Names such as Oswald de Andrade, Machado de Assis, Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, and Shakespeare are already in the public domain
In 2026, a list of authors will enter the public domain, that is, their works will no longer be protected by copyright, allowing free use without paying royalties, after the legal deadline. In Brazil, the general rule is 70 years after the death of the author, counting from January 1st of the following year. Therefore, authors who died in 1955 enter the public domain.
Names such as Oswald de Andrade, Machado de Assis, Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, and Shakespeare are already in the public domain. Next year, the group will be part of: Thomas Mann, German author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929; and Americans Dale Carnegie, James Agee, Wallace Stevens, Robert P. Tristram Coffin In January, Zain will publish Mann’s Death in Venice. The book comes out on January 20th, in two editions.
See below the authors entering the public domain in 2026:
Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
Perhaps the most well-known name to enter the public domain is Thomas Mann. One of the greatest German writers of the 20th century, Mann is known for novels and novels that explore in depth the tensions between the individual and society, reason and decadence. Here, his works are published by Companhia das Letras.
Born into a bourgeois family linked to commerce, Mann turned this origin into literary material: his debut novel, The Buddenbrooks (1901), depicts the rise and decline of a northern German merchant family.
Among his most famous books are Death in Venice (published by Zain in January), Doctor Faust and The Magic Mountain, which will be published by Penguin-Companhia also in January. Mann also stood out for taking a firm stance against Nazism after Hitler’s rise to power.
In 1929, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature, mainly for the lasting impact of The Buddenbrooks. Persecuted by the Nazi regime, he lived in exile from the 1930s onwards – first in Europe and then in the United States -, becoming one of the most influential voices of German literature abroad.
Todavia has in its plans the publication of Mann’s books for 2027.
Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
Dale Carnegie was an American writer and speaker who became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century in the field of personal development, communication and leadership. He built his career on the practical observation of human behavior, especially in the professional and social environment, a theme that runs throughout his work.
He became known for the best-seller How to Win Friends and Influence People, published here by Sextante. The work proposes simple principles – such as empathy, active listening and valuing others – presented in a direct and accessible way.
His other works include How to speak in public and charm people, How to avoid worries and start living, How to be successful today, How to become unforgettable, Leadership: How to win people’s trust, loyalty and admiration, The 5 essential relationship skills, among others.
James Agee (1909-1955)
James Agee (1909-1955) was an American writer, journalist, poet and screenwriter whose work stands out for its emotional intensity and attention to the human experience.
Agee gained recognition above all for his hybrid work between literature and journalism. His most famous book, Let Us Praise the Illustrious Men (Companhia das Letras), was written in partnership with photographer Walker Evans, and was born from a report commissioned by Fortune magazine about poor farming families during the Great Depression.
After his death, Agee achieved even greater notoriety with the novel A Death in the Family. Autobiographical, the book revisits his father’s death through the eyes of a child and was widely praised for its delicacy and narrative strength, earning Agee the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1958, awarded posthumously.
Agee was also a screenwriter and collaborated on the script, for example, for the film The Devil’s Messenger, considered a classic of American cinema.
Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)
An American poet, he is considered a central figure of modernism in the English language. His poetry is marked by the constant investigation of the relationships between imagination and reality, seeking to understand how the world is shaped by human perception.
In Brazil, he has published the book The Emperor of Ice Cream and Other Poems (Companhia das Letras).
In 1955, the year of his death, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award. His works include Harmonium (1923), Ideas of Order (1935), The Man with the Blue Guitar (1937), Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction (1942), and The Auroras of Autumn (1950).
Robert P. Tristram Coffin (1892-1955)
Robert was an American poet, teacher and editor. He created a work linked to the landscape, maritime culture and daily life of New England, valuing themes such as nature, memory, work and spirituality.
Coffin played an important role not only as a poet, but as a mentor and editor, encouraging new voices in American poetry. His best-known book, Strange Holiness (1936), won him the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the highest recognition of his career.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
