Brazil literary great Nelida Pinon dies at 85

FILE PHOTO: Writer Nelida Pinon of Brazil (L) is applauded by Spanish Crown Prince Felipe after receiving the 2005 Prince of Asturias Letters award during a traditional ceremony at Campoamor theatre in Oviedo in northern Spain October 21, 2005. REUTERS/Felix Ordonez

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Writer and scholar Nelida Pinon, the first woman to preside over the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), died at age 85 in Lisbon, according to the literary club and Brazilian media reports.

The acclaimed author published a vast body of work translated in more than 30 countries.