Charles Cosac

Charles Cosac (born 1964) is a Brazilian book editor and art curator. He is best known for co-founding the defunct publishing house Cosac Naify, noted for its luxury designed editions of books on literature, the arts, anthropology, theatre, and children's literature.

Biography

Born in Rio de Janeiro into a wealthy family of Syrian origin, Cosac spent his childhood in the Urca neighbourhood and in Petrópolis, raised in a strict and deeply religious family environment. He attended a private school directed by his aunt before moving to the United Kingdom, where he studied English, mathematics, and art history, continuing his formation at the University of Essex, in Colchester. He completed his education at the University of Saint Petersburg, with a doctorate on the Russian painter Kazimir Malevich.

At the time of his doctorate, Cosac had already built a large art collection focused on Baroque and Latin-American pieces, many of which he donated to the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA).

In 1996, settled in São Paulo, he founded the publishing house Cosac Naify, which debuted with the book Barroco de Lírios, by Tunga. Over the years, Cosac Naify established itself as a reference in the market of art books, with titles such as Storia dell arte italiana, by Giulio Carlo Argan, illustrated and divided into three volumes, and Pierro della Francesca, by Roberto Longhi, with a preface by Carlo Ginzburg. Other titles included Les Miserables, Moby-Dick, and Anna Karenina, as well as books by Brazilian writers, such as Murilo Mendes and Manuel Bandeira. The carefully designed editions, combined with rigorous editorial standards, made the house one of Brazil's most prestigious.

After a period of financial deficit, Charles Cosac announced the closure of the company, explaining that it had distanced itself from its original purposes. In November 2023, he returned to the book market with the imprint Cosac Edições, dedicated to publishing Brazilian authors.

References

  1. ↑ Enns, Anthony; Metz, Bernhard (2022-07-05). Consumerism and Prestige: The Materiality of Literature in the Modern Age. Anthem Press. ISBN 978-1-83998-278-1.
  2. ↑ Redação (2025-02-12). "A volta de Charles Cosac". revista piauí (in Brazilian Portuguese). (14:07). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  3. ↑ "Charles Cosac reabre editora, critica 'arte DNA' e diz não ter interesse no que falam sobre ele". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-02-19. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  4. ↑ Coelho, Tiago (2025-02-11). "A volta de Charles Cosac - revista piauí". revista piauí - _pra quem tem um clique a mais (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  5. ↑ "Charles Cosac: matemático das letras | Donna". GZH (in Portuguese). 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  6. ↑ "Um personagem à procura de seus autores". Valor Econômico (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  7. ↑ Harwood, Joanne; Fraser, Valerie; Demelo, Sarah J. (2014-12-02), "Digital Resources: The Essex Collection of Art from Latin America", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-936643-9, retrieved 2026-01-08
  8. ↑ "Charles Cosac: 'Quero fazer livros até morrer'". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  9. ↑ "O rigor poético de Piero della Francesca". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  10. ↑ "Folha de S.Paulo - E na Itália fez - se a arte". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  11. ↑ G1, Do; Paulo, em São (2015-12-01). "Cosac Naify, editora de livros de arte e clássicos, anuncia fim das atividades". Pop & Arte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Os quinze livros mais incríveis da Cosac Naify". VEJA SÃO PAULO (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  13. ↑ "Cosac Naify, a mais prestigiada editora brasileira, anuncia o seu fim". Acervo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  14. ↑ "O triste fim da Cosac Naify". epoca.globo.com. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  15. ↑ "Walter Porto: Cosac vai voltar a publicar literatura com três estreias de mulheres na ficção". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  16. ↑ Araujo, Miguel; miguel-araujo (2023-11-23). "Cosac Naify volta às atividades oito anos após fechamento". O POVO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.