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Born in 1944 in the affluent center of S\u00e3o Paulo, Betty Milan spent her early childhood on the outskirts of the city, in Vila Esperan\u00e7a. Perhaps this is what led to her interest in popular culture, along with the fact that she has lived in both France and Brazil since the age of thirty, traveling back and forth between two continents.<\/p>\n
At the age of 18, she entered the School of Medicine at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP), where she specialized in psychiatry. She also dedicated herself to the humanities and audited various courses at the USP School of Philosophy, Science, and Literature, where she was exposed to French intellectual giants like Michel Serres, Michel Foucault, and G\u00e9rard Lebrun, awakening in her a desire to become better acquainted with French culture.<\/p>\n
After graduating from medical school in 1968, Milan began her specialization in psychiatry, interning at several Brazilian hospitals, including Juqueri, one of the oldest psychiatric centers in the country, located in Franco da Rocha, S\u00e3o Paulo. She did another internship in Scotland at a therapeutic community directed by psychiatrist Maxwell Jones. At the same time, she studied psychodrama and psychoanalysis and served apprenticeships in both.<\/p>\n
In 1969, Milan met Zerka Moreno at a psychodrama conference in Buenos Aires. In December of that same year, she went to study at the Moreno Institute in Beacon, New York. She worked directly with Zerka at the New York Public Theater. Upon returning to Brazil, she wrote\u00a0the book\u00a0O jogo do esconderijo<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Hide and seek), in which she questions the role of will in psychodrama.<\/p>\n At the age of 29, Milan defended her doctoral dissertation in psychiatry at the USP School of Medicine.\u00a0One year later<\/span>, in 1974, she left for France to do analysis with Jacques Lacan. She soon became his translator and assistant at the University of Paris VIII.<\/p>\n Her encounter with the great psychoanalyst was decisive, as she learned not to imitate the master but to value her own individuality. The product of this experience was the 1991 novel\u00a0O papagaio e o doutor\u00a0<\/em>(\u201cLacan\u2019s Parrot\u201d), which was translated into French in 1997 and into Spanish in 1998. The book had an impact in several countries, including Brazil, Portugal, France, Belgium, Lebanon, and Argentina, possibly because it preaches independence from both mentor and ancestors.<\/p>\n Shortly before Milan finished her psychoanalytical training and returned to Brazil, in 1981, she launched a literary career with her first novel,\u00a0O sexophuro<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>, which was well received by critics in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n Her residency in France from 1974 to 1978 enabled her to specialize in psychoanalysis while simultaneously immersing herself in French culture. It also made her dream about her native country, renewing her interest in its culture. When she returned to Brazil, she trained psychoanalysts, engaged in clinical work, and also conducted research on Carnival, while simultaneously teaching at the Freudian School of Rio de Janeiro, an association that she and fellow psychoanalyst Magno Machado Dias founded in 1975 and that has played an important role in spreading awareness of Lacan\u2019s theories.<\/p>\n In 1988,\u00a0her research on samba schools in Rio de Janeiro was published under the title\u00a0Os bastidores do Carnaval<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Behind the scenes of Carnival), a pioneering study that for the first time ever took the discourse of members of samba schools seriously. During her research, she met Jo\u00e3osinho Trinta, who spoke to her about the\u00a0culture of play.\u00a0<\/em>This prompted her to develop \u201cplay\u201d into a concept and establish how important\u00a0it is for Brazilians, much as\u00a0humor<\/em>\u00a0is for the English and\u00a0droit<\/em>\u00a0for the French.<\/p>\n Milan sees\u00a0play<\/em>\u00a0as a civilizing force and a Brazilian cultural trait. Accordingly, in her essay on love,\u00a0E o que \u00e9 o amor<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(What love is), she distinguishes the passion of love \u00e0 la Tristan and Isolde from the passion of play, or love Brazilian style, which finds its greatest expression in Mario de Andrade\u2019s novel\u00a0Macuna\u00edma<\/em>. This highly controversial bestseller, published by Editora Brasiliense in 1983 as part of its Cole\u00e7\u00e3o Primeiros Passos, generated more pages of newspaper coverage than the number of pages in the book. One chapter was later adapted for the stage. Entitled\u00a0Paix\u00e3o<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>(Passion), the play was performed in almost every state in Brazil, interpreted by Nathalia Timberg, directed by Wolf Maia, and with music by J\u00falio Medaglia. The Paulista Museum at USP released the score on CD.