Antônio Bivar

Origin

Ribeirão Preto, SP

Genres

punk rock

Biography

Antônio Bivar Battistetti Lima was born in Ribeirão Preto in 1939 and established himself as a central figure in Brazilian literature, dramaturgy, and cultural agitation. He actively participated in the effervescence of counterculture movements between the 1960s and 1980s, standing out in the artistic scene for his contribution to the renewal of theater and music in the country. In England, during the period of exile imposed by the military dictatorship, he lived alongside important names of national culture, such as Jorge Mautner, Gilberto Gil, and Caetano Veloso, experiences that later influenced his literary production.

In addition to his career as a renowned playwright — author of award-winning plays such as Cordélia Brasil and Alzira Power —, Bivar played a fundamental role in the history of Brazilian music by organizing, in November 1982, the festival O Começo do Fim do Mundo at SESC Pompeia, considered ground zero of the punk movement in Brazil. This historic event brought together essential bands from the national underground scene, such as Inocentes, Olho Seco, Cólera, and Ratos de Porão. He also recorded his international experiences in the work Verdes vales do fim do mundo and wrote books focused on the musical and cultural universe, such as O que é punk.

Antônio Bivar passed away in São Paulo on July 5, 2020, a victim of COVID-19, leaving an indelible legacy for avant-garde culture in Brazil. His trajectory remains deeply connected to protest movements and the diffusion of new artistic and musical expressions in Brazilian territory.