After five years of waiting, Hilda Hilst’s House is finally opening its doors for visits and cultural events in the interior of São Paulo. Also known as Casa do Sol, the space offers an immersion in the history and creative environment of the writer who became one of the most illustrious in the Portuguese language.
Hilda Hilst’s home for 39 years, from 1965 until her death in 2004, the house now hosts artist residencies and cultural events. There are also occasional guided tours, where the public gets to know all the details of Casa do Sol and curiosities about the author.
Casa do Sol was Hilda Hilst’s creative refuge
Built in the 1960s, Casa do Sol was intended to be a space for creation, literary retreats and artistic exchanges. Over the years, the mansion has been meeting place for writers and thinkers It has a cozy, light-filled atmosphere that inspired Hilda and her guests.
The house preserves the artist’s entire collection, including photos, clothes, manuscripts and her personal library. The grounds also house a vast garden and a kennel, where Hilda Hilst cared for forty dogs until the time of her death.
The Casa do Sol suspended visitation in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and then remained closed for restoration. The renovation, which cost R$2.5 million, revitalized the internal and external structures without taking away the building’s original charm. In addition, the listed mansion has been given new spaces, such as accessible toilets and an area for artist residencies.
Visit Hilda Hilst’s House!
Casa do Sol currently has one resident: Olga Bilenky, an artist and personal friend of Hilda Hilst since the 1970s. The artist conducts guided tours of Casa do Sol, in which she shows the public the rooms where the writer wrote some of her works. Bilenky also shares memories and curiosities about her friend.
The next tour will take place on October 18, from 2pm to 5pm. Tickets cost R$100 and must be booked in advance via the official website. Check out more information about the visits and the artist residency on the Hilda Hilst Institute’s Instagram profile!
