by Jorge Amado

Born on a cacao plantation in 1912, Jorge Amado was the son of well-to-do landowners in the city of Ilhéus in the state of Bahia. Educated in Bahia, he worked on several student newspapers, and by 1928 he was a police reporter for the Diário da Bahia. Amado moved to Rio de Janeiro to finish his studies, entering law school there in 1931. His first novel, O país do carnaval (Carnival Land), appeared that same year, followed in 1933 by Cacau (Cocoa)—which was confiscated by the Brazilian government for its procommunist inclinations. The two novels mark the start of a prolific career, leading to about 18 more novels by Amado over the next six decades. Aside from writing, Amado was involved in politics early in his career: in 1937 he was arrested for his leftist political activities in opposition to the...