The criticisms of Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star (1977) were analyzed by (re) evaluating its relevance and the legacy of its author. After a critical review of the texts in popular publications, it was found that, in Brazil, the debates about the novel were centered between explicitness and introspection, social commitment and aesthetic sublimation. Foreign critics, on the other hand, raised Lispector’s ability to reach diverse audiences and the readability of her work, including disputes over her prestige as an author among other great writers and the relevance of her compositions.