Thiago de Mello

Origin

Barreirinha, AM

Also known as

Amadeu Thiago de Mello

Genres

poetry, MPB

Instruments

voice

Biography

Amadeu Thiago de Mello was born in Barreirinha, Amazonas, in 1926, and established himself as one of Brazil's most influential and respected poets, journalists, and translators, becoming a true icon of regional literature and engaged poetry. After beginning his medical studies in Rio de Janeiro, he pursued diplomacy and worked as a cultural attaché, a career interrupted by the 1964 military coup, a period during which he was imprisoned and exiled, living in countries such as Chile, Argentina, France, and Germany. In Chilean exile, he associated with figures of great artistic and intellectual relevance, such as the poet Pablo Neruda and the educator Paulo Freire, experiences that deeply shaped his worldview and his literary production focused on human rights and the preservation of the Amazon.

His poetic work gained international prominence with striking creations such as the famous poem "Os Estatutos do Homem" and the book "Poesia Comprometida com a Minha e a Tua Vida", which earned him the São Paulo Association of Art Critics award in 1975. With the end of the military regime, he returned to Amazonas, settling in Manaus, where he continued to produce intensely and joined the Amazonian Academy of Letters. His deep connection with music and Brazilian popular culture also manifested in projects such as the commemorative album "A Criação do Mundo", released in 2006, whose poems were recited by him and set to music by his brother Gaudêncio de Mello.

Thiago de Mello's poetry resonated strongly in MPB and national culture, dialoguing with the lyricism and social conscience of great names in Brazilian music like Vinicius de Moraes and Chico Buarque. His publications have been translated into more than thirty languages, consecrating him as an essential intellectual who united the uncompromising defense of Amazonian nature with the fight for freedom and human dignity until his passing in 2022.

Discography

• The Music Of Thiago (1973)
• Carlos Barbosa-Lima With Thiago de Mello – Chants For The Chief (1991)
• Sharon Isbin, Paul Winter (2), Thiago de Mello – Journey To The Amazon (1997)
• Journey to the Amazon (1997)
• Amazon (1999)
• The Right Move (1999)
• Thiago de Mello And Amazon – Sweet Brasil (1999)
• Amor sem Fim (1999)
• Daniel Wolff (4), Tiago Flores (2), Orquestra de Câmara da ULBRA, Thiago de Mello, Ernesto Nazareth, Radamés Gnattali – Concerto à Brasileira (2000)
• The Night The Moon Cried (2000)
• Antônio Mello Featuring Dexter Payne Special Guest Artist Gaudencio Thiago de Mello – New Music From Brazil: Inspiration (2003)
• An Untamed Heart (The First Time I Saw You) (2003)
• Bem Brasileiro (2005)
• Gaudencio Thiago de Mello, Daniel Wolff – The Right Seasons - Heart To Heart (2005)
• Amor Mais-Que-Perfeito (2006)
• Wilfried Berk, Daniel Wolff (4), Gaudencio Thiago de Mello – Coisas da Vida (2006)
• A Criação do Mundo - Poemas Interpretados pelo Autor - Música de Gaudencio Thiago de Mello (2006)
• Thiago de Mello & Dexter Payne – Another Feeling (2007)
• Chris Conway (2) Featuring Ithamara Koorax & Thiago de Mello – Chocolate Bossa (2007)
• Thiago de Mello & Dexter Payne – Disk-Tum-Derrei (Chorando e Sambando] (2008)
• A Flame In The Dark (2008)
• Sharp Edges (2008)
• Our Time To Remember (2009)
• Flying Home - In Memory of Paulo Moura and Flavio Goulart (2012)