Question 1

True or false: Chico Buarque's father was a famous historian and sociologist, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda.

Accepted Answer

True. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda wrote 'Roots of Brazil' and was a major intellectual; Chico grew up immersed in culture.

Question 2

True or false: Chico Buarque wrote the lyrics for 'Apesar de Você' as a direct protest song that fooled censors.

Accepted Answer

True. The song used double meanings to criticize the dictatorship, becoming a huge hit before censors caught on and banned it.

Question 3

True or false: Chico Buarque composed the music for the Brazilian film 'Central do Brasil'.

Accepted Answer

False. The soundtrack was by Antonio Pinto and Jaques Morelenbaum; Buarque wasn't involved in that film.

Question 4

True or false: He once played professional soccer for Flamengo's youth team.

Accepted Answer

False. Chico was a passionate Flamengo fan but never played professionally—he focused on music from a young age.

Question 5

True or false: Chico Buarque wrote the novel 'Budapeste' under a pseudonym.

Accepted Answer

True. He published 'Budapeste' as Chico Buarque, not a pseudonym—though he's famously a writer as well as a musician.

Question 6

True or false: He was exiled during Brazil's military dictatorship for his protest songs.

Accepted Answer

True. Buarque self-exiled to Italy in the early 1970s after his work was censored and he faced threats from the regime.

Question 7

True or false: He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, occupying the chair once held by Machado de Assis.

Accepted Answer

False. Buarque holds Chair 19, while Machado de Assis held Chair 23; the mix-up is a common myth.

Question 8

True or false: He won the Camões Prize, the most important literary award in Portuguese language.

Accepted Answer

False. Chico Buarque won the Camões Prize in 2019—this is actually true. Correction: it's true, but I listed it as false. Let me fix: It's TRUE.

Chico Buarque Trivia Questions