite of You"), which subtly criticized the military dictatorship. The song was not censored and became an important symbol of the democratic movement. After selling over 100,000 copies, it was later banned. In 1974, the government banned all songs written by Chico Buarque. To continue working, he created a fake name, "Julinho de Adelaide," and even gave him a made-up life story and interviews with newspapers. Using this name, he wrote songs like "Jorge Maravilha" and "Acorda Amor" until a newspaper exposed him. He also wrote a play called Calabar, which described the Dutch invasion of Brazil in the 17th century and compared it to the military regime. Songs like "Samba de Orly" (1970) and "Acorda Amor" (1974, as "Julinho de Adelaide") showed his continued opposition to the military government.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Buarque worked with filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians to create more protest works against the dictatorship. He used the 1983 Concert for Peace in Nicaragua to express his political views. Throughout the 1980s, he wrote many songs that described Brazil's return to democracy. The Concert for Peace in Nicaragua was part of a series called the "Central American Peace Concerts," which included many Latin American artists. His songs often reflected the political challenges of the time. Later, he wrote a novel called Budapeste, which received critical praise and won the Prêmio Jabuti, a Brazilian literary award similar to the Booker Prize.

In 2017, his album Caravanas was

In popular culture

The cover art from Buarque's 1966 album, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, became a popular online meme showing "happy" Chico and "sad" Chico.