Maria Carlota de Macedo Soares was born in 1910 in Paris, where her father—who ran one of Rio de Janeiro’s most influential newspapers, Diário Carioca—was exiled. Raised among the elite, Lota arrived in Brazil in 1928 at the age of 18. She was often described as a controversial figure, known for her love of race cars, wearing jeans and men’s shirts, and for her discreet yet enduring relationship with the acclaimed American poet Elizabeth Bishop.
