RUBENS JARDIM (1946-2024) was a Brazilian poet and journalist. Born in São Paulo, he was eighteen years old when he affiliated with the Catequese Poética / Poetic Catechesis movement, started in 1964 by Brazilian poet Lindolf Bell (1938-1998). The movement began shortly after the military coup on April 1st that year, initiating the Brazilian military dictatorship that ended in March 1985. The movement set out to “take poetry to the people,” with recitals in the streets, parks, theaters, nightclubs, schools and universities, and other public spaces. During the period 1966 to 1968, group members visited capitals and hundreds of cities in São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Minas Gerais.
In 1973, Jardim organized and published, Jorge, 80 Years, to promote the work of Jorge de Lima (1893-1953), a lesser-known poet from Alagoas, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the poet’s birth.
Jardim’s poems have been published in several anthologies in Brazil and overseas. He is the author of five books of poetry:
- Ultimatum (1966)
- Espelho Riscado / Scratched Mirror (1978)
- Cantares da Paixão / Songs of Passion (2008)
- Fora da Estante / Outside of the Bookshelf (2012) and
- Antologia de Inéditos / Anthology of Unpublished Poems (2018)
His book Proesia e Outras Questões Poéticas & Proéticas / Proesia and Other Poetic and Proethical Questions, published on May 16, 2019, is available for free on ISSUU. In 2021, Editora Arribaçã published his anthology As Mulheres Poetas na Literatura Brasileira / Female Poets in Brazilian Literature, in which he compiled more than 300 female poets of all periods and poetic styles from all over Brazil.
The poet died in São Paulo in May 2024. While his official website is not available, following his death, his Instagram account is still accessible.
Photo Credit: Rubens Jardim, Revista InComunidade, 2021.
