Jorge Amado
Encyclopedia
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (August 10, 1912 — August 6, 2001) was a Brazil
ian writer of the Modernist
school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos
) in 1978. His work dealt largely with the poor urban black and mulatto communities of Bahia
.
He occupied the 23rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
from 1961 until his death in 2001.
("farm") in the inland of the city of Itabuna
, in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Bahia
, son of João Amado de Faria and D. Eulália Leal. The farm Amado was born in was precisely located on the village of Ferradas, which though today is a district of Itabuna, at the time was administered by the town of Ilhéus. That is why he considered himself a citizen of Ilhéus
. In the large cocoa plantation, Amado knew the misery and the struggles of the people working the earth, living in almost slave conditions, which were to be a theme always present in his later works (for example, the notable Terras do Sem Fim
of 1944).
When he was only one year old, his family moved to Ilhéus
, a coastal city, where he spent his childhood. He attended high school in Salvador
, the capital of the state. During that period Amado began to collaborate with several magazines and took part in literary life, as one of the founders of the Modernist "Rebels' Academy".
Amado published his first novel, O País do Carnaval
, in 1931, at age 18. Later he married Matilde Garcia Rosa and had a daughter, Lila, in 1933. The same year he published his second novel, Cacau, which increased his popularity. Amado's leftist activities made his life difficult under the dictatorial regime of Getúlio Vargas
: in 1935 he was arrested for the first time, and two years later his books were publicly burned. His works were banned from Portugal
, but in the rest of Europe he gained great popularity with the publication of Jubiabá
in France. The book had enthusiastic reviews, including that of Nobel Prize
Award winner Albert Camus
.
In the early 1940s, Amado edited a literary supplement for the Nazi
political newspaper "Meio-Dia". Being a communist militant, from 1941 to 1942 Amado was compelled to go into exile to Argentina
and Uruguay
. When he returned to Brazil he separated from Matilde Garcia Rosa. In 1945 he was elected to the National Constituent Assembly, as a representative of the Brazilian Communist Party
(PCB) (he received more votes than any other candidate in the state of São Paulo
). He signed a law granting freedom of religious faith. The same year he remarried, this time to the writer Zélia Gattai
.
In 1947 he had a son, João Jorge. The same year his party was declared illegal, and its members arrested and persecuted. Amado chose exile once again, this time in France, where he remained until he was expelled in 1950. His first daughter, Lila, had died in 1949. From 1950 to 1952 Amado lived in Czechoslovakia
, where another daughter, Paloma, was born. He also travelled to the Soviet Union
, winning the Stalin Peace Prize
in 1951.
On his return to Brazil in 1955, Amado abandoned active political life, leaving the Communist Party one year later. From that period on he dedicated himself solely to literature. His second creative phase began in 1958 with Gabriela, Cravo e Canela
, which was described by Jean-Paul Sartre
as "the best example of a folk novel". Amado abandoned, in part, the realism and the social themes of his early works, producing a series of novels focusing mainly on feminine characters, devoted to a kind of smiling celebration of the traditions and the beauties of Bahia. His depiction of the sexual customs of his land was scandalous to much of 1950s Brazilian society and for several years Amado could not even enter Ilhéus
, where the novel was set, due to threats received for the alleged offense to the morality of the city's women.
On April 6, 1961, he was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters
. He received the title of Doctor honoris causa from several Universities in Brazil, Portugal
, Italy
, Israel
and France, as well as other honors in almost every South American country, including Obá de Xangô (santoon) of the Candomblé
, the traditional Afro-Brazilian religion of Bahia.
Amado's popularity as a writer never decreased. His books were translated into 49 languages in 55 countries, were adapted into films, theatrical works and TV programs. They even inspired some samba
schools of the Brazilian Carnival
.
In 1987, the House of Jorge Amado Foundation was created, in Salvador. It promotes the protection of Amado's estate and the development of culture in Bahia
. The recently renovated building on the Pelourinho in Salvador contains a small museum and wall panels with the covers of international editions of his books.
Amado died on August 6, 2001. His ashes were spread in the garden of his house four days later.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian writer of the Modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos is a Brazilian novel, written by Jorge Amado in 1966.Amado's tale is of a woman's unlikely path to happiness. It is a vast panorama of life in the town of Salvador, Bahia, with dozens of characters.The novel has been adapted into a 1976 film....
) in 1978. His work dealt largely with the poor urban black and mulatto communities of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
.
He occupied the 23rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896, with the statutes being...
from 1961 until his death in 2001.
Biography
Amado was born in a fazendaFazenda
Fazendas were coffee plantations that spread into the interior of Brazil between 1840 and 1896. They created major export commodities for Brazilian trade, but also led to intensification of slavery in Brazil.- Creation of fazendas :...
("farm") in the inland of the city of Itabuna
Itabuna
Itabuna is a city in Bahia, Brazil. Located around , it's the 6th city in Bahia, after Salvador, Feira de Santana, Vitória da Conquista, Juazeiro and Ilhéus in size of population, with an estimative of 209,211 inhabitants in 2006. The city covers a total area of 443.2 km².Itabuna became a city...