<\/p>\n In 1985, Milan took part in a conference organized by the Freudian School of Rio de Janeiro. Attended by Brazilian intellectuals from all fields of knowledge, the event featured Gilberto Freyre as guest of honor. It closed with Milan\u2019s text \u201cA Psi do Zil\u201d (The psy of Zil), which later became part of the book\u00a0Isso \u00e9 o pa\u00eds<\/em><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(This is the country), a text that was important in the development of her later work, especially the novel\u00a0O papagaio e o doutor<\/em>. Milan then returned to France, this time with the idea of writing. Paris was no longer the city where she trained in psychoanalysis but rather the place of her voluntary exile. The first book she wrote there was precisely\u00a0O papagaio e o doutor<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>, which narrates the saga of Lebanese immigration to Brazil and the author\u2019s encounter with a doctor inspired by the figure of Jacques Lacan. Milan spent five years writing the book (1986-1991) and another five supervising its translation and adaptation into French (1992-1997). The latter experience led her to write a new version of the book in Portuguese, published in 1998 by Editora Record.<\/p>\n Milan produced other texts during the same period. In 1989, she published\u00a0O pa\u00eds da bola<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Land of soccer), a book-length essay\u00a0praised by the\u00a0Jornal do Brasil<\/em>\u00a0on the cover of its cultural supplement. Translated into French and released during the 1998 World Cup, it was well received by the French media and listed as \u201crecommended reading\u201d by the magazine\u00a0Le Nouvel Observateur.<\/em><\/p>\n From 1991 to 1994, Milan worked on\u00a0A paix\u00e3o de Lia<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(The passion of Lia), a novel where eroticism and lyricism merge. Critics hailed it for its imagination and delicacy.<\/p>\n Before releasing the French edition of\u00a0O papagaio e o Doutor\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0in 1997, Milan wrote a series of 29\u00a0cr\u00f4nicas<\/em>\u00a0(a Brazilian literary genre of short stories) set in Paris, published by the S\u00e3o Paulo newspaper\u00a0Jornal da Tarde<\/em>. In 1996, these texts were collected in the book\u00a0Paris n\u00e3o acaba nunca<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(Paris Never Ends<\/em>), released by Editora Record. The book was a major commercial success in Brazil. It was translated into French and English and released online in Paris by the virtual publisher\u00a000h00.com<\/a>. Having spent two decades between Brazil and France, the author wrote the French version herself. In 2004, the French edition was translated into Chinese and published in Beijing.<\/p>\n Beginning in 1993, Milan took advantage of both her residency in Paris and her work as a contributor to major Brazilian newspapers and began interviewing foreign artists and intellectuals for the cultural supplement of\u00a0Folha de S.Paulo,<\/em>\u00a0a newspaper with which she had worked since 1980. She had the opportunity to interview such writers, artists, and thinkers as Nathalie Sarraute, Octavio Paz, Michel Serres, Jacques Derrida, and Fran\u00e7oise Sagan. In 1996, the interviews were collected in the book\u00a0A for\u00e7a da palavra<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(The power of the word). Since that date, Editora Record has been the chief publisher of Milan\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Soon after,\u00a0<\/em>Folha de S.Paulo\u00a0<\/em>commissioned Milan to interview ten leading European intellectuals, focusing on topics like the city, war, homeland, exile, life, women, sex, language, art, and communication in the context of the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century. The interviews were published by\u00a0Folha\u00a0<\/em>and later collected in\u00a0O s\u00e9culo<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(The century), released by Editora Record. The S\u00e3o Paulo Art Critics Association awarded the book first place in\u00a0cr\u00f4nicas<\/em>\u00a0in 1999.<\/p>\n In 1998, Milan was guest of honor at the Paris Salon du Livre, where the French versions of\u00a0Os bastidores do Carnaval<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Rio, dans les coulisses du carnival<\/em>) and\u00a0O pa\u00eds da bola<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Le pays du ballon rond<\/em>) were brought out by \u00c9ditions de l\u2019Aube, which had earlier published\u00a0Le Perroquet et le Docteur<\/em>, the French version of\u00a0O papagaio e o doutor<\/em>.