Antônio Houaiss

Antônio Houaiss (* October 15, 1915 in Rio de Janeiro, † March 7, 1999 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian linguist, Lusitanist, translator, cultural politicians and lexicographer.

Life and work

Houaiss was the child of Lebanese immigrants. He studied in Rio de Janeiro, taught Latin and Portuguese at the high school and entered (including at the United Nations ) in the diplomatic service. When he in 1964 for political reasons, lost his job, he worked as a journalist, translator and lexicographer.

In 1971 he was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters ( Academia Brasileira de Letras, ABL), whose president he was (1995-1996). From 1992 to 1993 he was Minister of Culture in the government of Itamar Franco. He made outstanding contributions to the orthography and lexicography of the Portuguese. The Instituto Antônio Houaiss ( IAH) was named after him.

Works

Dictionaries

• ( with Catherine B. Avery ) The new Appleton dictionary of the English and Portuguese Languages, 2 vols, New York 1964
• ( Editor in Chief ) Enciclopedia Larousse Delta, Rio de Janeiro from 1966 to 1970
• ( Editor in Chief ) Enciclopedia Mirador Internacional, Sao Paulo 1979 ( activity 1971-1975 )
• (Ed.) Pequeno dicionário enciclopédico Koogan Larousse, Rio de Janeiro 1979
• ( with Mauro Salles de Villar and Francisco Manoel de Mello Franco) Diccionario Houaiss because língua portuguesa, 6 vols, Lisbon 2002-2003
• ( with Mauro Salles de Villar and Francisco Manoel de Mello Franco) Minidicionário Houaiss because língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010
• ( with Mauro Salles de Villar, Francisco Manoel de Mello Franco) Diccionario de Houaiss Sinónimos e Antonimos, Rio de Janeiro in 2003, Lisbon in 2007

Other works

• Tentativa de DESCRIÇÃO do sistema vocalico do português culto area dita na carioca, Rio de Janeiro 1959
• Sugestões para uma política de língua, Rio de Janeiro 1960
• Crítica avulsa, Salvador, Bahia in 1960
• Seis poetas to e problema, Rio de Janeiro in 1960, 1967
• ( Translator ), James Joyce, Ulysses, Rio de Janeiro 1966
• Elementos de bibliologia, Rio de Janeiro 1967
• Drummond mais seis poetas to e problema, Rio de Janeiro 1976
• A defesa, Rio de Janeiro 1979
• Estudos sobre vários palavras, livros, autores, Rio de Janeiro 1979
• ( with Alain Draeger ) Magia da cozinha brasileira: para deuses e Mortais, Rio de Janeiro 1979
• A crise de nossa língua de cultura, Rio de Janeiro 1983
• O português no Brasil. Pequena Enciclopedia da cultura brasileira, Rio de Janeiro, 1985, 1988, 1992
• A nova ortografia because língua portuguesa, São Paulo 1991