, in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, son of João Amado de Faria and D. Eulália Leal. The farm Amado was born in was precisely located on the village of Ferradas, which though today is a district of Itabuna, at the time was administered by the town of Ilhéus. That is why he considered himself a citizen of Ilhéus
Ilhéus
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.The...
. In the large cocoa plantation, Amado knew the misery and the struggles of the people working the earth, living in almost slave conditions, which were to be a theme always present in his later works (for example, the notable Terras do Sem Fim
Terras do Sem Fim
Terras do Sem Fim is a Brazilian Modernist novel written by Jorge Amado....
of 1944).
When he was only one year old, his family moved to Ilhéus
Ilhéus
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.The...
, a coastal city, where he spent his childhood. He attended high school in Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, the capital of the state. During that period Amado began to collaborate with several magazines and took part in literary life, as one of the founders of the Modernist "Rebels' Academy".
Amado published his first novel, O País do Carnaval
O País do Carnaval
O País do Carnaval is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1931.It is an account of the Brazilian intelligentsia in the 1920s. Paul Rigger is the book's main character.In this first novel, already, though embryonic, the various themes of the author...
, in 1931, at age 18. Later he married Matilde Garcia Rosa and had a daughter, Lila, in 1933. The same year he published his second novel, Cacau, which increased his popularity. Amado's leftist activities made his life difficult under the dictatorial regime of Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
: in 1935 he was arrested for the first time, and two years later his books were publicly burned. His works were banned from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, but in the rest of Europe he gained great popularity with the publication of Jubiabá
Jubiabá
Jubiabá is a Brazilian modernist novel written by Jorge Amado in 1935. It was the basis for the 1986 motion picture of the same name, written and directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos....
in France. The book had enthusiastic reviews, including that of Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Award winner Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
.
In the early 1940s, Amado edited a literary supplement for the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
political newspaper "Meio-Dia". Being a communist militant, from 1941 to 1942 Amado was compelled to go into exile to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. When he returned to Brazil he separated from Matilde Garcia Rosa. In 1945 he was elected to the National Constituent Assembly, as a representative of the Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party is the oldest political party still active in Brazil, founded in 1922, and one of the only Brazilian parties with a Stalinist orientation...
(PCB) (he received more votes than any other candidate in the state of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
). He signed a law granting freedom of religious faith. The same year he remarried, this time to the writer Zélia Gattai
Zélia Gattai
Zélia Gattai was a Brazilian photographer, memoirist, novelist and author of children's literature, as well as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. She was married to internationally famous writer Jorge Amado from 1945 until his death in 2001.Gattai was born in São Paulo city, state of...
.
In 1947 he had a son, João Jorge. The same year his party was declared illegal, and its members arrested and persecuted. Amado chose exile once again, this time in France, where he remained until he was expelled in 1950. His first daughter, Lila, had died in 1949. From 1950 to 1952 Amado lived in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, where another daughter, Paloma, was born. He also travelled to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, winning the Stalin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...
in 1951.
On his return to Brazil in 1955, Amado abandoned active political life, leaving the Communist Party one year later. From that period on he dedicated himself solely to literature. His second creative phase began in 1958 with Gabriela, Cravo e Canela
Gabriela, Cravo e Canela
Gabriela, cravo e canela is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1958. It is widely considered one of his finest works....
, which was described by Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
as "the best example of a folk novel". Amado abandoned, in part, the realism and the social themes of his early works, producing a series of novels focusing mainly on feminine characters, devoted to a kind of smiling celebration of the traditions and the beauties of Bahia. His depiction of the sexual customs of his land was scandalous to much of 1950s Brazilian society and for several years Amado could not even enter Ilhéus
Ilhéus
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.The...
, where the novel was set, due to threats received for the alleged offense to the morality of the city's women.
On April 6, 1961, he was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896, with the statutes being...
. He received the title of Doctor honoris causa from several Universities in Brazil, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and France, as well as other honors in almost every South American country, including Obá de Xangô (santoon) of the Candomblé
Candomblé
Candomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practised chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . It originated in the cities of Salvador, the capital of Bahia and Cachoeira, at the time one of the main commercial crossroads for the distribution of products and slave trade to...
, the traditional Afro-Brazilian religion of Bahia.
Amado's popularity as a writer never decreased. His books were translated into 49 languages in 55 countries, were adapted into films, theatrical works and TV programs. They even inspired some samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
schools of the Brazilian Carnival
Brazilian Carnival
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat." Carnival celebrations...
.
In 1987, the House of Jorge Amado Foundation was created, in Salvador. It promotes the protection of Amado's estate and the development of culture in Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
. The recently renovated building on the Pelourinho in Salvador contains a small museum and wall panels with the covers of international editions of his books.
Amado died on August 6, 2001. His ashes were spread in the garden of his house four days later.