<\/p>\n In 1994, Milan became a member of the International Parliament of Writers and as a member took an active role in securing Passo Fundo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as one of the Parliament\u2019s cities of refuge.<\/p>\n From 1996 to 2000, Milan worked on\u00a0O clar\u00e3o<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Flash of light), a book that can be called a \u201cnovel of wisdom,\u201d with its themes of friendship and death. It was released in 2001 by Editora de Cultura as part of the\u00a0Projeto Amizade no Terceiro Mil\u00eanio<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>(Friendship Project in the Third Millennium), a movement of intellectuals and artists working to promote peace through education. The book was a finalist for the Passo Fundo Literary Prize and was adopted by the Goi\u00e1s State Department of Education and the S\u00e3o Paulo Municipal Department of Education. It was followed by publication of\u00a0A cartilha do amigo<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(The friend\u2019s primer). Designed especially to be used in schools, and likewise adopted by S\u00e3o Paulo, the book became a successful foray into literature for children and young readers.<\/p>\n In 2002, Milan launched a chat line where she responded to questions online. That same year, she adapted\u00a0A paix\u00e3o de Lia<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for the stage. The text was read at the\u00a0Folha de S.Paulo\u00a0<\/em>auditorium by actress Giulia Gam under the direction of Jos\u00e9 Celso Martinez Corr\u00eaa, of Teatro Oficina.<\/p>\n In November 2003, she released the novel\u00a0O amante brasileiro<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(The Brazilian lover), inspired in part by her chat line. The book was later adapted for the stage and premiered in August 2004 at Teatro Oficina under the direction of Frans\u00e9rgio Ara\u00fajo.<\/p>\n In 2005, Milan wrote the play\u00a0Brasileira de Paris<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(The Brazilian from Paris), which was read at the\u00a0Folha de S.Paulo\u00a0<\/em>auditorium on International Women\u2019s Day, March 8, 2006, under the direction of Marcelo Drummond. After contributing to\u00a0Folha de S.Paulo\u00a0<\/em>for 25 years, she became an advice columnist for the newspaper in 2005, answering readers\u2019 questions about love, sex, and death. In 2007, these columns were compiled in the book\u00a0Fale com ela<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(Talk to her), published by Editora Record. The book drew significant media coverage and the weekly magazine\u00a0Veja<\/em>\u00a0invited the author to write an advice column for\u00a0Veja.com<\/a><\/em>, its online edition, an invitation she accepted.<\/p>\n In 2008, she came out with\u00a0Quando Paris cintila<\/em><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(When Paris shines). Written in Paris, this collection of 33\u00a0cr\u00f4nicas<\/em>\u00a0explores issues and ideas stirred by the author\u2019s visits to places like Oslo, Istanbul, Salonica, Beijing, Dunhuang, Madras, Ouro Preto, and New York. A revised edition of\u00a0Paris n\u00e3o acaba nunca<\/em><\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>appeared that same year.<\/p>\n Milan was active on several fronts in 2009. The online cultural magazine\u00a0Agulha\u00a0<\/em>republished some of the interviews from\u00a0O s\u00e9culo<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0A for\u00e7a da palavra<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>, at that point no longer available in print.\u00a0Veja<\/em>\u00a0invited her to write a monthly column for the magazine, which she began in May of that year. A new literary launching took place in August in both Rio de Janeiro and S\u00e3o Paulo, with the release of her novel\u00a0Consola\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>(Solace). The book was recommended by\u00a0Veja<\/em>\u00a0and called \u201cexcellent\u201d by\u00a0Folha de S.Paulo<\/em>. In the field of video, her poem \u201cParis, adeus\u201d (Goodbye, Paris) was interpreted by actress Bete Coelho and broadcast on TV Culture in August that year; it featured images of Paris filmed by director Mathias Mangin. In theater, following the January 2008 reading of\u00a0Brasileira de Paris<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0at Teatro Oficina under the direction of Marcelo Drummond,\u00a0Adeus Doutor<\/em><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>was read at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Rond-Point in October 2009 under the direction of Jean-Luc Pali\u00e8s. A second dramatic reading was held in S\u00e3o Paulo in March 2010, performed by Bete Coelho and Z\u00e9 Celso. A third reading took place in August 2011, at USP, where it was performed by theater students under the direction of Jean-Luc Pali\u00e8s.