Cleonice Serôa da Motta Berardinelli (28 August 1916 – 31 January 2023) was a Brazilian academic. Berardinelli was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

on 28 August 1916, to Emídio Serôa da Motta and Rosina Coutinho Serôa da Motta. Her father was in the Army and was frequently transferred around the country. As a result, Cleonice lived in many parts of Brazil, including

and Sao Paulo. In Rio, she studied at the National Institute of Music under the guidance of

Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, who was also her piano teacher. She interrupted her studies to move to Sao Paulo, where she finished her secondary school. She attended the

University of Sao Paulo A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where she studied literature under

Fidelino de Figueiredo Fidelino de Sousa Figueiredo was a Portuguese literary scholar. He was born in 1889, in Lisbon, and died in 1967. After graduating from university in 1910, he worked at the Ministry of National Education and was twice appointed director of the Nat ...

, among others. She graduated in 1938. Berardinelli completed a PhD at the

University of Brazil The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the ...

(1959); her doctoral thesis on

Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century an ...

was the first such thesis on the Portuguese poet to be written in Brazil. She became a full professor at the

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in th ...

in 1944, and was made professor emerita in 1987. She was also a full professor at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro ( pt, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio) is a Jesuit, Catholic, pontifical university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the joint responsibility of the Catholic A ...

in 1963, and made emerita there in 2006. In addition, she taught at the

Catholic University of Petrópolis The Catholic University of Petrópolis ( pt, Universidade Católica de Petrópolis, UCP) is a private and non-profit university in Petrópolis — the capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro for nine years and the largest city of the highlan ...

, the

Rio Branco Institute The Rio Branco Institute (; Abbreviation: IRBr) is a graduate school of International Relations and diplomatic academy located in Brasília, Brazil. The institute was created on April 18, 1945, as part of the centennial celebration of the birth o ...

, and the

University of California Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...

. Berardinelli was the sixth occupant of chair number eight at the

Brazilian Academy of Letters The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on Tue ...

, to which she was elected on 16 December 2009, in succession of

Antônio Olinto Antônio Olinto Marques da Rocha (Ubá, MG - May 10, 1919 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ - September 12, 2009) was a Brazilian writer, essayist and translator. Among his work are included poetry, novels, literary criticism, political analysis, child ...

. She was received on 5 April 2010, by academician

Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco (November 11, 1930–March 15, 2020) was a Brazilian diplomat and journalist. He was born in Belo Horizonte on November 11, 1930. His parents were Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco and Anna Guilhermina Pereira de Mello F ...

(Afonso Filho). Berardinelli died in Rio de Janeiro on 31 January 2023, at age 106.

References

1916 births 2023 deaths Brazilian centenarians Academic staff of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Women centenarians Academics from Rio de Janeiro (city) Academic staff of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro University of California, Santa Barbara faculty University of São Paulo alumni Federal University of Rio de Janeiro alumni Brazilian women academics Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Commanders of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Commanders of the Order of Saint James of the Sword {{Brazil-academic-bio-stub