Works
- O País do CarnavalO País do CarnavalO País do Carnaval is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1931.It is an account of the Brazilian intelligentsia in the 1920s. Paul Rigger is the book's main character.In this first novel, already, though embryonic, the various themes of the author...
(1931) - Cacau (Cacao, 1933)
- SuorSuorSuor is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1934....
(1934) - JubiabáJubiabáJubiabá is a Brazilian modernist novel written by Jorge Amado in 1935. It was the basis for the 1986 motion picture of the same name, written and directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos....
(1935) - Mar MortoMar MortoMar Morto is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1936. It is mostly about the life of poor fishermen around Bahia, and their relationship with the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, specially the sea goddess Iemanja....
(Sea of Death, 1936) - Capitães da AreiaCapitães da AreiaCapitães de Areia is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1936.His novel tells of the Captains of the Sands, a gang of one hundred orphans and abandoned children. They are seven to fifteen years old and live by stealing, abandoned in the streets of Bahia, Brazil....
(Captains of the Sand, 1937) - Vida de Luis Carlos PrestesVida de Luis Carlos PrestesVida de Luis Carlos Prestes , also published as "The Knight of Hope", is a 1942 book by Jorge Amado, a biography of the well-known Brazilian revolutionary Luis Carlos Prestes....
(The Life of Luis Carlos PrestesLuís Carlos PrestesLuís Carlos Prestes was a leader of the 1920s tenente rebellion and the Communist opposition to the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas in Brazil....
,1942) also published as "The Knight of Hope") - Terras do Sem FimTerras do Sem FimTerras do Sem Fim is a Brazilian Modernist novel written by Jorge Amado....
(The Violent Land, 1943) - São Jorge dos IlhéusSão Jorge dos IlhéusSão Jorge dos Ilhéus is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1944....
(1944) - Seara VermelhaSeara VermelhaSeara Vermelha is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1946.A movie of the same name based upon the novel was released in 1964....
(1946) - Os Subterrâneos da LiberdadeOs Subterrâneos da LiberdadeOs Subterrâneos da Liberdade is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1954....
(1954) - Gabriela, Cravo e CanelaGabriela, Cravo e CanelaGabriela, cravo e canela is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1958. It is widely considered one of his finest works....
(Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, 1958) - A Morte e a Morte de Quincas Berro DáguaThe Two Deaths of Quincas WateryellThe Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell is a 1959 Brazilian Modernist novella by Jorge Amado.-Plot summary:...
(The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell, 1959) - Os Velhos Marinheiros ou o Capitão de Longo CursoOs Velhos Marinheiros ou o Capitão de Longo CursoHome Is the Sailor, in Portuguese Os velhos marinheiros ou o capitão de longo curso, is a Brazilian modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1961, and translated into English by Harriet de Onís in 1964.-Plot:...
(Home Is the Sailor, 1961) - Os Pastores da NoiteOs Pastores da NoiteOs Pastores da Noite is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1964. Marcel Camus adapted it into a 1975 film, Othalia de Bahia....
(Shepherds of the Night, 1964) - Dona Flor e Seus Dois MaridosDona Flor e Seus Dois MaridosDona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos is a Brazilian novel, written by Jorge Amado in 1966.Amado's tale is of a woman's unlikely path to happiness. It is a vast panorama of life in the town of Salvador, Bahia, with dozens of characters.The novel has been adapted into a 1976 film....
(Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, 1966) - Tenda dos Milagres (Tent of Miracles, 1969)
- Teresa Batista Cansada da GuerraTeresa Batista Cansada da GuerraTeresa Batista Cansada da Guerra is a Brazilian modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1972....
(Tereza Batista: Home from the Wars, 1972) - Tieta do AgresteTieta do AgresteTieta do Agreste is a novel written by Brazilian author Jorge Amado in 1977.In 1996, a film version was made with Sonia Braga in the role of Tieta.-Plot introduction:Antonieta returns from São Paulo to her native village of Agreste in Bahia....
(Tieta, the Goat Girl, 1977) - Farda Fardão Camisola de DormirFarda Fardão Camisola de DormirFarda Fardão Camisola de Dormir is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1979....
(Pen, Sword and Camisole, 1979) - Tocaia GrandeTocaia GrandeTocaia Grande is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1984.-Plot:The novel deals with the foundation of a community , in a fertile area surrounded by large cocoa fazendas owned by "coronel" Boaventura...
(Showdown, 1984) - O Sumiço da SantaO Sumiço da SantaO Sumiço da Santa is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1988....
(The War of the Saints, 1988) - A Descoberta da América pelos TurcosA Descoberta da América pelos TurcosA Descoberta da América pelos Turcos is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado in 1994. It has been translated to Spanish and titled, De Cómo Los Turcos Descubrieron America....
(How the Turks Discovered America, 1994) - Navegação de Cabotagem (1992)
- O Compadre de Ogum (Companion of the God Ogum, 1995)