<\/p>\n In 2011,\u00a0a collection\u00a0<\/em>of the best columns from Milan\u2019s online advice column for\u00a0Veja.com<\/a>\u00a0was published under the title\u00a0Quem ama escuta<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(To love is to listen), earning\u00a0<\/em>significant recognition in the Brazilian press. In 2020 the book was translated into french: “De vous a moi”<\/em>. It will be published in France by Eres.<\/p>\n In 2012, Milan adapted the most expressive stories from\u00a0Quem ama escuta<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>for the stage under the title\u00a0A vida \u00e9 um teatro<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(Life is a theater)<\/em>, performed by Grupo Vozes at both the Livraria da Vila Theater and Fliporto, Pernambuco\u2019s literary festival. That same year, Editora Record published a revised, expanded edition of\u00a0A for\u00e7a da palavra<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n The following year,\u00a0Carta ao filho<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(\u201cLetter to My Son\u201d) was released in S\u00e3o Paulo to great acclaim in the press. Historian Mary del Priore called it the first autobiography published by a woman writer in Brazil.<\/p>\n In 2014, the year of the World Cup in Brazil,\u00a0O pa\u00eds da bola<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0was re-released, with a new preface by the author. Before writing the preface, Milan interviewed the French soccer player\u00a0Platini<\/a><\/em><\/span>, who told her that Brazil is indeed the land of soccer because \u201cit is as important for fans all over the world to go to Brazil as it is for Muslims to visit Mecca.\u201d<\/p>\n Teatro L\u00edrico\/Teatro Dram\u00e1tico<\/em><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(Lyric theater\/dramatic theater)\u00a0was brought out in\u00a02015 by Editora Giostri, assembling in one volume the author\u2019s lyric and dramatic plays. In 2016 came\u00a0A m\u00e3e eterna<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>(\u201cThe Eternal Mother\u201d), a bestseller and major critical success. The initial print run sold out\u00a0in two weeks<\/span>, a remarkable feat in Brazil.<\/p>\n The prelaunch of Baal<\/a> <\/span>was held on June 8, 2019, in Beirut, where the author, who has now written two books inspired by the Lebanese diaspora, was honored by the country\u2019s Minister of Foreign Relations \u201cfor her contribution to her ancestors\u2019 homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n Baal<\/em><\/a><\/span> was officially launched on June 18, 2019, at the Livraria da Vila\u00a0bookstore in S\u00e3o Paulo and a launch party was also held in Rio de Janeiro, at Livraria Travessa\u00a0bookstore<\/p>\n In 2018, she was invited to Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins, and the New York School of Arts to speak on the diaspora and literature. In 2019, she attended Lebanese Diaspora Energy in Beirut, where she was honored for her contribution to her ancestors\u2019 homeland (photo)<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2021 Lacan ainda<\/em><\/a><\/span> was published by Companhia das Letras. It was a critical and commercial success and the second edition of the book was quickly printed. In the same year, the rights for the film Adieu Lacan<\/a><\/span> were bought by Richard Ledes. The film is an adaptation of the novel Lacan\u2019s Parrot<\/a><\/span>\u00a0 and the play Goodbye, Doctor<\/a><\/span>. Also in 2021 Betty was elected to chair number 04 at Academia Paulista de Letras (Literature Academy of S\u00e3o Paulo).<\/p>\n It 2022 the film was released and can be seen in the streaming<\/a>. Also in this year \u00e9ditions \u00e9r\u00e8s published Pourquoi Lacan<\/a><\/span> and Betty launched in Brasil Heresia<\/a><\/span> in a live Internet Conference, with the participation of the literary critic Manuel da Costa Pinto and the executive editor of RECORD, Rodrigo Lacerda.<\/p>\n In 2023 \u00e9ditions \u00e9r\u00e8s published Adieu Lacan<\/a><\/span> with both the novel Lacan\u2019s Parrot<\/a><\/span> and the play Adieu Docteur<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Milan has written successful essays, novels,\u00a0cr\u00f4nicas<\/em>, interviews, and plays. She is drawn to a large range of topics and moves freely between them. It is hardly surprising that\u00a0